# Do you care to know the sexual orientations of actors, singers, & writers you like? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 14, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756 "2010-09-14T19:14:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/1 "2010-09-14T19:14:24Z")
Inspired by the Michael Cera thread over in CS. Poll follows shortly. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/2 "2010-09-14T19:15:38Z")
Well, I want to say “not really”, but it does make me happy when people come out. ---
**Author:** ![Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Blut\_Aus\_Nord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blut_Aus_Nord)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/3 "2010-09-14T19:16:08Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/4 "2010-09-14T20:20:03Z")
I picked “Depends, if I am sexually attracted to them, I want to know if they are incompatible”. Beyond that I could not care less. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/5 "2010-09-14T20:23:05Z")
I don’t care one way or another. It’s a trivial matter and makes absolutely no difference to me. It’s personal information that I’m usually not interested in. It’s not like I’m planning to date any celebrity, and even if I did, I’d just move on if they weren’t interested. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/6 "2010-09-14T20:23:09Z")
I might find it interesting, if the answer is the opposite of what I would have expected. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to find out. I don’t know what option that corresponds to. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/7 "2010-09-14T20:30:31Z")
I care, to the extent that having highly visible, openly gay people helps gays as a group gain acceptance, and helps people still struggling with their sexuality come to terms with it. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/8 "2010-09-14T20:34:21Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I might find it interesting, if the answer is the opposite of what I would have expected. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to find out. I don’t know what option that corresponds to. You are vast and contain multitudes. ---
**Author:** ![emmaliminal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7bcc69/32.png) [@emmaliminal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emmaliminal)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/9 "2010-09-14T20:42:47Z")
I said “Yes it enhances…”. If it’s someone I’m interested enough in to be curious about their lives, that is. It enhanced my enjoyment of Neil Patrick Harris’s[Emmys song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BT1DZVn5h2Y) to know he’s gay and out, for instance ('specially the joke at 1:42 - 1:56). Tee hee! ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/10 "2010-09-14T20:47:35Z")
Singers and writers - couldn’t care less. Actors - it helps a little to know, but sometimes not. Depends on what, if any, my fantasies are. George Takei coming out didn’t change a thing. Finding out about Portia de Rossi ruined some good _Ally McBeal_ fantasies. ---
**Author:** ![multimediac17](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/839c29/32.png) [@multimediac17](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/multimediac17)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/11 "2010-09-14T20:49:24Z")
I’m usually curious about the lives of the artists I admire, but it’s not like it _really_ matters in any way. I might look it up (you can usually find out in the “Personal life” section of Wikipedia) if it’s somebody I’m not sure of, all other people I just find out when they mention it/come out. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/12 "2010-09-14T20:54:32Z")
_“No. In fact I want to know as little about their personal lives as possible”_ I want to appreciate or dislike them for their work, not because of their personal habits or beliefs. The exception being people with beliefs or behavior so repellent that I don’t want to contribute even a tiny amount of money to them. Something that doesn’t come up often since I read more than watch, and really bigoted or fanatic writers tend to let their attitudes contaminate their writing, making it worse in its own right. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/13 "2010-09-14T21:13:43Z")
I could care less who or what the actor is screwing. What he or she does in private doesn’t matter. I only care if they are convincing in the role they are portraying. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/14 "2010-09-14T21:18:11Z")
I picked “I want to know as little as possible” but in the case of writers sometimes I get something from knowing about their life (for instance, Tolkien’s experience in WWI). ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/15 "2010-09-14T21:23:45Z")
I don’t need to know, since I won’t be hopping into the sack with anybody other than mrAru, but if they want to come out and say something in an interview, I am ok with that. In the grand scheme of things sexual orientation of strangers means absolutely nothing, and it shouldn’t have any significance in the world - but I am encouraged when society has started easing up on alternative lifestyles enough that people are feeling able to come out of the closet. I think everybody should be able to marry the [other consenting adult] person of their choice. Heck, I am even ok with poly if all the people in the relationship are in agreement and they have a functional contract. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/16 "2010-09-14T23:08:07Z")
I chose, “No, but I don’t mind knowing other things about their personal lives if they want to share.” What I meant was, “ **Not particularly** , but I don’t mind knowing **most anything** about their personal lives if they want to share.” ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/17 "2010-09-14T23:52:57Z")
> [@hogarth](#): > > I might find it interesting, if the answer is the opposite of what I would have expected. Same here. It is at least as interesting as who the straight celebrities are dating (and, yes, I find that interesting sometimes). ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/18 "2010-09-15T00:02:05Z")
As a gay woman it matters to me to support gay artists. Most of all because they articulate a lot of my feelings that tend to get ignored by the hetero majority. I don’t get why I’m supposed to think it doesn’t matter. Hell yes, it does matter to me. ---
**Author:** ![Gil-Martin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Gil-Martin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gil-Martin)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/19 "2010-09-15T00:09:05Z")
I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756/20 "2010-09-15T00:16:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Finding out about Portia de Rossi ruined some good _Ally McBeal_ fantasies. And really improved some others. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-care-to-know-the-sexual-orientations-of-actors-singers-writers-you-like/553756.md?page=2)