# 'Tom Cruise is gay': a homophobic statement? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 26, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163 "2005-07-26T02:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/61 "2005-07-27T04:18:35Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > That is one _repressed_ dude. > > Isn’t Jude Law gay? I hate myself for knowing about this, but don’t tell his nanny then, m’kay? ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/62 "2005-07-27T04:20:31Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > By God, they will take Vin Deisel when they pry him from my cold dead fingers. Same here Maureen… ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/63 "2005-07-27T04:22:21Z")
Yes, gay men never have heterosexual sex. Ever. Especially not to prove to themselves they’re not gay. BTW… can you explain why you think this: > [@](#): > > Sure, they can play gay on occasion, but that can’t actually be gay, or else playing straight would be unrealistic. ?? Because, I can think of at least two openly lesbian actresses who played straight very well. I’m pretty sure that’s why it’s called acting. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/64 "2005-07-27T04:23:48Z")
Necrophiliac handjobs. Gotta try try that sometime… ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/65 "2005-07-27T04:31:11Z")
Just wanted to throw this thought out here. Sexuality is not necessarily a fixed thing. Although most do stay with the preferred sex, some do not. It’s not a good thing or a bad thing, it just is the way it is for that person. ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/66 "2005-07-27T04:32:51Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > Necrophiliac handjobs. > > Gotta try try that sometime… Wait, … :eek: :eek: WHAT? Are we still talking about Tom Cruise? ---
**Author:** ![supervenusfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@supervenusfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supervenusfreak)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/67 "2005-07-27T04:35:55Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > Wait, … > > :eek: :eek: > > WHAT? Are we still talking about Tom Cruise? LOL. I think I did a bit of a hijack. We now return to our regular programming ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/68 "2005-07-27T04:37:28Z")
Aaaaaaaaaaah, so that _was_ a whooshing noise I heard… ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/69 "2005-07-27T04:39:21Z")
It was the cold dead hands on Vin’s deisel that got me to thinking… Back to the real subject. **Super** makes good point. I’ve known people that fluctuated (or seemed to) up and down the sexual orientation scale. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/70 "2005-07-27T04:42:27Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > Because, I can think of at least two openly lesbian actresses who played straight very well. I’m pretty sure that’s why it’s called acting. Not that it’s fair, but it’s different for lesbians, it seems. I’m not saying gay men can’t do straight convincingly. That’s why I put the rolleyes there, because it’s so clear there’s an idiotic double-standard at work…or, rather, many idiotic double-standards at work. I’m quite confident there are a few very gay men doing wonderfully convicing work as straight protagonists on view in our cineplexes even now. The point is _we don’t know for sure who they are_. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/71 "2005-07-27T05:36:48Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > That is one _repressed_ dude. > > Isn’t Jude Law gay? I doubt it-he’s had numerous affairs on the sly that he tried to hush up-all of them with women. If anything, he might be bi, but I don’t think he’s gay. Just a slut. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/72 "2005-07-27T09:55:44Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > Isn’t Jude Law gay? I certainly hope so. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/73 "2005-07-27T16:43:04Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I wouldn’t have sex with Cruise because he is a Scientologist. Does that make me ahhh…a …homoscientist? > FTR, I’m waiting for Cruise to implode. Should be fun. No, it makes you a Sciephobe… or a Thetanphobe… howabout just a Bullshitphobe. 😃 As for Tom imploding, Matt Lauer could have achieved that easily… “Tom, tell me about… Xenu.” ---
**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:** [July 27, 2005, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/74 "2005-07-27T16:47:53Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > I can’t think of a recent example, but I also know of not a single Hollywood lead, much less a lead of Cruise’s star power, who is openly gay and still draws audiences. I just don’t think audiences can do it, watch a gay guy up there in a Hollywood blockbuster act like he’s Indiana Jones or James Bond. Sure, they can _play_ gay on occasion, but that can’t actually _be_ gay, or else playing straight would be unrealistic :rolleyes:. Either I’ve got to believe none of these guys are even so much as bi-curious, or figure a fair percentage of them are closeted, and for good reason. I’ve hung around a lot of fairly low-wattage actors (in terms of how bright their stars shine, if you will) since marrying, and the gay contingent is huge. I’m more surprised these days when a theater lead is _straight_, for crying out loud. Probably it’s different in big movies, but _that_ much different? Do they just screen out all the queers before letting them hit the big time, or are things just like they were when Rock Hudson was all that? You misunderstand me. I’m not talking about openly gay leading men, I’m talking about leading men who a rumored to be gay. Do you think that if Cruise had laughed off rumors about his sexuality, or simply ignored them, that it would have damaged his career? I find that hard to believe, and I don’t know of any precedent for it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/75 "2005-07-27T17:11:28Z")
Hmmm…well, actually, it might of-remember, he became a big star in the '80s, back when Hollywood was only just starting to deal with actors coming out. If it happened now, no one would care, but when Tom first made it big, it might have. Maybe. I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/76 "2005-07-27T19:37:59Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Do you think that if Cruise had laughed off rumors about his sexuality, or simply ignored them, that it would have damaged his career? I find that hard to believe, and I don’t know of any precedent for it. So you figure there are no big gay male stars around today? ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/77 "2005-07-27T19:41:59Z")
Well. Aside from Big Gay Al. ---
**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:** [July 27, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/78 "2005-07-27T19:43:20Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > So you figure there are no big gay male stars around today? Sure, I know of at least two: Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/79 "2005-07-27T19:54:14Z")
I have only seen the trailer once, but didn’t I see Rupert Everett playing a straight man dating Diane Lane in _Must Love Dogs_? ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/80 "2005-07-27T19:57:56Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Sure, I know of at least two: Tom Cruise and Mel Gibson. You’re sure of that because…like, for instance, they’re totally open about their gayness and involved in comitted homosexual relationships, or something like that? Are we on the same planet? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163.md?page=5)