# '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:** 4\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/121 "2005-07-30T15:22:11Z")
**Scotticher** , I’m not going to even touch that other message board. or what they think is homophobic. I like the Dope and don’t know why she bothers with anywhere else. ---
**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 30, 2005, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/122 "2005-07-30T19:17:54Z")
Thanks for the explanation, **Mitch**. I pretty much disagree with all of it, though. I mean, yeah, what I’m doing can be seen as bullying… as much as a some hourly wage slave can possibly bully a multimillionaire international movie star. I’m sure Tom Cruise goes home everynight and cries himself to sleep on his enormous pile of Ferraris because of stuff like this. Regarding your longer dialogue, the flaw I have with it is that the offended party in it starts off from a position of innocence and open-mindedness, and is hounded unfairly. I don’t think that Cruise is starting from any such position. He’s the celebrity frontman for an organization that teaches that homosexuality is a mental defect that they can cure. That right there is a severely homophobic attitude, and nothing Cruise has ever said has indicated that he disagrees with it in anyway. Further, I don’t see where he was ever good natured about the rumors. I think a better example would be something like, MILLER: Oh comoffit… you know. I seen the way you look at him. CRUISE: I AM NOT GAY! \ Generally speaking, I am opposed to outing people against their will. But Cruise’s response to rumors about his sex life was entirely, even violently, over the top. It (among other things) makes him a dick, in my book, and considering that I am pretty much powerless to affect him in any other way, I’ll settle for calling him something that I know he absolutely hates to be called. Oh, and word to the wise. This: > [@MadderMitch](#): > > What does this have to do with my teasing set of first posts? Clearly they’re not meant to be taken literally. But I’m using the same set of bully logic rules, namely to accuse you of something (and at this point T. Cruise’s sexuality seems to be used as an accusation as opposed to speculation) you are not until you fire something back at me. Then I use this as the basis of another false argument. It doesn’t really matter whether it follows or not, the real object of the game is to corner you. is pretty dangerously close to trolling, and could get you banned. Which would be a shame, as you seem a pretty bright guy who could be a good addition to the board. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/123 "2005-07-30T21:14:19Z")
> [@MadderMitch](#): > > MITCH: Nothing, BUT **I’M NOT GAY!!!** > > MILLER: _HOMOPHOBE_… You know, I used to have an album by _Mitch Miller and his Gang_, at it was gayer than Barbra Streisand’s entire body of work. > [@Mitch Miller](#): > > Be kind to your web-footed friends > For a duck may be somebody’s brother > Be kind to the denizen of the swamp; > He’s a dilly through and through. > You may think that this is the end, > But it isn’t 'cause there’s another chorus Put your lallies up, ducky! ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163/124 "2005-07-31T03:19:27Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > **Scotticher** , I’m not going to even touch that other message board. or what they think is homophobic. Which demonstrates excellent judgment, dear. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-cruise-is-gay-a-homophobic-statement/314163.md?page=6)