The Bruce Jenner Debate: Transphobia on the Rise?

lgbt_life

Many years ago when Perez Hilton ruled the blogosphere, he found great pleasure in outing closeted, famous homosexuals in what Salon appropriately called a “gay witch hunt.” Some of those celebrities included Neil Patrick Harris, Lance Bass, and Wentworth Miller. I use their names in this article because they have since been very public about their sexual preference. Perez justified his bully-tactics with a boast about social change, claiming, “I know there is some controversy about outing people, but I also believe the only way we’re gonna have change is with visibility. And if I have to drag some people screaming out of the closet, then I will. I think that lot of celebrities have an archaic fear that being gay will hurt their career but look at Rosie. Look at Ellen.” The mud-slinging sunk his reputation, and Perez has since made very public pleas for forgiveness. For the record, I no longer read his website, and I severely question his sincerity. It’s easy to to express sadness when your source of income has suffered.

Society has made severe social changes since Perez kicked people out of the closet. Gay marriage is now legal in a majority of states, and the United States Supreme Court is about to decide whether same-sex marriage should be legal on a federal level, which will finally put this bigot-brigade to rest and allow us an opportunity to grieve our history in the same way we do about the world before Loving v. Virginia. But despite the aforementioned social change and objective acknowledgement that “outing” is fundamentally dangerous and irresponsible, there’s still one last group we have yet to respect — and that is the transgender community. When In Touch magazine published a doctored photo of Bruce Jenner dressed as a woman, I found it both shocking and reprehensible. In a world where transgender kids are committing suicide daily, you’d think even a tabloid would take things more seriously. Much like the arguments against Perez, these issues are personal, and if the stories about Jenner are accurate, it is his story to tell — and no one else’s. Grappling with gender identity is a serious issue, and the jokes about Jenner only hurt children engaged in an internal struggle with nowhere to turn. We need more people like Laverne Cox, and it’s clear that despite how far we’ve come, we still have a lot to learn about love, respect, and acceptance.

Lady Gaga v. Perez Hilton: IT’S WAR!

There’s a fire in Lady Gaga’s pants, and this time it’s not for show. Gaga and Perez Hilton have engaged in a full-on twitter war, with Gaga accusing Perez of stalking her after a twitter fan spotted the celebrity blogger in her building. Perez subsequently defended himself, explaining that he was simply in search of some new digs, which Gaga called a blatant lie. She also referenced a text Perez sent her at the time of her hip injury, which she alleges included a message about Karma and an image of Madonna pointing a gun at the singer’s head.

There’s no indication as to what caused the initial feud, but it’s clear it began prior to Gaga’s hip injury, and Perez claims he “chose to [no longer] make her a part of [his] life.”  But whatever the source, that tension increased exponentially when Perez consistently posted accolades of Katy Perry’s ‘Roar,’ while subsequently pointing out that Gaga’s ‘Applause’ paled in comparison. It’s clear he had an ax to grind, and used his site to sharpen his tool.

There’s a larger lesson to be learned from these circus clowns though, and I’d like my readers to take a seat while I preach. Perez Hilton had a huge hand in launching Lady Gaga’s career, and when she became an international superstar, she paid him back with a friendship that included public appearances and mutual promotion. If karma exists, the only case of it is befriending an evil blogger who called celebrity children ugly and got paid for it. Many celebrities who complained about abusive paparazzi (Gaga included) had no problem appearing beside someone who perpetuated the problem. They liked the attention, and when it no longer suited them, they turned. Hypocrisy cuts deep. And Gaga needs a bandaid.

Kim Kardashian Parties With Perez for Her Birthday — Did she Forgive Him?

There’s something very interesting about the photos from Kim Kardashian’s 30th birthday party — Perez Hilton is there.  Perez Hilton has often bashed the Kardashian sisters on his blog, once going so far as to call Khloe Kardashian an “ugly amazon.”  So does she have a forgiving heart, or is she hoping to stay close to Perez to keep her name on his website?  I surmise it’s the latter.  And the Kardashians aren’t alone.  Demi Moore once threatened to sue Perez for child pornography when he posted pictures of her young daughter’s ass on his website.  Perez then countered with a defamation threat.  You wouldn’t guess that by the twitter love between the two.  Demi posted a twit-pic of herself in a bikini, and Perez responded with a pic of himself a speedo.  Demi playfully retweeted his pic, saying, “I think I started a trend.”  Did she forgive him too?  And what about Lindsay Lohan?  Perez often attacks her on his site, yet Lohan had no problem attending his birthday bash, and getting her picture taken with him.  Nothing says forgiveness like getting your name mentioned on a high-traffic blog.

Perez Hilton Defends Himself to Joy Behar – I’m Done With Him

I listened to Perez defend himself, and it further convinced me that I am finished with him altogether.  I started reading Perez about four years ago, mainly because everyone in the entertainment industry passed it around as their guilty pleasure.  He had original content, he was breaking stories, and he was pushing boundaries.  Years passed, and he went from being unconventional to straight up mean, which is unacceptable.  You should never make fun of someone for something they cannot control.  So when you use your blog to literally call people ugly, or pick on an individual that is clearly in the midst of a personal crisis/breakdown (i.e. Britney Spears), I draw my line in the sand.  The Miley Cyrus situation solidified my outrage.  The paparazzi are disgusting vultures of humanity that will continue to prey on people and invade their personal space until the California legislature gets its act together and passes a law to prevent them from endangering celebrities and all innocent bystanders around those celebrities.  The only reason they are able to continue making money off crotch shots, is because people like Perez are posting them, or “linking to them.”  Now I know these celebrities are not entirely innocent.  Miley Cyrus is old enough and savvy enough to know that the paparazzi will attempt to get crotch shots, and she therefore should use her brain and wear some pants.  That being said, it doesn’t excuse this behavior.  And no matter who started it, it’s time to stop perpetuating it.  It’s disgusting. Watch his “explanation” below.

[Great Related Article by: Rob Shuter – Who is Perez Hilton?]

Lady Gaga Appears on Larry King – And Dresses Like Him (Video)

Lady Gaga is hilarious.  She interviewed with Larry King, and she chose to copy his style of dressing for the interview.  She was wearing a big tie with suspenders!  What makes this even better, is that Gaga did the same thing when she interviewed with Barbara Walters.  Perez Hilton appeared on ‘The View’ and confirmed Gaga’s intention after Walters told him that she didn’t expect Gaga to dress so conservatively in the interview.  “She told me she was dressing like you,” Perez told Walters (who seemed rather flustered at the revelation).  Watch the clip below to see what I’m talking about, and scroll through the second clip to see the Barbara Walters interview.

Lindsay Lohan v. Perez Hilton

Lindsay Lohan and gossip blogger Perez Hilton got into a war of the words when Hilton said on his website that Lohan suspiciously gets paid in cash for her club appearances.  He then said “Ummm…. Drug money?!?!”  Lohan responded via twitter, saying “your statement couldn’t be more wrong in every single way. And I find your accusations and slanderous remarks to be gross.  Then again, Karma is a bitch, isn’t it? I can’t imagine what yours will be.”  What’s funny about this “slander,” is that Lohan just recently attended Perez Hilton’s birthday party.  Yes it’s true that his comments came after the party, but Perez has been bashing her on his website forever, and she still decided to show.  I guess all you have to do for forgiveness is throw a celeb attended party.  I’m sure she’ll be at his next one.

Red Carpet Fashion: Perez Hilton’s Birthday Party

Perez Hilton, the master of all celebrity bloggers, had a birthday bash in Los Angeles Saturday night.  Forgive the title of this post, as Perez, true to his website’s color, rolled out a pink carpet instead of a red one.  See pictures from the party below.


[Perez Hilton and Lindsay Lohan – yes, it is weird that she is there given that Perez constantly bashes her on his website]


[Paula Abdul and her hot legs!]


[Katy Perry – please see my previous post – entitled ‘When Did Celebs Stop Wearing Pants’]


[Kim Zolciak – from ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta’]


[Leona Lewis – British pop sensation]


[Singer Eve]


[Audrina Patridge – from ‘The Hills’]


[Bridget Marquardt – Formerly on of Hugh Hefner’s girls]


[Niecy Nash – on this season’s ‘Dancing With the Stars’]