Support for one, Support for all

I've been on a rampage lately, tearing through Internet articles and other media in order to find out more information on Ricky Martin's coming out. While people said things about him for years, I first really thought about it in 2007 when I read that he offered Christian Chávez his full support after the latter was forced out by media-released photographs of his wedding in Canada. Beside's Chávez's bandmates (the Mexican pop group RBD), Martin was one of the few celebrities in the Latin American world to stand by Chávez. I'm happy that he has decided to come out and say "I am a fortunate homosexual man."

That takes courage.

Martin's revelation comes shortly after Sean Hayes of Will and Grace fame came out in an interview with The Advocate. But does the fact that these men are coming out now actually affect anything, after their careers have slowed down to a manageable level and they can fade back a bit and live their lives without much interference from the media?

I think it still does matter.

Regardless of current status, projects in progress, or whatever else, these people are still very recognizable, both from their works in stardom and in the real world. Their decision to come out not only makes the gay community more visible and vocal, but it also makes it more real to people who may not have had anybody to look up to before. These men could be the reason someone else finds hope to continue on...seeing that you don't have to be heterosexual in order to be successful, to be loved, to be admired, to be happy.

Even though now both of these men may have the same label attached to their professions that other gay actors, gay singers, gay painters, gay musicians, gay politicians, gay teachers, gay athletes, gay writers, gay...whatevers...have, at least they can look at themselves and say "I'm not lying to myself about who I am."

And they have my full support.

Even though I am just one person with no major connections whatsoever, I would like to think that my encouragement does matter in the end. And even though I know none of the people mentioned in this post will ever read what I have written here, it matters to me that I wrote it.