Why Ricky Martin Coming Out Now Matters

By PopEater Staff Posted Mar 30th 2010 11:29AM

In a special guest post, Jarrett Barrios, the President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, writes about why Ricky Martin outing himself is important. Below, Barrios discusses Martin's decision and how it's a "game changer."

A high school friend messaged me on Facebook last night. She'd been so angry back in 1984 when Menudo replaced Ricky Melendez -- who had grown too old -- with that too-young looking Ricky Martin. But she stayed loyal and became a fan of the new Ricky. She even tracked me down in the 1990s to catch up after years -- just to tell me Ricky had been cast in 'General Hospital.' And why not? Ricky had become part of the family and we have to keep up with our family, after all.

Ricky Martin coming out is, for many people, like having a friend or family member come out. "Gay" isn't an abstract to them anymore, but the kid you knew when you were 14. The power of Ricky's celebrity status makes fans understand gay people differently, too.

Two weeks ago, iconic Mexican singer Paquita la del Barrio, who has sold millions of albums worldwide and whose songs are staples in jukeboxes in Mexico, announced that she would rather a child starve to death than be raised by a gay couple in response to marriages of same-sex couples in Mexico City. Two weeks ago, there was no word, image or story to contradict Senora la del Barrio in Spanish-language media -- just abstract stereotypes about being "gay."

Today, our friend Ricky Martin, who we Latinos have known since he was 12, is that face – a gay man who is the father of two sons. He is the face of all those people Senora la del Barrio was attacking. Her job isn't so easy anymore.

Ricky coming out is a game changer for many gay and transgender Latino children, who for too long have not had many out gay people to look up to. It's also a game changer for their mothers, aunts and grandmothers, who were once teenage girls screaming at Menudo concerts. They now have a face to the word "gay" and know a father of two who just happens to also be gay. As more and more people get to know gay and transgender friends, neighbors, family members and celebrities, they come to know that our community wants the same things all people do: to be accepted, valued for our contributions and equal chance to raise our families and take care of our loved ones.

It's true that Ricky is far more popular in Spanish than in English, and that his coming out will reverberate through Latin America. But it is no less meaningful here in America; a singer who has sold millions worldwide in English and in Spanish, one of People's Most Beautiful People in the World, a father of two, a proud Puerto Rican man who just happens to be gay. For all the boys and girls struggling to find the language to tell their coming out story for the first time, it just became that much easier. Thank you, Ricky!

Jarrett Barrios is the President of the GLAAD. He was the first Latino and first openly gay state Senator in Massachusetts and is the proud father of two teenage sons.

Watch the Girls on Pop Talk About Ricky

Tags: glaad, ricky martin

Comments

(47)

Tuesday 30 March

By Sharon

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No Amanda. You are disgusting. A judgemental ignorant bigot. Ricky Martin is the same person he was before he made this announcement and from all that I've ever read about him (because let's face it: neither one of us knows him personally) he is a good decent person.

Wednesday 31 March

By Joann

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Ditto, Ugh!

By rob

Do yo think that homosexuals choose a lifestyle in which they are bullied as children, ignored as adults, beaten to death by the hands of bigots, live without representation, restricted from services that most others expect and receive? Do you think homsexuals like being torn down, judged, executed, forced into low paying jobs, living in substandard housing and openly asked about their most intimate moments? Wow, sure sounds like a life that you wouldn't want to try to survive in. These people sound like they are stronger than most, understanding of many and loved by sadly, few.

By Joey

Oh Liz, you poor dear. You don't quite get it do you?

He does not want to be with a woman because he's not attracted to a woman. He's the same person he was on Sunday, before he came out.

Ricky (like many gay men & women)is much stronger, than some hedros, bcause he had finally mustard up the courage to face his truths on his own terms. Sometimes people have tp go through things in life to get to the point where they are today, this second.

Ricky is (whether he wants to or not) now the face of encouragement that hopefully will help some kid deal with his or her own homosexuality so they won't end up dead due to suicide.

Liz, you sound like a scorned fan.

By Pizzt

Grow up dude or look at it like this: it's just one more man that would NEVER touch you...you're use to that feeling by now aren't you? That's your real problem...We can only hope you have not reproduced, Amanda.

Kids don't give a crap who raises them as long as they are loved and fed. I would rather a kid be raised by a loving homosexual couple that would give the kid food, clothing, a secure home and endless education then a hedro couple that only reproduces to get more money from welfare!

So did yours

By SURPRISE!

As if we didn't already figure this out for ourselves! So tell us something NEW!

By MG

And you can't even spell correctly!

By MARYANNE

good for you ricky. congratulations . now you will feel like yourself. proud of you -

By JBaer

I thought he spilled the beans years ago...

tuffmarine.....lol....yeah right. Tuff???? you sound like a frightened, closeted, jealous, uneducated piece of work. You should be proud of your ignorence. Frankly, I am embarresed for you.

By Sam Pasquin

I thought he came out years ago. I have always known that he was gay. What's the big deal?

Obviously you do Jake if you want him away from what you call "normal people."

And what make's you normal Jake? Your small mind and small d**k?

By Ramona

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Is it really anyone's business! Must we always have to know or guess if a person is gay or not???? Who cares. That is a personal issue not something the whole world needs to know.

By Mary

johnny,

you are stupid!

Mary

By dj

he was freakin gay since he was in MENUDO

By Jessica

Lol when I read about this yesterday I was thinking to myself who DIDN'T know he was gay? It's like when Clay Aiken came out. I was thinking you weren't fooling anyone since Menudo. I don't care that he's gay. It doesn't make me look at him any different, he's still a person. I'm glad he finally made the choice to be open and real about who he is.

By Michael gifford

a few items:
1. as many have mentioned, you have to be living under a rock to NOT know he was gay, no matter how many hot sweaty women he surrounded himself with in his videos...he had gay written all over him
2. the most ridiculous argument the religious/moral types use is about raising kids in a 'gay' household...is that they won't have good role models...REally??? So please put forward the statistics about how many gay households have parents who routinely abuse their kids. In fact, most of the sexual abuse that happens occurs in HETEROSEXUAL HOUSEHOLDS where the deliverance father decides it's his cultural imperative to rape and abuse his daughters. That's what happens in hetero households and you hear very little if any in Gay households. Why? it's simple...because the gays, who've already experienced their fair of abuse, are much less prone to subject someone else to it...

We're not talking Catholic priests here which is another matter entirely, just the "sanctity" of the marriage

By SUE

You would have to be an idiot not to know he is gay. No surprise here. I still love him...no difference to me. Still a fan.

By Linda

I agree. Ricky is still a cutie pie and I still enjoy him as an entertainer.

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