Ricky Martin Blazes New Ground In More Ways Than One

By Mike Ryan Posted Mar 30th 2010 09:08PM

Just when everyone had pretty much stopped asking, Ricky Martin finally announced that, yes, he is gay. On Monday, Martin announced via his Web site, "I am proud to say that I am a fortunate homosexual man. I am very blessed to be who I am."

In a way, it's quite admirable that he never made his sexual preference public knowledge (even though, you know, it was) before he was good and ready. Once those questions start, those in the public eye have few options in dealing with them. They can pretty much (A) ignore the questions and continue on with their lives -- like, until now, Martin; (B) admit the rumors are true and continue on with their lives, as Neil Patrick Harris has done; or (C) deny the rumors and file a lawsuit.

What's interesting about Ricky Martin's case is that he has now run the gauntlet on all three of these options. This is the same guy who, when asked about his sexuality, responded, "If I were gay, why not admit it?... I am a normal man. I love women and sex. I am a real hot-blooded Puerto Rican, but I have never been attracted by sex with a man."

Lately, he seemed quite comfortable in the role of a gay man that just never discussed it publicly, until, quite surprisingly, he mentioned it at the bottom of a post on his blog. And even more surprisingly, as far as we can tell, nothing triggered this announcement. He, apparently, just felt it was time.

This is in contrast to Neil Patrick Harris. It's easy to forget now, but the gossip blogs were swirling with rumors before he gave his interview to PEOPLE magazine. He felt that the rumors were distracting from the show he was (and still is) on, 'How I Met Your Mother.' Even easier to forget: The speculation that his announcement would somehow prohibit viewer's ability to still accept his 'HIMYM' character, Barney Stinson, as a ladies' man. Thankfully, this question has long been settled.

Interesting, though, that Harris' Twitter account didn't exist (nor did Twitter as a whole) when NPH gave his interview to PEOPLE. That's what makes Martin's announcement notable -- he completely forwent the television or magazine interview. Martin used his own forum to discuss his life.

Now, of course, social media services like Twitter are used regularly by celebrities to communicate directly with an audience -- usually to promote their latest project or complain about a simple peeve of daily life. It's still quite rare for an announcement of this magnitude to be delivered by this kind of a platform.

Is this the future? Possibly. More and more actors, athletes, reality stars -- whoever is in the public eye -- are bypassing the (as they would assume) sometimes skewed slant of the media to deliver their message directly. In the past, there was really no way to accomplish this. Now, someone like Ashton Kutcher can make any extremely important announcement he wants on Twitter (which most recently, was "Happy Passover" -- but you get the idea) to around 4.7 million followers.

Why would Martin -- or any celebrity in the future -- need to subject himself to an interview when, with one little sentence on his own Web site, we are all reporting on it regardless? And you know what? Good for him.

Watch the Girls on Pop Talk About Ricky Martin

Tags: ricky martin

Comments

(35)

Tuesday 30 March

By Puppie

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Did he REALLY need to announce he was gay????!! lol
Oh yeah, big surprise here! lol

By mickey

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I feel sorry for his surrogate sons, especially when they eventually find out that their daddy likes to play with other men's penises.

By anthony

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unless you personally slept with him and then know for a fact he is gay or straight then yes, its news to you...

Wednesday 31 March

By pugz

under the category of "unnecessary announcements"

By DTgringo

Who? So my neighbor announces he's gay and that's news now? Hey Ricky, whoever you are, nobody cares that you're gay. Go back to Livin' La Vida Irrelevant.

sorry - selling millions of records worldwide over the past two decades, having a few top ten hits in over 30 countries and a multi-season run as a soap actor doesnt make someone irrelevant in the pop history books.

A bit testy are we? They guy is a two-hit wonder in the US (the only place that matters) and he has been unheard of for years. The fact that he is announcing he is gay now leads me to believe that he is either lying to try to make a career resurgence (i.e. Doogie Howser) or he is telling the truth in the hopes that it will cause a career resurgence (i.e. Clay Aiken). Either way, it'll go more like the forgotten Clay Aiken than lucky Doogie Howser cause Ricky Martin has nothing to offer modern audiences.

By Andy

Willy Wonka would be proud!

By bill

Another "celebrity" FREAK OF THE WEEK.I miss the 80s when the closet door was nailed shut, when men were men and women were women.Now everyday some freak wishes they were the opposite sex.Hey Ricky, I'd say a nice healthy dose of electric shock therapy would help.

By BothPartiesSuck

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You are a freaking IDIOT. You are a total waste of space. Do the world a favor, kill yourself.

By Dave

Bill, I just wonder why you care who anyone sleeps with. If you are happy with your life so be it but how does Ricky being gay have any effect on your life? You should be as talented. Just maybe shock treatment would do you good to get that hate out of you. At least Ricky is being true to himself and who he really is.

To bothpartiessuck and dave, I LEAST I DON'T LOVE MEN. LOSERS.

By kevstar6942

I would NOT be surprise if bill is not a secret cork soaker. The ones who protest the louder have something to hide.

By jay

HEY BILL DO YOU THINK THAT GOD REALLY CARES IF YOUR OPINONS OF OTHERS (WHO THEY SLEEP WITH ,SHARE THERE LIFE WITH ,HAVE KIDS WITH ,SHARE A HOME WITH,)SEEMS TO ME THATJUST BECAUSE YOUR A SICK ALONE POOR REJECT FROM THE WORLD YOU LASH OUT AT OTHERS YOU DONT EVEN NO OR TRY TO NO AN HAVE A PITTY PARTY AT BILLS HOUSE OF WHY DO I NOT HAVE WHAT RICKY M HAS WELL YOU DONT YOU DUMD SHI* ....DO US AN THE WORLD A FAV GO GET THAT GUN US IT ON YOU AN SAY HELL TO YO MAMA IN HELL FOR ME...............

By Lilrhea

Knew he was gay the 1st time I saw him sing. Doesn't matter what his preference is, he's a good singer and puts on a steamy show. Shame that society cares so much about sexual orientation. Bill, it's time to realize that the world is moving on....but look closely at your best bud...is he....GAY?!!! He may be checking you out. Grow up.

Hey Jay, God may not care what Bill thinks, but God does care quite deeply about who people sleep with. Homosexuality is clearly forbidden in most religious texts.

By MARK

I'm such a fortunate heterosexual male and I want the world and all of you to know it. I really don't care what all of you heterophobic penis pullers think. I'm heterosexual and proud of it and I'm not raising sexually confused children who think babies are made by artificial insemination. There will be a study and tons of problem children to unravel when they grow up heterophobic.

By b1llyford

I kind of have to agree with Bill. I don't personally care who sleeps with whom. But I am SO sick of people trying to make gay the new straight. If he wasn't doing it for attention, why is he announcing it at all?

hey DTgringo so if god or who ever even bill said the person you sleep with is forbidden what do u say then you non american pig

By Mary

OMG what a gorgeous man....

I'm not really a fan, but everything I've read about Martin has always been good.

So I wish him lots and lots of happiness!!!!

Peace

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