Perez- Icon or Not?

[Messed Up]

I’m sorry (no I’m not) but I do not respect Perez Hilton. I cannot respect a person who bullies others, talks trash about them, and constantly questions another celebrity's sexuality/OUTS them (he called Lance Bass a “big fat gay” in an interview before he came out publicly) when he or she may not be ready to express that just yet. I feel whatever progress the LGBTQ community makes in Entertainment or Social Relevance (etc.) he pushes back ten years.

I was asking my LGBTQ friends what they thought about him and I was surprised as to what their responses were. They ALL disliked (they said “hate”) him.

So, I wanted to ask you, since EC numbers in the thousands while my LGBTQ friends...don’t LOL...

“What do you think about Perez Hilton? Do you think he is a gay icon or the opposite?”

I personally do not find him relevant and I think he gives the LGBTQ community a bad name/reputation. I cannot fathom him as a gay icon... I would rather eat a straw hat than put him on a LGBTQ pedestal.

What is your opinion?

AND this is an opinion poll- PLEASE no fighting with anyone!

[Ghostly]

Nope I don't see him to being anywhere near a gay icon, you just can't compare such a self-centered stuck-up person to a someone like Elton John or even Adam Lambert. He's just whiny annoying person who happens to be gay -.-

[Filip]

Well, with only a few votes in, it seems I can see where this will end xD

Count me in the no camp here. Being gay and loud is not sufficient to be a gay icon (actually, neither being gay OR loud is a prerequisite for that). To be an icon, it is more important to make a positive difference. And gossiping and being abusive just doesn't fit that bill. Neither does being gay yourself make it more acceptable to talk other GLBT people down.

So yeah, by that definition, I consider most members of EC better gay icons than Mr Hilton

[browneyedboy]

i dont think he's an icon, in his early career he just stereotyped the gay gossip bitchy guy but over the last few years he seems to have stopped being so mean. He also created (using the word "wrote" is just an insult to authors) a children's book called The Boy With Pink Hair, which is all about accepting those different from you and that it's okay to be different., so i guess it's a positive contribution, but i dont think he is at all a "gay icon" at all. And to slightly veer off topic i dont think one has to be gay to be gay icon look at GaGa, Liza etc. but good for him to make an effort to be nicer and promote equality, but sorry not iconic.

[Emberstone]

I have no respect for anyone whoes only claim to fame (other than being a asshole) is that they write about people more famous than themselves to get famous themselves.

There are people who blog because they have something of consequence to say, and they are putting it out there to expand our awareness about issues...

... then there are trolls like perez hilton.

[Chip]

I suspect he's someone who himself got bullied and mercilessly made fun of growing up, so he's gotten bitter and that comes out with what he does.

I've never had much respect for him, especially when he constantly makes claims about various people he *wishes* were gay but who likely aren't.

But... it's just part of pop culture. He's sensational, so he sells.

[Kenko]

Apparently he's going to be less mean:
Perez Hilton on 'Ellen': I'm Going to Stop Being Mean - Kevin Fallon - Entertainment - The Atlantic

But I have no use for him. He is as useless as the person who's name he copied.

Generally I find all celebrity gossip useless.

While I can understand the idea of wanting there to be more gay role models (eg: the people he's trying to out), he himself takes GLBT acceptance in society back 20 years as far as reinforcing stereotypes.

[J Snow]

Perez Hilton is a person? I thought it was just the name of some website. Even so I didn't know it had anything to do with LGBT stuff, I thought it was just some celebrity gossip site. I've only heard of it like once before too...

[Gerry]

Perez is no icon. He bullies people too much and pressures coming out. I suspect he was bullied throughout life, probably high school, and that's why he is returning what happened to him.

[Zontar]

Perez Hilton is a dick.

[Revan]

When he was punched by Will.i.am, I was all "yay!"

[Messed Up]

Originally Posted by Revan

When he was punched by Will.i.am, I was all "yay!"

That’s another reason I don’t respect him. It’s said that after the Much Music Awards last year he was confronted by will.i.am who told him to stop spreading gossip about the B.E.P. and insulting Fergie (who also confronted him and said she felt betrayed by his gossip as she considered him her friend and his response to that was “Just doing my job” or something of that nature). Perez was unrelenting and according to him he was punched out by either will.i.am. or the B.E.P.’s manager. After he was knocked out Perez said “I wanted to get under his skin” for what he had done so do you know what he called will.i.am?

“Faggot”.

How dare you use such a hateful word used to viciously describe the community you belong to?

He makes me sick. Like, literally, I want to vomit when I see him or think of him.

[darkpassionplay]

Not!

[kettleoffish]

everything I've ever seen or heard about him just reinforces my view that he's a fat cunt.

[Messed Up]

Originally Posted by kettleoffish

everything I've ever seen or heard about him just reinforces my view that he's a fat cunt.

I wish there was a “Like” option on EC right now LOL

But I’m pleasantly surprised no one thinks he’s a future icon!

[needshelp]

no, he's a bitch. i really don't like the dude. he gives all lgbt people a bad name.

i remember when will.i.am's manager punched him in the face after he did something he wasn't supposed to do and he tried to flip it into will.i.am assaulting him, how he was a homophobe and the whole nine. fuck him.

[Revan]

Actually I'm pretty sure will.i.am was the one who punched him. And I think he said something about Fergie that pissed Will off.

[Martin]

+ YouTube Video

That pretty much sums up my answer to whether I consider him an icon. ^_^

[malachite]

nope

[anatta]

To play devil's advocate for a moment, couldn't you say all the same things about Kathy Griffin? She is far more popular with LGBT Americans isn't she?

As far as I can tell they have exactly the same flamboyant, gossip-obsessed public persona, both make a living from talking about other celebrities and both have tried to "out" celebrities who didn't want to come out.

If he is reinforcing the stereotype that gay men are bitchy, surely she is doing the same for the stereotype that women are bitchy?

I'm just curious why she gets away with these things more easily than he does. I know some will argue she is more talented than him, but that can't be the only reason.

Is it because she's a woman and gossiping is judged less harshly in women because it's more common in them, in the same way that women get heavier sentences for crimes that are normally associated with men?