Gay stars in the closet
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Another gay bar, The Selden—owned by Tyler Colton, owner of The Emerson—is slated to open soon in Midtown Reno.
He kept his sexuality a secret – and in 1954, married a woman named Marilyn Rosenberg, with whom he had a daughter. They divorced in 1959.
But he was different from most men of his time – he never tried to hide his sexual escapades.
In 1976, he told a French journalist: "Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experiences – and I am not ashamed."
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Paul Lynde
Paul Lynde, the Hollywood Squares star, was known for his flamboyant comedy persona but never publicly addressed his sexuality.
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Anderson Cooper
In a 2012 article for TheGuardian.com, Brian Moylan applauded CNN anchor Anderson Cooper for “finally coming out” years after his “personal crusade to nudge” the journalist “slowly out of the closet.” In 2009 the Gawker contributor published a post on the website entitled: “Anderson Cooper is a Giant Homosexual and Everyone Knows It.”
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Zachary Quinto
Anderson Cooper is not the only celebrity that Gawker writer Brian Moylan has outed.
So I think when that happened, something shifted, and it became bigger than myself.”
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Matt Bomer
Matt Bomer is another gay celebrity who opened up about his sexuality after rumors swirled that he was in relationship with a man and had dated men in the past.
He had friends in Hollywood, in the acting community, who were gay, and they couldn't come out. Friends later confirmed his relationships with men and his frustration at being forced to stay closeted.
Cathy Rudolph, a friend of Lynde's who published the 2013 book Paul Lynde: A Biography – His Life, His Love(s) and His Laughter, stated in a 2018 interview that "being gay and having to hide it frustrated him."
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Dismang said that in 2026, there will be more charity events, along with drag shows, karaoke and DJ events. Here is our list of gay stars who were outed.
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They are the celebrities who opened up about their sexuality either reluctantly or just to stop the rumor mill from churning.
“My goal thus far is to bring family, to bring what gay bars used to be,” Dismang said. In 2010 Gawker.com said it was “inevitable” that Rodriguez – who has recently split from British model Cara Delevingne – The Fast and the Furious star would come out.
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The bar also hosted a fundraiser for Kitty Kisses Cat Cafe’s rescue efforts.In the 1970s, Lynde lived with his hairstylist, "suite mate," and "chauffeur-bodyguard," Stan Finesmith.
Despite his campy image, Lynde's private life and sexual orientation were not directly acknowledged or discussed on television or in other media during his lifetime. But Jimmy was special, so I don't want to say ... OTC’s next big event is a New Year’s Eve party on Wednesday, Dec.
31, featuring drag and burlesque performers and a DJ. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the drag show is slated to start at 11 p.m. Robert Reed
TV wife Florence Henderson talked about Reed being in the closet during a 2000 interview with ABC News: "Here he was, the perfect father of this wonderful little family, a perfect husband. “Now, gay bars are becoming needed again because … we’re not being as accepted as we used to be.”
Dismang is also the owner of the new Out of the Closet Bar and Nightclub, abbreviated as OTC, located in the former Tronix space at 340 Kietzke Lane, between Second and Mill streets.
OTC currently serves Curious Elixirs bottled NA craft cocktails, and Dismang said his goal is to develop a substantial menu of house-made mocktails as well. Greg Brady, I think had Bob not been forced to live this double life, I think it would have dissipated a lot of that anger and frustration. In interviews, Raymone Burr claimed he'd been twice widowed and lost a child – all fiction invented to ward off suspicion.