In a time where there are almost no taboos left to break and the ubiquity of violent porn has virtually eliminated our collective capacity to experience shock, it is difficult for artists to attract attention as they once did. With the meteoric rise of the rainbow movement, “coming out” as something or other has become a compelling career move. If you need a shtick, announcing that you are something other than straight is sure to rake in accolades from every corner.
Thus, pop singer Sam Smith announced that he was “non-binary” (Douglas Murray wondered what the difference between that and shouting “Look at me!” was).
Miley Cyrus, the fresh-faced Hannah-Montana-turned-punk-chick, was sure to let the tabloids know that her marriage to Liam Hemsworth didn’t mean she wasn’t pansexual, gender-fluid, and queer. “We’re redefining, to be f—ing frank, what it looks like for someone that’s a queer person like myself to be in a hetero relationship. A big part of my pride and my identity is being a queer person,” she told Vanity Fair.
Teen YouTube star Jojo Siwa also climbed aboard the overloaded bandwagon, informing her fans that she now identifies as LGBT. Not that she’s gay or anything — most of the celebrities coming out these days are identifying as one of the other ambiguous letters, which allow them to be referred to as “courageous” and “bold” without actually having to do anything that used to make “coming out” difficult.
