Everyone commented, but no one said anything. And so it was that Ricky Martin came out of the closet, of his own free will. It wasn't a gossip magazine or a paparazzi that caught him leaving a gay nightclub. Martin simply couldn't bear to live in hiding any longer and used the blog to tell the story. "I'm a lucky homosexual," declared the now out Rick. It's the news. It's in the media all over the world.
But the Puerto Rican singer's coming out raises some questions: why only now, when the singer is ostracized? Opportunism? Attempt to return to the media? A sincere attitude from an artist who spent his entire life in the spotlight and was sold as a heartthrob?
I believe that the last question brings us closer to the reasons that led Ricky Martin to come out, as he is not alone in his answer.
Alongside the former member of the boy band Menudos, two highly successful singers are among those who denied homosexuality and later came out of the closet: Elton John and George Michael.
Singer and pianist Elton John enjoyed great success at the end of the 60s and during the 70s he was one of the highest-earning artists. Since then, countless rumors have emerged surrounding his sexuality. Elton denied that he was gay.
In 1984, the owner of the hit "Nikita" announced his marriage to engineer Renate Blauel, a union that would end two years later. Later Elton John would tell everyone that Renate was a friend and that the marriage had been made to dispel rumors about his homosexuality.
At the same time that Elton came out of the closet, another singer with record sales and charts emerged. This was George Michael, who began his career with the group Wham!, which he left in 1988, when he released "Faith", the best-selling album of that year. George established himself as a pop star, he was handsome and adored by women. Rumors about his sexuality are also beginning to appear in the press and there is no statement from the singer.
Perhaps George Michael's coming out was the most traumatic: in 1998 he was the target of a trap set by the police in the public bathroom of a park in Beverly Hills, where he was arrested on charges of indecent exposure for trying to have oral sex with a man. man.
Elton John and George Michael overcame the closet. Today Elton is happily married. In his latest studio album, "Patience", George Michael talks openly about his homosexual relationships, however, the singer experiences deep ostracism. Will Ricky Martin now release an album about his secret loves?
Although Elton is one of the best-selling artists in the history of music, he never regained the brilliance of his career achieved between the 70s and 80s, despite winning an Oscar for the song from the cartoon "The Lion King" in the 90s.
George Michael never recovered. At the time he was caught having oral sex in a public bathroom he was criticized by the media in general. Today Michael is being treated for crack addiction.
Here we talk about three singers from three generations from a time when managers forced them to remain in the closet. The reason was always the same: openly gay singer sells less and becomes stigmatized. There is, mainly, Ricky Martin, because he was the heartthrob of Menudo and then became the heartthrob of celebrities. Who doesn't remember the rumors about him and Madonna?
Moving away from music and looking at the world of male celebrities as a whole, how many artists are not the subject of comments regarding their homosexuality? Actors who turn down gay roles, young singers who always announce girlfriends who are never seen, and so on. And the question is: is it worth it, of your own free will, to come out of the closet?
