Straight women, were/are you aware that Jodie Foster is gay?

[MNUse]

Been mildly curious about this for a while. I’m a gay woman and my loving well-meaning mother will occasionally make slightly clumsy attempts to bring up gay films or famous gay women that she assumes I must be interested in because they are also gay (e.g. Ellen Page as was). But she has never mentioned Jodie Foster, and although I haven’t tested it I get the impression she isn’t aware, maybe partly because although JF is now ten years married to a woman she has never quite made the big ‘I am gay’ speech.

AIBU to think a lot of straight women still haven’t really noticed that Jodie Foster is gay? And, if I’m wrong, when did you become aware?

YABU - I know, I’ve known for ages, yawn

YANBU - I didn’t know, or didn’t know until very recently, but anyway, yawn

OBVIOUSLY what matters is her acting, but I am mildly curious about what causes someone’s gayness to register/not register with the wider public

But allegedly the only gay member of the band (that I know of) didnt want to do the video! And that same band member had kept his sexuality out of the media so they could shift loads of records to "bigots"? Hardly being "themselves" is it? Im pretty sure the bass player, drummer and guitarist didnt often prance about at home in ladies clothing, the video was just a piece of nonsense that backfired on them in the American market, when people thought "Hey wait a minute, all those lyrics about girls and cars and the hot models prancing about in the videos with the singer was fake!" GM is another classic example, can you imagine being a 14 year old girl in 1982 and finding out that GM had a partner, and that the partner was a bloke who worked on a building site! Your whole psychological world would collapse - it is misrepresentation to shift albums, pure and simple, Jimmy Somerville had the right idea, but that path doesnt lead to multi-million dollar album sales, not in that era anyway.

YABU

The Queen video was funny and not about dragging up - it was a UK soap spoof. Most places "got it" but it went over the heads in some homophobic places in the US. FM probably kept his sexuality out of the media because he knew how that media would react and because it was nobody else's business. He wasn't alone keeping it quiet. The tabloids were shameless in how they treated FM when he was seriously ill and then dying.

I always thought she was quite masculine so wasn't surprised when I read that gay.
Great actress.

I feel like it’s been common knowledge since about 1990/1 (so talented in front of and behind the camera).

YABU known for many years .

I seem to remember references to Jodie Foster through the years, refusing to comment on her sexuality and relationships through the years and always admired her stance. She politicized her sexuality or used it as a tool to get media attention. She has instead focused on honing her craft. She is a fabulous actor and I respect her right to privacy, and the privacy of all those involved in her life. Her sexuality and relationships with partners and family have nothing to do with her talent, which is immense.

Jodie Foster is just awesome I have always really liked her.

Is this a problem!

I think I knew about this but it’s no big deal so I never give it a thought.

All I think of when I see that Jodie Foster is starring in anything is that it’s going to be bloody good!

I’ve watched Silence of the Lambs multiple times! One of my favourite films!

I didn't know but If someone asked me I would have hazard a guess.

Can't remember when I discovered but had guessed long before it was official. Jodi Foster is one of those women who makes straight women want to be gay.

It's been known forever, well done to Jodie that she doesnt make it part of her marketing.

Yes, I have known this for some years.

Since she did Panic Room, at least.

I am straight.

Well, I didn't know, but now I've read it I'm not surprised to read this. I'm always nosey to see what a famous persons spouse is, whether they are gay or not. Just nosey I guess.
I grew up in the 70s, probably of the same age as jodie Foster & it was incredibly homophobic & quite misogynistic in those days, we still have it now but way way worse back then.
Pleased she is happy, no matter who she is with.

Can you give an example of someone that does make it part of their marketing?

What does that mean or look like?

I had no idea, I can’t have ever seen a picture of her with her wife. I would know only when I saw a person with their significant other.

I might have a thought that someone is gay if they are displaying a number of stereotypical traits, but I’ve been surprised by people in the past - both finding out people I thought were gay were actually straight & vice versus. I wouldn’t want to assume I knew someone’s sexuality, it’s not really got anything to do with me.

I'd say the red haired lady from Sex and the City and also Ellen who made a whole sitcom out of coming out.

Cynthia Nixon has done activism but being gay isn't part of her branding - if you mean the change in direction her fictional character has taken, that was suggested to her by the showrunner and she went with it (I think she said there had been little representation on screen so was happy to) - but not the sleeping with her professor part - hence we had the character Che. I'm pretty sure that character hasn't become the role model for young women/non-binary people out there that the writers wanted them to be. they've just killed her off she was so divisive

It's a bit cynical to castigate LGBTQ members/allies as using their sexual preference as a marketing tool. I understand that you might think some allies have used dipping their toes in the Sapphic pool for publicity stunts (Madonna kissing Britney springs to mind) but I can't think of many lesbians off the top of my head who use it to promote themselves unless it is part of their work. Demi "I'm so fluid now" Lovato at a push, who recently boarded the pansexual bus. But even she, as a Texas-born Christian, has probably not addressed it in the past because of fear. Miley Cyrus, who also identifies as pansexual, wrote about Kaitlynn Carter I think (in Midnight Sky) but she has written about and to Liam a number of times. Given Sandi Toksvig says she still gets death threats 30 years after coming out, I'm not really sure there are that many public figures trying to monetise the pink pound (if I understand you correctly).

They cancelled Ellen's sitcom because she came out! They literally cancelled her because they didn't want a lesbian on prime time TV.

It's amazing how homophobia is so quickly forgotten.

As for Cynthia Nixon she was an advocate for same sex marriage. She met her wife in 2002 when it was still illegal to marry. It was only in 2015 it became legal in all States to marry.

So yes, thank God she was an advocate. Without people like her nothing would change.

She also ran for Governor of New York, so yes her and her wife were in the news.

Does that make these things their "brand" or are they simply lesbians who have asked for equal rights publicly?

Do believe lesbians should be allowed on prime time TV? Do you believe in gay marriage?

Open to debate, but "Manhunter" from 1986 is better, the guy from Dundee plays Lecter and he is fucking scary! The lead actor who is just on fire throughout this great movie, one of the best of the 1980s for sure, was offered the Henry Hill part in Goodfellas (Ray Liotta eventually played it) but didnt even go to the screen test apparently, he is also on fire and chewing the scenery in To Live and Die in LA, which might have been his second movie (amazing performance again) and directed by the genius who directed the greatest horror/supernatural movie of all time.

It looks like Jimmy Somerville, he came from one of the roughest housing schemes in Glasgow, and he sang about being a gay man in a falsetto voice and didn`t pretend to be anything else to sell records (to be fair he moved to London before he started singing, probably a good move at the time, although London was obviously still dangerous for gay men at that time, especially if you encountered the famous serial killer from a good bit further north than Glasgow)

The problem is that sections of the media DO want to make it part of her "marketing" and she seems to be going along with it? The honest thing to say would be - "I kept my sexuality low key when we were making multi-million dollar movies because my advisors told me it was game over for that kind of money if I was too open about my sexuality, if you want to see a real gay icon look at the wee guy from Glasgow who was letting it all hang out when that meant potential threat of serious physical violence and no career, he is a real gay icon"

"They cancelled Ellen's sitcom because she came out! They literally cancelled her because they didn't want a lesbian on prime time TV."

You asked who made it her brand and I gave my answer.
Ellen is now extremely successful with her chat show, despite complaints about how she treats people.

"Do believe lesbians should be allowed on prime time TV?"

Of course. When did I say otherwise?

"Do you believe in gay marriage?"

Yes, and I don't appreciate your trying to characterise me as some kind of homophobe.

"Cynthia Nixon has done activism but being gay isn't part of her branding"

Having seen her election campaign a few years ago, I'd argue it's part of her image.
I meant the actress rather than the character as I can't access the new version of SATC.

"It's a bit cynical to castigate LGBTQ members/allies as using their sexual preference as a marketing tool. "

Who's castigating anybody?