Is "Gay" Defamatory?

[Queersetti]

There have been reports in the media recently that Tom Cruise is considering filing a defamation of character lawsuit against the producers of South Park, for an episode in which they strongly implied that Cruise was gay.

But does it defame someone to say that they are gay, even if it is not true? If we do not believe that being gay is wrong, how is it defamatory? If someone was tall, and you called them short, no court would entertain a suit over the matter. Or do those who are straight have a legitimate complaint that their character has been besmirched if they are "accused" of being gay?

 

[gypsywitch]

I think Tom is being a little girl about the whole thing. As an actor he should be able to take it like a man.

Besides... South Park is damn funny!! Even Micael Jackson isn't trying to sue to whatever and did you see what they did to HIM?!

It would seem more polite for the producers of that show to get a bit of discussion going with the stars before they abuse them like that. Freedom and responsibilty... tough calls.

But no; its not generally defamatory to be potentially gay anymore. I can remember that it was in the 70's and 80's though. I hated being called a lesbian sometimes when I did sports. Context and tone is everything. Guys hated being called fags back then.

 

[Raimondin]

Fame- Infamy - (Defamy?)

What's the difference? It's all the same.

Why all the hoopla to waste time on lawsuits?

They're getting what most insecure, rich, introverted celebrities crave for.

ATTENTION!

"Brad Pitt secretly in love with Tom Cruise!" Ooh, lets go get the magazine, buy the book, see the new movie, "Mr. & Mr. Smith"

 

[Queersetti]

Fame- Infamy - (Defamy?)

What's the difference? It's all the same.

Why all the hoopla to waste time on lawsuits?

They're getting what most insecure, rich, introverted celebrities crave for.

ATTENTION!

"Brad Pitt secretly in love with Tom Cruise!" Ooh, lets go get the magazine, buy the book, see the new movie, "Mr. & Mr. Smith"

True enough, but let's take it out of the realm of the rich and famous.

If an ordinary, non-famous person goes around town telling people that his ordinary, non-famous neighbor is gay, should the neighbor be able to take legal action for defamation? And if he can, does that imply that being gay is assumed to be a negative thing?

 

[bisexplicit]

So, what if they made a South Park and called Ellen straight. I wonder if anyone would say that was defamatory?

 

[kbate]

I imagine that in the minds of most people, being called a homosexual is an insult, although the gravity of it is doubtful.

I do not believe Cruise has any real hope of receiving damages from what is an obvious comedy routine, and if he does the case would take comedy back to the anonymous days (pre-Tonight Show). *shudder*.

 

[neonflux]

Methinks Tom Cruise protesteth too much...

Tom Cruise has always been overly-sensitive about this, which leads me to believe that he's a raging gay man with a crushing amount of internalized homophobia. What convinced me that the rumors (which were cirulating even that early in his career) were true, was his absolute insistence that they utterly de-gay the film "Interview with a Vampire." That came from him, not Brad Pitt, not the producers and directors, and certainly not Anne Rice. More recently, there was his oddly discomfitting display of overt adolescent male bravado when talking about his relationship with Katie Holmes on Oprah. I've actually begun to feel a little sorry for him...

Re: the other question - no, being gay shouldn't be seen as a bad thing, and I don't think is by men who are secure in their sexuality. Take Richard Gere, who had to put up with all of those nasty gerbel stories in the 80s (??? time frame ???), and still openly supports queer causes.

~ J

There have been reports in the media recently that Tom Cruise is considering filing a defamation of character lawsuit against the producers of South Park, for an episode in which they strongly implied that Cruise was gay.

But does it defame someone to say that they are gay, even if it is not true? If we do not believe that being gay is wrong, how is it defamatory? If someone was tall, and you called them short, no court would entertain a suit over the matter. Or do those who are straight have a legitimate complaint that their character has been besmirched if they are "accused" of being gay?

 

[LoneGuy69]

Is Gay Derogatory

I certainly do not think it is nor should it be. Some people, however, certainly do think so.

I know that US teenagers use the expression "that is so gay" as a put down.

There is still a great deal of homophobia out there. Many pundits think that the 'gay marriage' controversy in the US was a significant factor in George Bush's re-election.

As for Tom Cruise, movie stars are sensitive about their image. I doubt that the American public at large is ready to accept openly gay actors as heterosexual romantic leads and action heroes.

Liberace won a defamation lawsuit against a London newspaper columnist in the 1950's for referring to him as a homosexual.

Cary Grant sued anyone who called him gay, including Chevy Chase from whom he won a million dollar settlement. The evidence is pretty convincing that Grant was bisexual at least with periods when he was almost exclusively homosexual.

Rock Hudson's studio paid off a tabloid in the 50's not to print the gay rumors. Shortly after that, Rock married his agent's secretary. That marriage lasted about two years. As a young teen in New England in the early 60's I heard the rumors about Hudson.

Bottom line, I do not think things have changed that much for male movie stars (as opposed to actors, there are successful openly gay actors like Rupert Everett and Ian McKellan).

 

[Queersetti]

I know that US teenagers use the expression "that is so gay" as a put down.

Hell, that's common here on other boards at Lit. And, if you object to your sexuality being used as an all purpose insult, you are dismissed as an over sensitive whiner.

 

[bisexplicit]

Hell, that's common here on other boards at Lit. And, if you object to your sexuality being used as an all purpose insult, you are dismissed as an over sensitive whiner.

Hey, stop being so gay about using gay as an insult.

 

[LoneGuy69]

Is gay derogatory

Hell, that's common here on other boards at Lit. And, if you object to your sexuality being used as an all purpose insult, you are dismissed as an over sensitive whiner.

I am not sensitive about this, I was using it as an example of how some people use gay as a derogatory expression in this society. If you read my whole post, you would see that it is a discussion of social attitudes now and in the past towards homosexuality especially regarding celebrities. For example the next sentence refers to George Bush capitalizing on anti-gay marriage sentiment in the 2004 US election.

 

[BlueEyesInLevis]

There have been reports in the media recently that Tom Cruise is considering filing a defamation of character lawsuit against the producers of South Park, for an episode in which they strongly implied that Cruise was gay.

But does it defame someone to say that they are gay, even if it is not true? If we do not believe that being gay is wrong, how is it defamatory? If someone was tall, and you called them short, no court would entertain a suit over the matter. Or do those who are straight have a legitimate complaint that their character has been besmirched if they are "accused" of being gay?

If he can show that...
1. He was damaged ie lost $$ (movie contracts etc.)
2. The allegations were false
3. That those writing the story did so knowing it was false or with reckless disregard.

...then he has a winnable lawsuit.

For a male actor considered to be a sex symbol (which he is) it certainly WOULD damage his box office appeal to be accused of being gay. It dosnt matter if YOU think its no big deal, so long as he can show he has been damaged in some measureable manner.

 

[Queersetti]

I am not sensitive about this, I was using it as an example of how some people use gay as a derogatory expression in this society. If you read my whole post, you would see that it is a discussion of social attitudes now and in the past towards homosexuality especially regarding celebrities. For example the next sentence refers to George Bush capitalizing on anti-gay marriage sentiment in the 2004 US election.

Uh, OK.

I have no idea why you think I didn't read your post, or why you took my comment, which obviously was not about you, so personally.

 

[neonflux]

I think he does more damage to himself with this lawsuit

Years ago, even 15 years ago, yes, I would agree with you, but not now. There are plenty of sex symbols (e.g., Mark Walberg) who know about and court their gay audience without addressing rumors. Others (Ricky Martin) just let the rumors go while not saying much one way or the other. Others still (Richard Gere - I know, old now but still in his day a sex symbol) go one step further and fight for the LGBT community despite the rumors.

Tom Cruise, by so overreacting to rumors about his sexual orientation in this day and age, feeds grist to the mill. I believe that this law suit is far more likely to hurt his box office appeal than if he just ignored the South Park episode. Again, it always disturbed me that he insisted on so thoroughly de-queering Lestat in "Interview with a Vampire." At that time, an onscreen kiss with another man might have meant that the film tanked at the box office but they could have still implied much without ever resorting to a kiss. It is his homophobia (internalized, perhaps?) that resulted in such a distortion of the character and his relationships. All told, and following on the heels of his Oprah debacle, Mr. Cruise is definitely doing himself more harm than good.

~ Justine

For a male actor considered to be a sex symbol (which he is) it certainly WOULD damage his box office appeal to be accused of being gay. It dosnt matter if YOU think its no big deal, so long as he can show he has been damaged in some measureable manner.

 

[Xelebes]

True enough, but let's take it out of the realm of the rich and famous.

If an ordinary, non-famous person goes around town telling people that his ordinary, non-famous neighbor is gay, should the neighbor be able to take legal action for defamation? And if he can, does that imply that being gay is assumed to be a negative thing?

Only if that non-famous person is saying it in a libelous manner.

 

[Queersetti]

Only if that non-famous person is saying it in a libelous manner.

But the question remains; if being gay is socially acceptable, is it libelous to say that someone is gay, whether they are or are not?

 

[Xelebes]

But the question remains; if being gay is socially acceptable, is it libelous to say that someone is gay, whether they are or are not?

It can be done.

Just like labeling someone as black in a libelous manner.

 

[Raimondin]

True enough, but let's take it out of the realm of the rich and famous.

If an ordinary, non-famous person goes around town telling people that his ordinary, non-famous neighbor is gay, should the neighbor be able to take legal action for defamation? And if he can, does that imply that being gay is assumed to be a negative thing?

Oh, I see.
Yes, apparently and unfortunately it is.

Obviously in the hypocrital showbiz world it's still the double standard. I mean, I'd say, take a figure like 50 to 80% of the entourage people around a mega star like Tom Cruise are probably gay. From the make-up people to the front desk agents! C'mon, give me a fuckin break.

Now, for us mere mortals it just means discrimmination is still here. We can't afford the lawyers Tom Cruise can hire to cover up his closeted self.
Yes, being gay is still apparently defamatory and a negative thing. That's why we're still called faggots, cocksuckers or dykes.

 

[College_geek]

First off, that was my favorite episode of this season. It made me cry with laughter.

Two, Tom Cruise is just a jerk who's ego is too big to fit in his head.

I feel that people who sue for being called gay are actually insecure with their sexuality. If you're secure with yourself, you shouldn't care who calls you what. You, your friends, and your family know the truth. Also, I would like to think that he'd give the public a little more credit...most of us know that a cartoon is a cartoon and not (necessarily) fact. It was a funny episode that poked fun at him and then it was done. That show has made fun of so many other people, far worse than he was.

Also...the fact that he's considering suing the creators just goes to prove one of the points they were making at the end of the episode where all the scientologists threaten to sue Stan.

 

[John Doe]

I think Tom is being a little girl about the whole thing. As an actor he should be able to take it like a man.

What does his career choice of acting have to do with his masculinity?

 

[Sue_in_TN]

Class Action

Let's get all the gay people in America to sue South Park for defamation -- they've obviously devalued our class by portraying Tom Cruise as one of us.

 

[shikatamasu]

Let's get all the gay people in America to sue South Park for defamation -- they've obviously devalued our class by portraying Tom Cruise as one of us.

That was funny. Do you all think Tom needs back on his meds?

 

[Queersetti]

It can be done.

Just like labeling someone as black in a libelous manner.

Should we, the GLBT community, accept that? Are we OK with courts working on the assumption that being gay is a bad thing?

 

[Queersetti]

Oh, I see.
Yes, apparently and unfortunately it is.

Obviously in the hypocrital showbiz world it's still the double standard. I mean, I'd say, take a figure like 50 to 80% of the entourage people around a mega star like Tom Cruise are probably gay. From the make-up people to the front desk agents! C'mon, give me a fuckin break.

Now, for us mere mortals it just means discrimmination is still here. We can't afford the lawyers Tom Cruise can hire to cover up his closeted self.
Yes, being gay is still apparently defamatory and a negative thing. That's why we're still called faggots, cocksuckers or dykes.

Granted.

But if a court rules that someone has been defamed by being called gay, are they perpetuating that situation?

 

[glamorilla]

That's why we're still called faggots, cocksuckers or dykes.

and thanks to south park referring to someone or something as "gay" gay will always be a bad thing.

in the closet or no i hope tom fucks those boys over and hard.