[Middleotroad]

Originally Posted by Betty Britain

From what I've read both of then deny this is true and both say they are not gay.

Originally Posted by incy wincy

Why shouldn't we speculate on someone's sexuality?

This sort of thing is sometimes a case of outing people in the guise of speculation. "Who cares?" is an attempted contradiction to outing someone against their will.

If the speculation was about, say Julian Clary going out with Alan Carr; or if Boy George had been seen around with Ian McKellan, then you can bet that no one would be coming out with any "Who Cares?" statements, since these people are open about their sexuality.

Gossipy speculation is one thing, but in some cases it's actually about trying to drag an unwilling person from the closet due to the belief closetry must not be tolerated. Which form of speculation is this? Probably mostly the former, but either way, the "Who cares?" response is just counter authoritarianism.

That said there's way too many people that won't admit to being gay. They are such a pain, so uneccessary!

[Betty Britain]

Middleotroad
Why do the have to "admit" to being gay. People should let others deal with their lives their own way. Making someone talk about their private life to me is bullying

[Sweet_Music]

I have it on extremely good authority this rumour is not a rumour but fact.

[Lou17]

I always thought Jackson was, but have no idea who Mark Foster is?????

The other guy is he Commentating with him at the minute?

[premixxed]

Originally Posted by Lou17

I always thought Jackson was, but have no idea who Mark Foster is?????

The other guy is he Commentating with him at the minute?

That's Claire Balding!

[Welsh-lad]

I really dislike it when people say "It doesn't matter if they are" or "It's their business"

It goes without saying that it oughtn't to be a problem in this day and age, but if they are together, then it's clear they feel it cannot be public information, and that is really sad

In sports circles it is still taboo, even perilous in some cases to reveal your (gay) sexuality.
Look at CJ's and MF's wiki pages - not a mention anywhere of them being an item.
And if they are an item - they're surely a massive part of each others' lives... yet it's not in any biographies, or info pages or books... nowhere.

And if we keep on saying stuff like "It doesn't matter" this sort of secretive suppressing culture will just be perpetuated in the future.
It does matter. When someone feels the need to conceal something as basic as their sexuality, and to publicly deny something as lovely as a long-term healthy relationship, it clearly does matter. A LOT.

[SuperAPJ]

Originally Posted by Lou17

I always thought Jackson was, but have no idea who Mark Foster is?????

The other guy is he Commentating with him at the minute?

Originally Posted by premixxed

That's Claire Balding!

Now she is 'out'!

[freaky_friday]

Originally Posted by SuperAPJ

Now she is 'out'!

CLAIRE BALDING IS GAY?! Someone should tell her wife!

[snoinipO]

Christine Bleakley went on hols with Mark and his gay crew to Sitges a few years ago http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz...r-holiday.html

[Tiger Lily]

I didn't know they were both gay, but am pleased for them both if its true as they make a lovely couple.

[Middleotroad]

Originally Posted by Betty Britain

Middleotroad
Why do the have to "admit" to being gay. People should let others deal with their lives their own way. Making someone talk about their private life to me is bullying

I didn't say anyone should have to admit to being gay. I meant, there are too many people who hide the fact that they are gay, that's different. In principle, it could be right to confront someone over their sexuality (and confronting the issue is what the speculation is doing). But it should be only done in the best interests of the people involved, not to use them to further some greater cause. Making someone talk about their private life when they don't want to would indeed be bullying.

Originally Posted by Welsh-lad

I really dislike it when people say "It doesn't matter if they are" or "It's their business"

It goes without saying that it oughtn't to be a problem in this day and age, but if they are together, then it's clear they feel it cannot be public information, and that is really sad

In sports circles it is still taboo, even perilous in some cases to reveal your (gay) sexuality.
Look at CJ's and MF's wiki pages - not a mention anywhere of them being an item.
And if they are an item - they're surely a massive part of each others' lives... yet it's not in any biographies, or info pages or books... nowhere.

And if we keep on saying stuff like "It doesn't matter" this sort of secretive suppressing culture will just be perpetuated in the future.
It does matter. When someone feels the need to conceal something as basic as their sexuality, and to publicly deny something as lovely as a long-term healthy relationship, it clearly does matter. A LOT.

It's not a secretive suppressing culture, more of a secretive enabling culture. This culture does not seek to suppress gayness because it should be kept hush hush due to it being somehow wrong. It wants to enable secrecy if the individual concerned wants secrecy, or no publicity about themselves.

Which often leads to an unhealthy situation where you have people unneccessarily hiding themselves and their relationships. I live somewhere fairly rural and (to my knowledge) have only met about 40-50 gay people, ever. Of these about 5 or 6 were out and proud, pink-list style, the rest wanted some degree of secrecy. Many (most, perhaps) were what you'd say "in the closet". That's not a good situation for this day and age. But I don't think the way to tackle this is by demanding that people in the public eye should be "role models", especially when in some cases it's clearly not what they want.

[vauxhall1964]

Originally Posted by Blondie X

Had no idea but I'm happy if it is true.

Two good looking, intelligent, articulate people who have both excelled in their chosen field and then gone on to a media career within that sport. Neither are headline grabbers for the wrong reasons and are both on the screen for the right reason, actually being good at what they do.

Good looking, classy couple with pride and dignity - not many of them about in celebworld these days

Pride and dignity??? Regardless of whether they're a couple, they're both closet cases ..and in Jackson's case he repeatedly denies being gay (ie lies through his teeth). Pride and dignity will come when they both show some honesty and integrity and come out. But then the sponsorship money and media deals have obviously bought their silence

[MTUK1]

Originally Posted by vauxhall1964

Pride and dignity??? Regardless of whether they're a couple, they're both closet cases ..and in Jackson's case he repeatedly denies being gay (ie lies through his teeth). Pride and dignity will come when they both show some honesty and integrity and come out. But then the sponsorship money and media deals have obviously bought their silence

Jesus H Christ, it's nobodys business as to what their orientation is. Who are you to make judgements and call them closet cases? Do you know 100% sure they are both Gay? If they are it's their life and they should be able to decide what they do without people like you bitching about it. If you are gay, it's posts like yours which can give the gay community a bad name.

[len112]

Originally Posted by vauxhall1964

Pride and dignity??? Regardless of whether they're a couple, they're both closet cases ..and in Jackson's case he repeatedly denies being gay (ie lies through his teeth). Pride and dignity will come when they both show some honesty and integrity and come out. But then the sponsorship money and media deals have obviously bought their silence

If they are both gay, surely the sporting community and press would already know this and are choosing not to publicise it out of respect for the two athletes . I'm personally fine with them not wanting to make their sexuality public knowledge .

[the_phoo]

Originally Posted by vauxhall1964

Pride and dignity??? Regardless of whether they're a couple, they're both closet cases ..and in Jackson's case he repeatedly denies being gay (ie lies through his teeth). Pride and dignity will come when they both show some honesty and integrity and come out. But then the sponsorship money and media deals have obviously bought their silence

Originally Posted by len112

If they are both gay, surely the sporting community and press would already know this and are choosing not to publicise it out of respect for the two athletes . I'm personally fine with them not wanting to make their sexuality public knowledge .

The thing is, one would assume that Colin's family and friends know he is gay - he is only choosing to deny being gay to the larger media. I don't really see him denying being gay to the media as a massive issue, I mean, it's not like he goes around with a Page 3 beard hanging off his arm. As I said in my original post, the sporting world is terribly homophobic and as a sportsman you rely heavily on sponsorship deals for your income; both Jackson and Foster are retired now but I can't help but feel it would be hard for them to do a u-turn now, put their hands up and admit to being gay.

And as for them having "pride" and "integrity" and the insinuation that they should become some kind of role models then I don't buy into that either. If someone has cancer or HIV* it doesn't mean they want to announce it to the world and become the poster child for everything to do with it, so why do we expect it from people when they're gay? Let them get on with it!

*I just want to clarify that I don't think being homosexual is like having cancer or HIV but I was struggling for an analogy!

[alienpanda]

Originally Posted by MJS

Exactly - who cares. It's nobody's business but their own.

^ This

[Listentome]

Originally Posted by vauxhall1964

Pride and dignity??? Regardless of whether they're a couple, they're both closet cases ..and in Jackson's case he repeatedly denies being gay (ie lies through his teeth). Pride and dignity will come when they both show some honesty and integrity and come out. But then the sponsorship money and media deals have obviously bought their silence

Yet again someone assumes coming out is straight forward. Have you considered people don't always have understanding families. Perhaps their families don't know. Why should some celebrity come out just to please the wider audience if it will make their private life more difficult?

[Sloopy]

Originally Posted by vauxhall1964

Pride and dignity??? Regardless of whether they're a couple, they're both closet cases ..and in Jackson's case he repeatedly denies being gay (ie lies through his teeth). Pride and dignity will come when they both show some honesty and integrity and come out. But then the sponsorship money and media deals have obviously bought their silence

Is that so?

In 25 years of competing at the top level and being in the public eye, Colin has never made his private life a selling point......so why should he start doing so now?? Just to satisfy the salacious curiosity of others??

He doesn't have to 'admit' to anything if he doesn't want to. His private life is his own business. Just because somebody might be gay doesn't mean they have to become an official 'spokesperson' and be waving the gay pride flag constantly. Colin has achieved so much more than to be defined solely by whispering campaigns about his sexuality.

[Cantona07]

Originally Posted by vauxhall1964

Pride and dignity??? Regardless of whether they're a couple, they're both closet cases ..and in Jackson's case he repeatedly denies being gay (ie lies through his teeth). Pride and dignity will come when they both show some honesty and integrity and come out. But then the sponsorship money and media deals have obviously bought their silence

Utter shite.

Colin Jackson could make more money from coming out now. He has nothing to lose.

Maybe he just feels that his life is none of your business?

I suspect he is gay, the truth is i don't really care, no-one should .

[radiofan]

COLIN JACKSON IS NOT GAY

http://www.pridelife.co.uk/SPORT/59/...said-about-him.

[the_phoo]

Originally Posted by radiofan

COLIN JACKSON IS NOT GAY

http://www.pridelife.co.uk/SPORT/59/...said-about-him.

Lol why the capitals?

[Blondie X]

Originally Posted by Sloopy

Is that so?

In 25 years of competing at the top level and being in the public eye, Colin has never made his private life a selling point......so why should he start doing so now?? Just to satisfy the salacious curiosity of others??

He doesn't have to 'admit' to anything if he doesn't want to. His private life is his own business. Just because somebody might be gay doesn't mean they have to become an official 'spokesperson' and be waving the gay pride flag constantly. Colin has achieved so much more than to be defined solely by whispering campaigns about his sexuality.

This. Both Colin and Mark have found fame because they are bloody good at what they do. They're as far removed from the 'OK Exclusive' gang as it's possible to get.
Neither have made a career out of their personal life so whay the hell is what they may or may not do in private the business of anyone else. They are role models because of their sporting prowess, nothing else.

[di60]

interesting that they were both invited as Denise Lewis's 'supporters' on The Cube.... maybe they are starting to come out....

[artlesschaos]

Originally Posted by radiofan

COLIN JACKSON IS NOT GAY

http://www.pridelife.co.uk/SPORT/59/...said-about-him.

I love the headline - Former Athlete Claims He is Not Gay!

[Tweacle Tart II]

Originally Posted by radiofan

COLIN JACKSON IS NOT GAY

http://www.pridelife.co.uk/SPORT/59/...said-about-him.

No, of course not!

"Because I don't particularly want to be with any woman. It's as simple as that."

*strokes chin*