…. I had a feeling this was going to happen….
Anyway, praise FSM, I’m talking about him being gay, not being, like, a climate change denialist or something.
In truth, this is not really all that interesting. I mean, like, whatever. But the guy is the original skeptic, he’s 81, and he always has interesting stuff to say. So it is really all that interesting after all.
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I always scratch my head when people “come out” outside of the religious crowd. Its not like we find it significant, outside of the visibility the group needs and deserves (IE, they exist and are numerous, for those that pretend otherwise).
I picture a dinner party and blurting out the shocking news, and everyone at the table shrugging and asking for someone to pass the salt. I guess that is a good thing, in general. Still odd though. I’m not sure if the person making the personal revelation public desires strong reactions or not.
Exactly. My first thought was to register the fact that I did not know one way or another, a fact of which I was unaware. Which is pretty ho-hum.
I’d had a suspicion since the first time I read Flim-Flam! 25 years ago, and I couldn’t tell you why. My attitude then was “Well, if he’s gay, he’ll come out on his own schedule and for his own reasons, and it’s none of my damn business.” My attitude now is completely unchanged, other than wishing him the best.
I haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast yet, but he’s also got a short statement up at Swift. The last couple of paragraphs almost made me cry.
Oh really ? Ummmm does that mean he’s going to hell or something? Oh -wait a second, I’m an ex-Christian. Sorry for the lapse there.
Well done James!
A seventy year-old atheist waits until 2010 to come out of the closet?! Well, I hope he loses his virginity some time before his 100th birthday.
I am happy for him, but I wonder if there are things that have been said around him by other skeptics that him suspect that it would not be received well. I mean, I am only about a generation behind him and I know many gays my age that aren’t public but aren’t religious, either. There is still a larger social stigma about homosexuality that isn’t related to religion.
Good point, Mike. But, one thing for sure: This reifies the historical and growing link between the GLBTAQE community and the Atheist/Humanist community. (Symbolically).
His critics are sure to make hay of this. I always figure it is pretty much a non-issue. If he isn’t asking me for a date or forcing me to watch his sexual activity it doesn’t affect me. He seems like a nice enough fellow who has done a lot to promote reason and discourage of superstition, all to the good and a credit to humanity, for this he deserves a metal, but with whom and how he chooses to express his sexuality with I just don’t care.
so what if he asks you for a date?
Greg, ‘David Mabus’ has trolled your site…
“Dave Mabus” sent me a death threat just the other day. He’s been quiet for a while, but apparently his meds have run out. I think, in honor of Randi, I’ll leave this one post of his in place to demonstrate the mean spirited behavior of a typical atheist hater.
But yes, from here on Mabus will put a similar comment on each and every blog post I write until his meds, or the Mounties, or whatever it is that makes him disappear, kicks in again.
greg laden…
you will be EXECUTED without mercy…
bye….
your *atheism* cost you – YOUR LIFE…
Blimey! I hope he’s not typical of atheister haters or we’re in deep trouble!
Just how is one executed with mercy?….
Be happy that you live in a country where being gay is legal. Others live in barbaric nations.
This is big.
I don’t understand the horror of having a same sex person ask me (or anyone else) for a date. When I have been asked, I have always been polite and responded as I would to anyone who asked me for a date, “thanks, I’m flattered, but no thanks”, that is all that is necessary.
Yes,’Mabus’ has been very productive the last few days. He has kept the moderators busy on quite a few forums the last few days….
I would be flattered if Randi asked me on a date, and I just might say yes, but I would have to explain that I am happily married so no funny business 😉
Oh! My! Goodness!
Tell me it ain’t so!
How can it be true?
He is really 81?????
It’s not the biggest surprise in the world. Randi’s less restrained critics have been crude in their insinuations for decades. His reticence is understandable and his past habit of expressing fascination with Sophia Loren always seemed rather thin. Good for him, though.
Sean Hayes recently came out (“Jack” from “Will & Grace”) and reminded me again of the old saying, “When I came out, I was the only one who was surprised.”
I am happy for him that he feels comfortable enough with himself and the world to be able to say this publicly. It says a lot for how far society has changed over the last century.
But it really makes no difference to me. He is still the same important public sceptic he always was.
LOL! Christopher Hitchens came out a few days ago, too.
This indicates that the raging hatred of all religion has a little more to it than they have been letting on.
Now, when is Dawkins coming out? Hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you Greg and Gwen for pointing out that having someone of the same sex ask you for a date is nothing to be traumatised about.
Anymore, someone coming out as gay registers about as significantly with me as someone announcing that they have blue eyes – it barely even rises to the level of the “so what?” test.
Unfortunately there are still many people out there who will jump on Randi’s announcement with both feet.
Times are changing, but there’s still a long way to go.
You do know that when someone emails you a death threat that’s adequate cause to report them to the police, right?
Mabus better watch out for the po-po ’round his door.
“LOL! Christopher Hitchens came out a few days ago, too.
This indicates that the raging hatred of all religion has a little more to it than they have been letting on.
Now, when is Dawkins coming out? Hahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!”
Christopher Hitchens did not come out.
I think you may be so far in the closet that you’re emerging out the back door!
Mabus: you know that we know that you have neither the brains, nor the brawn, nor the guts to carry out your impotent threats. We all know you’re not worth taking seriously. Stop pretending you’re tough and go back to bed.
Christopher Hitchens was a non-closeted bisexual forty years ago in an environment that was far more accepting than most then and many today. He doesn’t seem to be feeling any resentment toward anyone over the fact. He does appear to still enjoy teasing people over it, however.
I hope Randi hasn’t been hiding from himself all these years and is just publicly stating what has been part of his life a long time. I have known some very repressed and painfully unhappy, self-loathing gays. It is one thing to grow up hiding from the public stigma (real or imagined) but quite another to internalize that stigma.
He’s a good man and has done good work. His sexual orientation should be no more than a footnote.
The news isn’t really about James Randi, he is no different than he was the day before. This doesn’t undo or change anything about him, or any of his many accomplishments.
The news is about why he felt he had to wait until he was 81 years old to be open about something that is an integral part of who he is. Something that has no effect on anyone else, yet something that some people feel is their business, and important enough that they could effectively intimidate someone as strong minded and dynamic as James Randi.
James Randi is now 81 years old, and recovering from some serious health problems. That he feels safe enough to disclose that he is gay, tells us how much society has changed. A man who was unable to disclose his nature for fear of reprisals when he was young and strong, now feels he can when he is old and less strong.
The homophobes have lost. Society now accepts people independent of their sexual orientation. That change is irreversible. As homophobia declines, acceptance of belief systems that embrace homophobia will decline too. Just as when acceptance of slavery declined, belief systems that embraced acceptance of slavery either changed, or declined too.
Just how is one executed with mercy?….
Pillows on the electric chair, and flowers in the windows of the gas chamber.
No, you use a painkiller on the VIABLE fetus before you cut it apart a pull the pieces out with forceps.
That is exucution with Mercy like George Tiller does.
Er, uh, used to do.
I think gays should have the same rights as anyone.
But I still don’t understand why they prefer a man’s hairy asshole to a smooth vagina.
I’m just saying!
I did notice that there seemed to be no wife & kiddies (or wives & kiddy) in the picture. I suppose I’ll have to read Randi’s short statement, as I have great respect and affection for him. However, it is absolutely none of my business whether he prefers an “innie” or an “outie,” as a bi friend of mine says (as in, “Your sex is no more important to me than what kind of belly-button you have”).
“I think gays should have the same rights as anyone.
But I still don’t understand why they prefer a man’s hairy asshole to a smooth vagina.
I’m just saying!”
It’s all subjective.
Frankly, who cares. I’m more interested in what he says, and even more importantly what he does, and so far that has been interesting, enlightening, convincing and correct.
I’d be more upset if I learned he gave up his Canadian citizenship.
daedalus2u said:
That is not true. The Republican party is still with us.
Oh wait, they just practice racism, bigotry, elitism and disdain for the average citizen, they no longer support slavery.
Dave Mabus, who lives in Canada, has routinely made overt death threats against American targets, which does seem rather terroristic. I don’t know what the FBI or the Canadian RCMP have done about this, if anything. I certainly have sent a report to the FBI (The RCMP don’t take reports from Americans … they ask Americans with cross-border death threat issues to report to the FBI).
Your response of “Huh.” is spot on, and reflects my own. Never thought about it, really, and now I know he’s gay, I will go on not thinking about it. Funny, though, how strong my reaction was when Randi came out as supporting The Petition Project, or whatever that piece of shite is called.
I think the only people who are going “Huh.” are the ones this doesn’t affect. Namely, most straight people. Why? Because to you, sexuality isn’t a big deal. You have the privilege of not caring, because your sexuality is not a big deal. But being gay is *still* a big deal, even if things are getting better.
I think it’s quite fitting, and very telling, that James Randi was inspired to come out after he saw Milk. This leads me to believe he didn’t necessarily come out primarily because of personal reasons.
If you’re not familiar with Harvey Milk, I highly suggest you watch the movie, and the documentary the movie inspired. Milk very much encouraged people to come out.
Why? Because the more people realize that gay people exist, the better. And, the more gay people realize they aren’t alone, the better.
I get the feeling that James Randi saw how important it was, especially in this day and age where things are changing and changing fast, to come out, especially as a highly respected Skeptic.
So, it may not be a big deal to you, because you are straight, and straight is normal and accepted. You don’t have to worry about being “different”.
One day it will be nice when sexuality doesnâ??t matter â?? when it is normal to be gay, straight, bi, or whatever it is you want to identify as. I think we all want sexuality to be no big thang. We wish people just didnâ??t care.
But thatâ??s not reality. Even though things have changed, being gay is still a big deal. Itâ??s still thought of as different.
Thatâ??s why itâ??s important for people to come out.
We didnâ??t get where we are today in the gay rights movement by keeping silent.
Marilove, this: One day it will be nice when sexuality doesnâ??t matter â?? when it is normal to be gay, straight, bi, or whatever it is you want to identify as. is the hopeful, motiving factor for my “huh,” not privilage. And that was quite intentional and model-building on my part. I actually had a moderately non-“huh” reaction initially.
Good to know, Greg, and thanks! Others however, and not just on this forum, don’t really seem to get the importance, because of their straight privilage, so I felt the need to point it out.
Also, I was mostly replying to clamboy and a few others who seemed to take your “Huh” the wrong way. From what you’ve said in the past, Greg, you seem to get it. But I get the feeling many straight people don’t.
A factor that makes it all strange is that for regular people you know, there is not usually an announcement of what their gender orientation is. It’s not like you read the newspaper in the AM and discover that your friend from High School that you still keep in touch with and is a regular person is suddenly of a particular sexual orientation. On top of that, Randi is not exactly a Hollywood star. Well, sort of.
Now I’m going to have my first cup of coffee of the day and think about what that all means.
Oh, I don’t know about that, Greg. In this day and age, I’m sure even the most conservative person knows at least one person — perhaps even a family member — who has come out.
I grew up in the middle of nowhere Arizona, which is pretty conservative. Even I have a few friends I went to school with that eventually came out, including one that came out as male-to-female trans.
And I know that Randi isn’t a Hollywood star, but he is very, very well known and respected in the Skeptical movement, and in my opinion, the Skeptical movement really needs to take on gay issues more, though that does seem to be happening more often these days. Thatâ??s why itâ??s so great that someone so highly respected has come out.
Now, perhaps, more LGBT Skeptics will feel like they aren’t the only ones. I know it seems very “duh, why wouldn’t the Skeptical movement accept LGBT folk?!” but just because the Skeptical movement seems to be progressive, it doesn’t mean that it’s a given that LGBT folk will be accepted, or that they feel they will be accepted. Like I said, it helps to know there are fellow LGBT folk in the Skeptical movement.
marilove – after I made my comment above, I went and listened to the Randi/Grothe discussion. Your point is well taken, though I would add that your assumption of heterosexual privilege might be painting with a rather broad brush. I have lived for many years in a community, geographical and social, in which a person’s sexual orientation has almost always been a matter of how I expressed myself above. You make it clear to me, however, how much of a privilege that can be in this world, and help me to understand how important Randi’s action is. My reaction to his sexuality remains the same, but my appreciation for his coming out is much more enhanced, so thanks.
Oh, one more thing, marilove – I meant to make the point that, in the realm of the skeptical movement in which I spend my time, it’s one’s approach to issues that is important, not one’s sexuality or other features of that nature. Hence my comment about my strong reaction to Randi endorsing The Petition Project; to me, that was like Harriet Hall endorsing magic bracelets, something that actually made a difference in how I viewed Randi.
You do then hold a certain sort of privilege — most people aren’t lucky enough to live in a place like yours. It’s awesome that you do, but try not to forget that you’re incredibly lucky!
But I think you get that. 🙂 And I think this is another good example of why itâ??s so important for people to come out.
Of course, one should only come out if they want to. I do not think anyone should ever be forced to come out — unless, of course, they are a Republican right-wing who touts “family values” and then boinks gay hookers on the side. 😉 But, I do think it’s very important and awesome when people do decide to come out — and I don’t just mean celebrities. It’s just as important for every day folk to come out.
I really, really admire Harvey Milk, and that was basically his message: Come out, show yourself, and don’t be ashamed; let people know you exist!
Regarding your other comment, clamboy, I completely agree, and I wish EVERYONE saw things the way you do, but alas, they do not. 🙂