GAYS really have come a long way, baby.
After months of bad publicity – rehab! no undies! shoplifting! – spinmeisters are saying Lindsay Lohan‘s recent Cannes-noodle with girlfriend Samantha Ronson might actually help her image. Now that’s some kind of pop cultural tipping point. Not so long ago, accusing a star of being gay could get you sued by Tom Cruise. Now, Ellen and Portia will soon be wed, Cynthia Nixon can’t wait to head down to City Hall with Christine Marinoni, and people are even speculating that Lohan’s girl-on-girl action is actually a stunt.
PHOTOS: Lohan and Ronson Snuggle in Cannes
MORE: Is It Love, Lust, Or Just Lohan? You Be The Judge!
“She’s been so public about her affairs with guys like Jared Leto and Calum Best. Are we supposed to think she’s switched teams all of a sudden?” says one LA-based publicist.
The photos of Lohan and Ronson did surface shortly after Masha Markova accused Lohan, 21, of stealing her $11,000 mink coat – and had the photo evidence to back it up.
“She’s the one who took that coat, right?” asks damage-control pro Howard Rubenstein. “As far as her sexual proclivities, if she came forward and said, ‘This is what I prefer,’ a huge segment of the American public would say that’s her business.”
And while Lohan’s star, albeit tarnished, still outshines her sapphic predecessors, pretty much absolutely no one thinks it’s going to hurt her – professionally or otherwise.
“Ten years ago, people would be horrified,” says Rubenstein. “Today it’s part of the game. Gay marriages, gay parades – most people say it’s their business. It’s a shame that she throws away her
talent – that’s the serious part. The sexual part no one cares about – maybe the super religious groups care, but then you turn the page and find out the pastor is doing worse!”
“If Lindsay came out and wanted to tell us her story, we’d definitely give her a forum,” says Corey Scholibo, entertainment editor for gay news magazine The Advocate. “We’ve always been open to prominent people who want to share their stories – even if they took a long time getting there. The gay community has always been accepting. We might be skeptical, but we don’t judge.”
Lindsay’s coming out would be a first for Young Hollywood – Lance Bass’ *NSYNC days were well behind him when he acknowledged he was a homosexual – but Scholibo says Lohan shouldn’t be looked at as a case study.
“Lindsay’s in a kind of unique position – her movies and albums aren’t big hits, but the public is still immensely fascinated by her. I don’t think you could look at her after the fact and say, ‘This [is what] will happen if a young star comes out early in their career.’ “
Andrew Belonsky, editor of the gay blog Queerty.com, says such a move could only help Lohan. “At this point, coming out would be the most normal thing she’s done in months.”