Neil #55 on The Independent's "Pink List"

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Deschanel · #1 Post by **Deschanel** » Mon 07 May 2007, 7:36 pm

"The 100 most influential gay people in Britain."

"55. (65) Neil Tennant, Musician

The droll public face of the Pet Shop Boys became famous in 1986, after previously working as a journalist for Smash Hits. Since then, Tennant, 52, has resuscitated diva careers including those of Dusty Springfield and Liza Minnelli and lent considerable clout to lesbian and gay charitable projects. He is the executive producer for Rufus Wainwright's next album, Release the Stars."

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_b ... 516664.ece

Danny C · #2 Post by **Danny C** » Mon 07 May 2007, 10:40 pm

A placing in list like this is worthless because it only includes those people who are openly gay. If it included those gay people who hide their sexuality, Neil probably wouldn't be in the top 100.

Sorry, don't mean to sound disparaging, it was an interesting link

glennjridge · #3 Post by **glennjridge** » Mon 07 May 2007, 10:43 pm

yeah like robin williams. I mean like HELLOOOOOOO

Danny C · #4 Post by **Danny C** » Mon 07 May 2007, 10:46 pm

I'm sure you must mean Robbie Williams rather than the married, American comic

But yes, he's possibly one of the people who could be high on this list...

glennjridge · #5 Post by **glennjridge** » Mon 07 May 2007, 10:50 pm

I personally think robin williams the comedian is one of those guys that is gay but is making a go of it in the straight family world.

his mannerisms and role choices have always been very gay quite frankly.
I mean ever seen early robin williams? he's always been very villiage people without being in the viliage people.

Danny C · #6 Post by **Danny C** » Mon 07 May 2007, 11:20 pm

Well, wording this carefully in case his lawyers are watching, IF he was gay, he still wouldn't appear on a list of British anything, since he's a Yank.

glennjridge · #7 Post by **glennjridge** » Mon 07 May 2007, 11:32 pm

oops.my bad

psb-freak · #8 Post by **psb-freak** » Tue 08 May 2007, 8:50 am

DJ Danny C wrote:A placing in list like this is worthless because it only includes those people who are openly gay. If it included those gay people who hide their sexuality, Neil probably wouldn't be in the top 100.

Chris would be number one in that case.

dVTB · #9 Post by **dVTB** » Tue 08 May 2007, 10:20 am

glennjridge wrote:I mean ever seen early robin williams? he's always been very villiage people without being in the viliage people.

A majority of Village People members was straight.

I never understood in the first place why it's necessary to label people and put them into a certain box. Lists like 'influential gay people' are completely irrelevant and unnecessary, if you ask me. As well as charts with (non-existant) gay music.

But apparantly some people HAVE TO label everything and everyone. I found it very enlightening when new artist Mika recently spoke about his sexuality, stating it's completely irrelevant. Such a comment might feed speculation that he's gay, yet he doesn't care. It's about the music, which you should love unconditional, whether or not the artist is gay, straight, whatever. Same with PSB. As far as they have a certain influence, it's a musical one, not because they're gay.

Danger · #10 Post by **Danger** » Tue 08 May 2007, 6:03 pm

dVTB wrote:A majority of Village People members was straight.

I never understood in the first place why it's necessary to label people and put them into a certain box. Lists like 'influential gay people' are completely irrelevant and unnecessary, if you ask me. As well as charts with (non-existant) gay music.

But apparantly some people HAVE TO label everything and everyone. I found it very enlightening when new artist Mika recently spoke about his sexuality, stating it's completely irrelevant. Such a comment might feed speculation that he's gay, yet he doesn't care. It's about the music, which you should love unconditional, whether or not the artist is gay, straight, whatever. Same with PSB. As far as they have a certain influence, it's a musical one, not because they're gay.

I can't sat nothing more than I'm completely agree with you

Riikka · #11 Post by **Riikka** » Tue 08 May 2007, 6:31 pm

I mostly agree with you about the irrelevance of these lists, but the sexuality side of the artists is interesting though. It helps you (at least it has helped me) to understand something about the artist in a better way.

I'm usually interested in everything about my favourite artists. Well, not their favourite foods or something similar, but the whole life story. It's especially important if you think why they have chosen to write or perform a certain song. But nevertheless, I can't understand why being gay could be something negative for some people about PSB. It might be irrelevant, or it might be intriguing, but it's in no way anything negative.

bookshopboy · #12 Post by **bookshopboy** » Tue 08 May 2007, 9:23 pm

I sort of agree with the pointlessness of this "chart". However, when combined with the article that also appeared in that issue of the Independent which spoke of homophobic bullying still being present in large City of London employers and the fear that some employees have about "coming out" at work, then I think that for now a list of the important "out" gay men and lesbians in the UK is still an enlightening read.

Kalle · #13 Post by **Kalle** » Tue 08 May 2007, 9:32 pm

dVTB wrote:I never understood in the first place why it's necessary to label people and put them into a certain box. Lists like 'influential gay people' are completely irrelevant and unnecessary, if you ask me. As well as charts with (non-existant) gay music.

But apparantly some people HAVE TO label everything and everyone. I found it very enlightening when new artist Mika recently spoke about his sexuality, stating it's completely irrelevant. Such a comment might feed speculation that he's gay, yet he doesn't care. It's about the music, which you should love unconditional, whether or not the artist is gay, straight, whatever. Same with PSB. As far as they have a certain influence, it's a musical one, not because they're gay.

Hear, hear!

glennjridge · #14 Post by **glennjridge** » Tue 08 May 2007, 9:51 pm

oh come on.yeah. the villiage people were straight....on paper.

alot of you whittle away the days declaring this or that person gay , suddenly now the villiage people are straight.

oh...brother.

PS, gay people label these people THEMSELVESfor the same reason you or they have a need to out fellow gay people in the closet. they want to show anyone succesful or an entertainer is gay and as such is one of their tribe. I get it.

Deschanel · #15 Post by **Deschanel** » Tue 08 May 2007, 10:27 pm

glennjridge wrote:oh come on.yeah. the villiage people were straight....on paper.

alot of you whittle away the days declaring this or that person gay , suddenly now the villiage people are straight.

oh...brother.

PS, gay people label these people THEMSELVESfor the same reason you or they have a need to out fellow gay people in the closet. they want to show anyone succesful or an entertainer is gay and as such is one of their tribe. I get it.

Did you look at the list? Few of the 100 were entertainers. Writers, entrepreneurs, people in government, law, science, art, diplomacy... it wasn't a show-biz list.

And, no, I don't think you get it.
I am trying to make out the mangled syntax of your "Ps" sentences, and it's hopeless.
It seems you're saying these people are labeled gay by the gays who love to force people out of the "Closet", just to show , apparently to you in some devious and deceitful way, that the successful people are gay to make themselves feel better. Or something.

You have a weird attitude about it: gay people "label" themselves as gay; whereas every gay man will tell you that straight people are more than happy to "label" you a faggot from the schoolyard on to the workplace.

For the record, I'm not thrilled with lists such as this. But it is an interesting cross-section of society that 20 years ago could not have been as open as today- thanks to vicious, personal, and career-ending "labelling" that was the rule, not the exception, not long ago.