Does the mainstream media obsess over the sexual orientation of celebrities a little too much these days?

It isn’t obsession over orientation as much as it is a matter of outing closeted people. There is a condemnation of people who are celebrities that are not open or honest with their orientation.

A lot of what you call obsession is more a matter of wishing to out people.

I agree with @zenvelo for the most part. Funny that it isn’t the gay community that is doing this, even though visibility is one of the key factors in the greater acceptance of the LGBT community. In general, people are obsessed with the happenings of celebrities too much in general. I’m not sure that this is a new trend. It’s been going on my whole life and I’m no Spring chicken.

Mainstream media are out for one thing: eyeballs. In an increasingly noisy, fragmented and competitive eyeball market, sex sells.

Here’s my take. For decades sexual orientation wasn’t talked about, which, in my opinion, was bad.

Now we’re talking about it all the time, which is healthier for society, but it still has the effect making gays ‘special’, and in some ways sets them apart. That’s better than not talking about it, but still doesn’t imply full acceptance into culture.

To me, the best outcome is where the sexual orientation simply doesn’t matter one way or another – you are what you are and either way it isn’t a big deal.

In some ways, like blacks and whites in the US. I don’t care what color your skin is, if you’re working with me or talking with me, it’s the YOU that matters and not the color. Or the sexual orientation.

The mainstream media obsesses over celebrities too much these days.

The media is acting the way it always does. It’s going to take some time before any sexual orientation other than white bread hetero is no longer regarded as a purient topic. Face up to it. We are a stupid people.

I can’t imagine why the media feels at liberty to speculate on anybody’s sexual orientation, or why the “public” feels entitled to know about it. Or why anyone would give a shit. I remember just recently seeing this about some actor. They wrote something like, “looks like he probably isn’t. Either way he needs to come out.” Wtf? Why does he “need to come out” and who are you to determine what this person needs in the first place? But as long as people keep watching gossip shows and buying the magazines it isn’t going to stop. In a year it will be something else that’s none of our business.

The main stream media is not obssesing over sexual orientation….they are wringing their hands and lickinf their chops over all the money they are making churning out stories ans selling ads…that is all they care about.

Money money. I agree with @Cruiser. If the public likes to read it and listen to it, the media talks about it.

It doesn’t surprise me that many people have good gaydar. I don’t believe in pushing people to come out of the closet, but at the same time sometimes it’s so obvious. Not that I think it’s ok to announce it in a public forum like a tabloid or whatever media medium, but I myself watch actors and comment that they are likely gay when it seems obvious to me. Just like I comment when they are stunningly gorgeous, or lost or gained significant weight. I don’t care about those things in terms of I don’t have any judgment, it’s just stating the obvious.

No, not “these days” at all. The media have always paid too much attention to the sexual orientations of famous people. In the past, such revelations could destroy the career of anyone in the public eye.

My reaction to any news about whether someone’s gay – so what, and who cares?

Everyone obsesses over it ad nauseam.