Lindsay Lohan, Open Secrets and the “Post-Gay” Closet

The always-insightful Ms. S of Dorothy Surrenders has persuasively argued that the media buzz around Lindsay Lohan and Sam Ronson will drop off because, now that the couple is finally, irrefutably out of the closet, their relationship is, well, boring.

We all know that the gears of the media machine are propelled by unconfirmed rumors and scandal, not domestic bliss. Which reminds me of Tolstoy’s famous line in Anna Karenina: “happy families are all alike.” It may be a sign of “progress” that queer families are being assimilated into this land of shiny happy sameness. Still, for me it’s a sad statement that most of us find love and happiness to be something of a yawner.

Ms. Snarker zeroes in on an important point in her post: Lindsay’s coming-out process is compelling precisely because it represents a younger generation’s take on being gay. It is, in a word, casual. Even–dare I say it?–“post-gay.” Does this no-biggie attitude “mirror that of so many young gay or questioning women today”, as Ms. Snarker suggests? I’m not sure, since Lindsay’s wealth, celebrity and power seem to me to put her in a Sapphic league of her own (or a very elite one, anyway). Are you a young LGBTQ person, open-minded heterosexual, or someone who doesn’t label your sexuality? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this question.

Which brings me to the a-ha moment I want to share with you:

After all this time and two of my own previous posts on Lindsay Lohan, I finally realize why I’ve been so fascinated by this story. Lindsay’s coming out makes visible a new “post-gay” closet, one that’s built on the premise that she’s been hiding in plain sight all along.

We’ve moved yet another step away from queerness as “the love that dares not speak its name.” Who knows, we may soon discover that the power of open secrets, like Lindsay’s, will usher in a new love that won’t shut up.