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Don Lemon says his coming out in the New York Times and on NPR resulted in “thousands” of tweets and Facebook posts. “I had no idea it would hit this big,” he tells Gail Shister. Now that everyone knows, “I can just continue to be a good journalist and a good citizen. I can keep moving forward.” || CNN writer Nicol Nicolson says that “in terms of accepting homosexuality as a fact rather than a decision, the western world has taken unbelievable strides since my own childhood. But a few unsavory tweets in the aftermath of the Lemon statement give a sense of how far we have left to go.”
Keith Boykin says of Lemon’s forthcoming book:
It will take on special meaning in the black community. By standing up for who he is, Don Lemon will help to placate the fears of other black gay men and lesbians who are waiting to do the same [and come out]. And for that, I say thank you Don Lemon.
Jenice Armstrong writes in the Philadelphia Daily News:
With all the religious leanings, coupled with a cultural “no homo” bias toward hyper-masculinity as evidenced by many of today’s popular rap icons and professional athletes, it’s clear why it took Lemon 45 years to finally come out. …
As Lemon’s announcement hit the airwaves, I did hear from a few black single friends, but they weren’t hating on Lemon for being a homosexual, just remarking that a black man as successful and good-looking as Lemon wasn’t available.
It was like “take another one’s name off the list of would-be suitors.”
Boston Herald columnist Steve Buckley, who came out in January, has some advice for Lemon (after the jump).
In January, the Boston Herald’s Steve Buckley came out in a column. I asked him what advice he had for Lemon.
The easy answer for Don Lemon — can’t wait to read his book, by the way — is to tell him to enjoy it, have fun, smile, etc. But, again, that’s easy. Some practical advice would be for him to try to answer every email, even if it’s just a couple of words. I received more than 4,000 of ’em, some very touching, some just a word of two, but they had the collective power to help me sail right past the occasional nasty email. Trust me: When you read 50 consecutive way-to-go-we’re-happy-for-you emails, and then you read a nasty one, the good ones make that one nasty one seem so silly and irrelevant. Do NOT to respond to the haters. Not even with a witty, bone-crushing, case-is-closed comeback. When you don’t respond, they always wonder if their email even got to you.
How has coming out affected your career?
A few weeks after I came out, I went to Fort Myers to cover the Red Sox in spring training. I was neither shunned nor embraced; it was business as usual — so much so that when I had dinner one night with Pam Ganley from the Sox’ PR staff, I asked her, “They DO know, right?” Her answer: “Oh, yes, they ALL know.”
A couple more days went by, and then I asked Dave Magadan, the team’s hitting coach, for a few words for a column I was writing. As we sat down outside, he said, “So, you’ve had an interesting off-season.” And we did talk about it for a few minutes. He was great. The next day, I thanked Kevin Youkilis, the team’s third baseman, for a very supportive text message he had sent the day I came out. He replied, “It’s no big deal. Just do your job and be happy, man.” (Or something like that.)
Best of all has been the support of the fans. A couple of weeks ago, during a Bruins game, I ventured out to the balcony section (read: the cheap seats) to say hi to a friend. All the way down, all the way back, I kept getting hi-how-are-ya’s from big, beefy guys wearing Bruins shirts. It was a lot of fun, and really, really nice. I do still get the occasional nasty email, and I do see homophobic posts, but, geez, what do these people do AFTER they have posted their rants? Light up a cigarette? Call mom? Watch a sunset? I simply can’t believe these people are living rich, fulfilling lives; as such, I pay them no heed.
