Also, the sky is blue.
Competitor blog Jezebel (I say competitor because we’re up against them for Best Group Blog in the 2008 Bloggies — please vote for us!) reported yesterday that Jason Wu was upset that the big New York Times article published recently outed him to his Taiwanese family.
The 26 year old designer made headlines after Michelle Obama chose his dress for her Inaugural ball gown. Yes, he’s Asian and yes, we already cheered him on.
The tipster explains that he overheard Wu saying that while his parents knew he is gay, some of his other relatives did not, and that the frank revelation has caused some awkward conversations. The tipster says the Taiwan-born designer’s parents were “disappointed” their son couldn’t have been more “discreet.”
Scandalous!!! OMG!!! How could you, esteemed New York Times! Though the reporter now claims that Wu allowed him to write about his boyfriend and their relationship, I can’t help but wonder if people are just looking for gossip fodder. And is that really Wu’s concern right now? The First Lady donned his beautiful gown, and now he unfortunately has to face awkward conversations with his aunts and uncles? I seriously doubt that he would be truly upset with something like this.
Here’s what I’m more concerned about. How did this family NOT know Jason was gay? He’s in fashion, he designs couture gowns for Barbie dolls, including one specifically for RuPaul and he even admitted to crying while watching Milk.
My gaydar is sounding off pretty loudly right now.
Hey, Wu family. Welcome to 2009. Your son is gay. He’s also going to be one of the most sought-after fashion designers this year. Cry me a river.
On the upside, these articles led to a fun conversation about 8Asian bloggers coming out of the closet to their more traditional families. I think these are awesome, so feel free to share your stories, too!
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8 Comments to “Breaking News: Jason Wu Is Gay!”
Ernie wrote:
“EVEN THO OUR SON DESIGN DRESS FOR PRESIDENT WIFE WE ARE SO SHAMEFUL. WHY HE CAN’T FIND NICE LADY FRIEND AND BE ELECTRICAL ENGINEER?!”
GAAAH, my people fucking KILL me sometimes. And by “my people,” I mean “my dad.” (Only applies to second sentence only.)
Posted on 28-Jan-09 at 4:22 pm | Permalink
Phở Kinh Yue wrote:
Just when I thought all the drama was over, trying to determine whether or not it mattered if the article addressed if he was from Taiwan or not, now it’s about his sexual orientation.
Well I guess it’s safe to assume, some of his family members were in support of Prop 8.
Posted on 28-Jan-09 at 4:40 pm | Permalink
Efren wrote:
I think it speaks volumes about how many of us queer Asian folk have to put up with this bullshit, even when someone who’s as painfully obvious as Mr. Wu. Our immediate families are okay with it, but God forbid “anybody else” in the family know about it. There’s this persistent belief that being queer is seen as a failure, even if the person in question is very successful otherwise.
It reminds me of how my own extended family were always homophobic as hell until I forced the issue by marrying my partner and being on TV. My own immediate family has been okay with it, but they and I had to deal with all the teasing and bullshit about when I was going to meet a nice girl–after I came out, those questions suddenly stopped.
I have a feeling that Mr. Wu “accidentally” came out to force his family to deal with their homophobia–realizing if the family suddenly become disapproving, it’d look ten times worse for them for looking like they’re rejecting one of their own than if he were to deal with his being gay by being quiet about it. Family may be important, but losing face by rejecting their suddenly famous successful family member is worse than hiding.
Posted on 28-Jan-09 at 5:38 pm | Permalink
Tim wrote:
Being gay is the one thing you can’t say out loud. Everyone in my family knows I’m gay, even my extended family, but no one can actually say the word out loud. My husband gets invited to all the family gatherings, and everyone knows we’re together. But it’s a taboo topic to talk about. You’re accepted as long as you don’t put in someone’s face, and poor Jason put it in front of everyone’s face.
That’s the sad part of being gay in Asian culture.
Posted on 28-Jan-09 at 6:08 pm | Permalink
daniel wrote:
eff his extended family members. their raggedy behinds can talk crap all they want, but at the end of the day, jason is an accomplished designer whose work was worn by the first lady. i bet that’s 100x more significant than anything his uncles and aunts ever did in their lives.
my 2c.
Posted on 28-Jan-09 at 10:12 pm | Permalink
THE_BANANA_REPUBLIC wrote:
I think, in some families, the thought of having a gay son or daughter is too foreign beyond comprehension. I think they don’t understand the *heart* involved.
In an interview with Michelle Krusiec, Wil of Saving Face, she explained that when showing the film to her mother, her mom simply didn’t understand the complexities of homosexuality.
“I play Wil who is gay.”
“Where’s Gay?”
“No, Wil *IS* gay.”
“Gay is with Wil?”
Posted on 29-Jan-09 at 12:41 am | Permalink
Edwin wrote:
I’m not surprised, it’s not unusual to find a gay male fashion designer.
Thats not a generalization, my GF attended the LA FIDM fashion school and told me it’s the way it is.
I don’t mind gays at all it’s their private business, just don’t put it in the faces of everyone who aren’t. The same deal with straight couples who smooch in people’s faces in public, nobody needs to see that.
Jason might positively help represent the gay asian community better but then at the same time it might negatively impact the portrayal of successful asian males who are constantly being portrayed as asexual female-less beings in the media.
A Win-Lose situation perhaps?
Posted on 29-Jan-09 at 2:18 pm | Permalink
tony wrote:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but in the article, the boyfriend only got one casual mention: “then sat down with his boyfriend, Gustavo Rangel,…”
How is that putting it in everyone’s faces, exactly?
Posted on 29-Jan-09 at 5:37 pm | Permalink
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