Although more and more gay people are finding their courage to reveal their sexuality, there are those who live in constant reminder that gay people are bad, they offend the law of nature and those kinds of bull shits.
CNN host Don Lemon, however, decided to reveal about his sexuality in his memoir Transparent.
2011 was the fated year for Lemon as he made an irreversible decision that he will reveal the whole world that he is gay. In his interview with the HLN anchor, Joy Behar Don further confirms this fact.
In 2009 at the panel The Black Man in the Age of Obama, Don was approached by a person to write a book. The book should have been about the black culture and their oppression and difference in how people view them. Good for Lemon that he ended up opening about his sexuality.
Then nearly 50 and he was able to hide it perfectly, not that it was anything bad but it came out as a shock when he admitted that he was gay, no less through a memoir.
“...I think if I had seen more people like me who are out and proud, it wouldn’t have taken me 45 years to say it, to walk in the truth.”
It perfectly shows how our culture is. People rather see men holding guns than holding hands. Homophobes who make it difficult for gay people to get their right, molest them, abuse them are the reason why people are getting afraid to come out.
Don expressed his struggle being a gay-black and various stigma that he constantly faced. Although he been open about being gay to his co-workers, he was always afraid to open up in public. The constant fear that people will walk away from him was one of the causes that chose not to disclose his reality to others.
Lemon also revealed the fact that he was once indeed abused by a pedophile. His book reflects his struggle and his journey as he faced various stigmas, related to his color, his race, and his sexuality. The book is a must read for everyone as it not only depicts his life but sheds light on some of the vicious perceptions of people.
Till date, he remains one of the few openly gay-black anchors. Lemon also stated how although he might face some problem being a gay-black anchor, he will surely prosper in something else. More people need this kind of confidence and commitment.
When his fellow anchor Robin Roberts admitted that she was gay, Don expressed his support for her.
“I can’t speak for Robin Roberts, nor any of my recently out gay colleagues — I didn’t do it sooner because I was afraid of losing my livelihood,” stated Don. Further, he states how Gay people should be given their rights, especially if anti-gay people gets theirs.
“If people like Phil Robertson are deserving of keeping their platforms and are even being defended and celebrated, then people like Don Lemon, or Thomas Roberts, or Rachel Maddow, or Sam Champion, or Anderson Cooper or Robin Roberts are also deserving of their platforms and should be celebrated, as well. That’s why it’s still important to come out and say very simply, ‘I’m gay.’”
Don Lemon started working at CNN since 2006 and is one of the best in the business. Although he is not free from any criticism, he does his best and that is all that really counts. His work in the industry has won him several awards including the prestigious Emmy, Edward R. Murrow award. Similarly, he has been listed in the Top 150 influential African- American people in the world by Ebony in the year 2009. According to sources, Don is in relationship with choreographer John Byrne.
His combined estimation of his property, savings and investments adds his estimated net worth up to $3 million.