Oh, Kal...
So what would you do if for your first date, your date would:
a. Show up with an 18-pack of Coors Lite and
b. Grab the remote and change the channel to NASCAR?
If you're Kal Penn, you get in a relationship with him and then you go ahead and marry him after 11 years together. Yep, Kal Penn is marrying his boyfriend. Now, if you would have told me ten years ago that Kumar, from Harold and Kumar fame was gay, I would have laughed for hours. And yet, he was. And he is.
He's come out, officially, while doing the rounds for his new book, You Can't Be Serious. And apparently, this was not a secret. They've been photographed together countless times, and his boyfriend was always named as 'guest'. One of the advantages of passing as straight, I imagine. Bet the Masc4Masc crowd is cheering from the closet. And the thing is, I also thought that Kal Penn was straight and this news of him being queer and on top of that, marrying his partner of 11 years kind of took me by surprise.
He says that it's been a journey (he's 44), learning about his sexuality and that he met his soon-to-be-husband when he worked for the Obama White House. And I kind of believe that. After all, coming from a South Asian family, telling your parents (and your audience) that you're gay probably takes guts and time. I can imagine his family had thought of a 'good wife' for him since he was two. But Penn has done it. He's out of the closet. Kudos to him.
And I think I want to know about this journey that Kal Penn has decided to talk about. I think I'm going to buy his book, because one, I think he's hot and two, one more public figure publicly coming out is always welcome. So I'll put my money where my mouth is: his book. And you don't have to do Amazon, if you don't want to: here's a handy guide on how to buy independent. This would be a great opportunity to support your local bookstore and at the same time, get some reading material for the Fall. Two birds, one stone.
Congratulations to Kal Penn. For his new book. And for having found love. And for being out of the closet. I hope he gets that big ass Indian wedding he wants. Or the best next thing, in order to keep his husband-to-be happy.
XOXO
#HAPPYPRIDE
This seems to be all I heard about yesterday on the news...and I have no idea who either of them is...but so glad for them anyhow.! See what happens when you don't watch much tv , just BBC and drag, which seems to 24/7, lmao!!!!
ReplyDeleteHe was everywhere.
DeleteIt is still a 'thing' when someone comes out publicly. And not watching much American TV can indeed be GOOD! LOL
XOXO
I remember him from the movie... vaguely. I do believe he's actually been 'out' for quite some time and is merely using this as a merchandising tool to sell his book.
ReplyDeleteHe's been in some movies and several series on TV. And he was out to his parents and probably Mindy Kalig. But he could do 'Bro' shit with Josh just so much. Now he wants to put a ring on it and had to officially come out. Passing privilege.
DeleteAnd of course he's using coming out publicly to sell his book. That's why I'm getting it.
XOXO
Yes, kudos and congrats to him. Should be an interesting book!
ReplyDeleteI know!
DeleteI think the process of coming out at 44 is not an easy one. Some men stay in the closet forever (think the commercial from yesterday). Especially for men of color who come from conservative cultural backgrounds.
XOXO
I also was quite surprised when you shared this. I believe the term I used was gobsmacked. See what happens when we assume? I wish them all the best. I don’t believe his fiancé has notoriety, so they’ve kept it quiet quite well.
ReplyDeleteXOXO 👨🏼❤️💋👨🏽
Yes, you told me.
DeleteWe do assume many things. Especially from men who pass as straight. His boyfriend was his 'pal', his 'bro', with whom he went to games. Talk about hiding in plain sight. But good for him for deciding to come out. He could have stayed in the closet forever and keep Sean Cody-ing us.
Of course, there come as moment when the 'Bro' can only be a 'Bro-yfriend'.
XOXO
He is to be commended. Really. He's the kind of gay the world needs. Pride does not mean we have to be "in your face" about our sexuality; gay, straight, or otherwise. XOXO
ReplyDeleteI think he is.
DeleteHe's smart, articulated and fun. He also can talk about the struggles of coming out at a later time in life. He was in a virtual glass closet since his thirties. I wanna know what it takes to come out as gay when you're a South Asian MOC. I'm getting that book.
XOXO
Adore him. Such a cuddle bug. I bet he smells amazing, too. Sigh. Well, another one off the market. I saw a meme yesterday. It was a capture of a tweet. "I'm at the age when all my straight friends are marrying and all my gay friends are trying out fisting." That about sums it up. Kizzes.
ReplyDeleteSame!
DeleteAnd totally, same. I find him charming and attractive. Smart men are sexy. And that meme DOES sum it all up.
XOXO
How many things he did!!!
ReplyDelete