Vanessa Carlton, "Real L Word," "True Blood": Is Coming Out Getting Easy?
NEW YORK (CBS) "The Real L-Word", a new reality show featuring six bikini-bodied, go-getter gay girls in L.A., premiered last night on Showtime amidst extraordinary fanfare. "True Blood" star Anna Paquin announced her bisexuality. And singer Vanessa Carlton told a Nashville crowd of 18,000 that she is bi.
It seems coming out is in. But has it gotten any easier for the average woman?
"Times are changing, and society is changing," says Michael McGee of the American Association of Sex Counselors and Therapists, who is also an adjunct professor of Human Sexuality at Montclair State University.
"It is easier for young people to come out now," he says. "In my classes I have about 30 students, and at least one will generally come out in every class. Once I had two bi women, one lesbian and two gay men. Generally the other students are pretty welcoming. Students who may have an issue with it keep it to themselves."
But not everyone agrees.
"If you look at recent changes in our culture, one could presume that it is easier to come out," says Jamie Trachtenberg, a social worker in New York with a specialty in sexuality.. "But I am in New York. If I were in Oshkosh or someplace else where it is not so acceptable to be gay, it would be harder. It's an individual process, and everyone handles it in his or her own way."
And the process of coming out may be different for men than for women.
McGee says that society seems to be more accepting of women being gay or bisexual - a point underlined in Hollywood."There is a difference in society's perceptions of two men together as opposed to two women," says McGee. "The media is interested in drawing an audience. They are embracing the fact that there is a greater tolerance and a greater interest in the lives of gay women."
Lesbians have certainly come a long way since Ellen DeGeneres' career-hobbling announcement. She's now a queen of daytime television and an "American Idol" judge.
Other Hollywood lesbian notables include actress Clementine Ford, Cybil Shepherd's daughter who came out in the British press. According to Curve magazine, the classic beauty is in a committed relationship with Linda Perry of Four Non-Blonds.
Country singer Chely Wright, 39, told People magazine last month that she's gay.
Then there's out and proud Jane Lynch of "Glee," bad-girl comedian Wanda Sykes and lesbian mom Sara Gilbert, the former snarky child star of "Roseanne."
And with shows like "The Real L Word," coming out may not just be a social choice, but a career path.