CNN''s Don Lemon Comes Out

Congratulations to the openly gay anchor.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/16/business/media/16anchor.html?_r=1


Anonymous
• That''s it? It''s Don Lemon?\ \ What a disappointment. What a dud coming out story. Lemon indeed.

• Good job, sir!

• Hit it, Feebs:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiA-JrITNww

• I had a feeling that he was gay, because he is almost too goodlooking to be straight.

• I bet he smells good. Black men always smell good. I don''t know why more men don''t wear cologne. I love riding the elevator with them.

• Good for him. Good for us.

• "I abhor hypocrisy. I think if you''re going to be in the business of news, and telling people the truth, of trying to shed light in dark places, then you''ve got to be honest. You''ve got to have the same rules for yourself as you do for everyone else."\ \ Oh, no she DIH-ENT!!

  Andy C.

• Wait. Isn''t he married?

• You could tell he was gay from outer-space! I had no idea he was IN the closet actually. I like his personality, seems very authentic, genuine.

• No, R8. Didn''t you read the article?

• I hope he has a book signing; I am so eager to meet him in person and shake his hand, not just for being gay and SO damn handsome, lol but for dedicating his book to the late Rutgers student.%0D\ %0D\ Believe me I respect few people but I respect him so much for that dedication.

• What r9 said.%0D\ %0D\ I''m glad that now he has now publicly stated this. But still, an astronaut currently in orbit could see he was gay.%0D\ %0D\ I''ve met and spoke to both Dan Lothian and Carl Quincenares(sp.) and both pinged to high heaven.

  Della

• I could suck on that lemon all night long.

• I don''t have time, R10. I remember someone posting that about him the other day.

• Good for him. Seems like an OK guy.%0D\ %0D\ It''s good for all of us.

• Its now official, Anderson Cooper is the biggest coward and hypocrite on the planet.

• Yes! The white gays have Anderson and now we have our own gay news person now.

• It is always someone that nobody cares about that comes out

  Debby Downer

• [quote]"I abhor hypocrisy. I think if you''re going to be in the business of news, and telling people the truth, of trying to shed light in dark places, then you''ve got to be honest. You''ve got to have the same rules for yourself as you do for everyone else."\ \ Don is definitely throwing shade at AC. I dont expect him to be on the new talk show!

  Let the CNN homosexual feuds begin!

• People who say he''s obviously gay, i don''t see it. He''s got the perfect match of masculine and feminine qualities that i like. %0D\ %0D\ The only thing that i don''t like about this is yet again the connection of molestation to being gay.

• Im glad the bumping of Don for that dolt Wolfe Blitzer two weeks ago was mentioned. Discrimination!!

• Why would Don have a problem with Anderson? Just because Anderson takes a different route to his personal life, i don''t think Don would care.

• %0D Using Ascot Media and Aston Publicity Groups%E2%80%99 innovative announcement tool %E2%80%98In My Own Words%E2%80%99 (IMOW) as the vehicle in which to speak out and put an end to the speculation surrounding him, Don Lemon is making an official statement to the media that he is gay.%0D %0D The statement below was written by Don Lemon and it may be copied, printed and announced but cannot be altered in any way without the express permission of Don Lemon. %0D %0D %0D %0D %E2%80%9CToday I chose to step out on faith and begin openly living my own truth. And let me say right up front that I hope many of you will be inspired to do the same thing in your daily lives. Some of the things I%E2%80%99ve chosen to reveal in my book Transparent were very difficult to share with even those closest to me. %0D %0D There was a time when I was terrified of revealing these things to the person I love most in this world - my own mother. But when I finally mustered the courage to tell her that I had been molested as a child and that I was born gay, my life began to change in positive ways that I never imagined possible. Yet I still chose to keep those secrets hidden from the world. I, like most gay people, lived a life of fear. Fear that if some employers, co-workers, friends, neighbors and family members learned of my sexuality, I would be shunned, mocked and ostracized. It is a burden that millions of people carry with them every single day. And sadly, while the mockery and ostracizing are realized by millions of people every day, I truly believe it doesn%E2%80%99t have to happen and that%E2%80%99s why I feel compelled to share what I%E2%80%99ve written in Transparent. %0D %0D As a journalist I believe that part of my mission is to shed light onto dark places. So, the disclosure of this information does not inhibit in any way my ability to be the professional, fair and objective journalist I have always been. %0D %0D My book is dedicated to the memory of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who jumped to his death from a bridge after his dorm mates streamed his private business over the Internet for the world to see. Tyler might still be with us today if more gay men and women had chosen to live proudly and openly. It is also dedicated to the millions of young, gay people who believe they are alone when dealing with their own sexual identities. You are not alone! There are people, like me and many others, who are thriving in their personal and professional lives and although we sometimes have a hard time with it ourselves, we are here to show you by example that you too can overcome any obstacle as long as you stay strong and, most of all, stay alive.%E2%80%9D %0D %0D With love and honesty,%0D %0D Don Lemon%0D May 16, 2011%0D %0D %0D %0D Any changes made to the above statement, without the express permission of Mr. Don Lemon, will be subject to legal action. %0D %0D

  http://www.cisionwire.com/ascot-media-group--inc-/r/in-my-own-words----i-was-born-gay--by-multiple-emmy-winning-cnn-anchor-don-lemon,g9122992

• R19, I don''t think AC and Don were ever too fond of each other and this is not going to help. Not that it matters, they don''t have much chance to interact anyhow.

• Wait. It''s news that this man is gay???

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5L9Gl91csU

  Lila McKann

• Someone thinks highly of himself.

• R17 makes a funny, but Lemon was death on Eddie Long when he interviewed his two young believing followers and then admitted he had been molested himself as a boy. It is so important for other black people to hear the truth and to stop following these charlatan preachers who rile against being gay because they are afraid they themselves are gay. The church has poisoned far too many people.

• Don probably resents the attention and resources that Anderson gets at CNN, so hinting that AC''s a coward closet case is one way of hitting out at him.

• Yay for don!

• I love Don Lemon''s work and I love him for doing this. Bravo Don. At least one anchor on CNN isn''t a coward.

• So, R28. AC deserves it.

• Are there any openly gay newsmen who weren''t molested?

• [quote]People who say he''s obviously gay, i don''t see it. He''s got the perfect match of masculine and feminine qualities that i like. \ \ That''s what makes him easy to watch.\ \ [quote]Don probably resents the attention and resources that Anderson gets at CNN, so hinting that AC''s a coward closet case is one way of hitting out at him.\ \ Of course he does. Wouldn''t you? I bet CNN will continue to limit him to his weekend spots.

  Carol Simpson

• Good job, Don. Fuck you, Anderson.

• Hate to chime in again, but I think Eddie Long solidified his decision to come out. That was very personal to him. And that''s not about AC.

• Well done, Mr. Lemon!

• Why are the black anchors at CNN on during the weekends? Since the idiot Tony Harris left there are no anchors of color on during the week. Tamron Hall on MSNBC is on everyday in the weekday afternoons.

• R24, I never heard anything about Anderson and Don not getting along.

• Oh c''mon, you know a magnum covered Lemon has been buried deeply in Anderson.

• Good for Don. Now the next question - whos his bf?

• A mid 40''s attractive thin non-threatening black man. Why am i thinking Don Lemon should run for president.

• I think it did too, r35. He got a lot of support for revealing something like that on live television and I think it took him by surprise.\ \ I REALLY hope that he talks about Ron in the book. I will be disappointed if he doesn''t. They made a dynamic and interesting couple, and Ron has quite a story himself. I want to know why they ended on such a bad note. From what I heard he meant a lot to him.

  http://www.chicagomag.com/images/2009/August 2009/C0809_Huberman2.jpg

• It''d be hot if he was tapping TJ Holmes.

• I really like the statement he released. Glad to have him on the "team."

• I wish people would celebrate Don Lemon''s decision and not turn this into another thread bashing Anderson Cooper.\ \ AC has the right to live his life as HE chooses to live it, and that means HE gets to decide whether or not to come out. What part of that is so hard to understand?\ \ In the meantime, I can''t tell you how much I admire Don Lemon.

  Anonymous

• seriously...why is it always the OBVIOUS one. The only announcement that would have been less "newsworthy" would have been Richard Simmons...

  Sick of it All

• I''ve had a crush on him since he was in Chicago. I thought it was just wishful thinking that he was gay. Love him even more now.

• According to RICO he has r43\ \ LOL

  http://gayblackcanadianman.com/2008/03/29/don-lemon-is-a-solid-reporter/#comment-4624

• Well R45, the more people come out, the more Anderson looks like a gigantic cowardly FOOL for not doing it and getting it over with. He''s got nothing to lose. It makes him look weak and pathetic. Just do it.

• This is a snore fest, it is completely obvious that he''s gay.

• [quote]I wish people would celebrate Don Lemon''s decision and not turn this into another thread bashing Anderson Cooper.%0D\ %0D\ No one is bashing Anderson Cooper. It is clear that CNN likes him more than Don. And I dont think that well crafted statment about news people was on accident either.%0D\ %0D\ r46, you can die in grease fire.

• Is it true Don is only into white guys? And is he really arrogant and a player?

• It seems as if coming out is getting a little easier and a little more common over the past couple of years. (Almost) Everyone who does helps to make it easier for the next guy. I think the snowball effect will continue with the probable exception of leading men in movies.

• r50, AC is also obviously gay.

• r54 - that''s my thought too. AC coming out would be like Ellen or Rosie coming out, another yawn.

• who is Ron? Is that his former bf?

• I''m just glad that it''s a man who is quite visible. Him being a person of color makes it even better because it shows the world that our community is truly multiracial/ethnic.

• It''s not so obvious to everyone that Don''s gay. I''m seeing a lot of shocked comments online.

• Ron Huberman is his ex partner. He''s a former cop and was the head of Chicago Public Schools.

• The Right of course will use the fact that he was molested as the reason he is gay.

• That''s why he''s trying to really emphasize that he was born gay R60.

• So CNN has about 4 viewers and NOW Don decides to sprinkle her fairy dust? She''s a nobody and frankly I don''t even think she''s that talented. I''m sure the guys at Fox News will have a field day with this.

  Lila McKann

• I think it''s great news that a newsperson like Don Lemon comes out. I hope it will help him to sell a great deal of books and gives him more public exposure.

• [quote]The statement below was written by Don Lemon and it may be copied, printed and announced but cannot be altered in any way without the express permission of Don Lemon.\ \ Whoops - I made a few edits.\ \ [italic]"Today I chose to step out on faith ANDERSON and begin openly living my own truth ANDERSON. And let me say right up front ANDERSON that I hope many of you ANDERSON will be inspired to do the same thing in your daily lives ANDERSON. Some of the things I''ve chosen to reveal in my book Transparent were very difficult to share with even those closest to me NOT ANDERSON....[/italic]

• In response to Don''s chiding, something tells me there won''t be any Lemon Pledge or Lemon Squirts in Anderson''s closet.

• Don''s ex certainly traded down. Check out the fuggo David Brooks caricature on the left!!!

  http://www.flickr.com/photos/steppenwolftheatre/4615669942/in/set-72157623955053997

• "Shocked responses" - really? Please.

• %E2%80%9CI think if I had seen more people like me who are out and proud, it wouldn%E2%80%99t have taken me 45 years to say it,%E2%80%9D Mr. Lemon said, %E2%80%9Cto walk in the truth.%E2%80%9D\ \ Truth.

• RuPaul has been out for decades Don Lemon.

• It''s great that he has decided to come out. Especially for the African American community, who needs more out public figures.%0D\ %0D\ Congrats.

• Please r69, why would you even mention that one? It is like comparing "the Situation" to Brad Pitt. In short, there is no comparison.

• Anderson is the one who has the slogan "keeping them honest." He''s taken awards for doing coming out stories when he whines he can''t be out for one reason after another.\ \ The bottom line is Lemon stole his thunder.\ \ The older Anderson gets and the more people who are out (Maddow, Lemon) his staggering out of the closet ... "oh yeah, uh, me too" ... makes him look weak.\ \ Rightly so.

• I''m sorry, HOW was this news??\ \ Did anyone not realize this man is gay?

• This cracks me up so much. There were (homophobic) people online who, upon hearing that a gay anchor was coming out, were actually ANGRY at Rachel Maddow. Theu seemed to think she "Forced" Anderson Cooper out and this news HAD to be about him. ( Maddow said, "Gay anchors have a responsibility to come out." )\ \ LMFAO @ all the twits who thought anyone "outed" Anderson Cooper or anyone at all. \ \ 1) Maddow didn''t out anyone. She was stating a general philosophy.\ 2) Surprise surprise. There is more than a couple gay male anchors in this world. \ \ Just more proof that small minded people like to think in tokens. ike there can only be One Gay male and One gay female- that''s it.

• [quoted] "Shocked responses" - really? Please.\ \ \ Search Don Lemon on twitter and see how many people are actually surprised. You forget how much denial the straight world is allowed to have. \ \ Hetero-presumption is the default, not the other way around.

• [R73] you don''t seem to realize how many feminine men - MORE feminine than Don Lemon - claim to be straight. \ \ The people who are acting like Lemon is a flaming queen on air are shits. He''s normal. Anyone who thinks it is "obvious" based on some trait of his needs to have his head examined - especially since most of these people probably think everyone is gay.

• [quote][R24], I never heard anything about Anderson and Don not getting along.\ \ It was clearly a fantasy on R24''s part. Are you new here? You''ll get used to those things in a few weeks.

• Well, Don is black and there seemed to be some credible posts in several of the AC threads about Ben loathing people who aren''t white.

• R78 = Our resident, race-bating black panther.\ \ It''s always easy winning those arguments via default, isn''t it R78 dear?

• "Black men always smell good."\ \ What do they smell like?

• Whatever disagreements I have with Anderson, he is no racist, and if Ben were a racist, I have a hard time believing Anderson would put up with it.

• Yay for Don Lemon!!

• Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts revealed to the public that he is gay in a story posted on The New York Times'' website Sunday, saying he wants to break down one of the last significant social barriers in sports.%0D\ %0D

  http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/Phoenix-Suns-executive-Rick-Welts-says-he-is-gay-051511?GT1=39002

• I just posted the link below in another thread \ \ Ben Cohen has quit at the top of his game to devote his life to fighting homophobia. Either a great ally or... maybe he;s next?

  http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/05/16/Ben_Cohen_Quits_Rugby_to_Fight_Homophobia/

• The Coop has NO excuses! Those who are making excuses for him are as pathetic as The Coop remaining in the closet. If a black male anchor can come out of the closet, then what rationale does a rich WASP celeb (won''t dare label him a "journalist") has now? \ \ I applaud Don Lemon. I think we need more positive, gay, black role models to show that the gay community is very diverse. \ \ What''s the story with TJ Holmes? Is he in the closet like The Coop?

• I find it unfortunate that him coming out is more about his colleague Anderson Cooper than himself.

• I think T.J. Holmes is straight (and married to a woman?)

• Why is it never someone who is attractive?%0D\ %0D\ Why couldn''t it have been someone exciting like Cooper or Marciano? This is boring - who cares?

• Speak for yourself r88. I want to drink Don''s chocolate cum.

• All cum is white, R89.\ \ In case you are new to sex. . .

• Uh, he is attractive - what are you talking about r88? Very handsome.\ \ Good for him for coming out, btw. He seems like a good guy.

• We''re all pink on the inside.

• Go back to your Klan rally, R88.

• Marciano is totally straight unfortunately.

• "Why is it never someone who is attractive?%0D\ %0D\ Why couldn''t it have been someone exciting like Cooper or Marciano? This is boring - who cares?"%0D\ %0D\ He is far more attractive than Anderson Cooper.%0D\ %0D

• OR Marciano.

  r95

• Marciano is not only straight he hates gay men.

• Don Lemon''s interview with Usher, at his loft, was more like a date between them. Usher even gave him a dance lesson.

  http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/photo/02HM8qO6YW4WG?q=Don+Lemon

• Why is this only 98 posts?

• R99, because there are multiple threads about the same topic. Plus there has been speculation here about Don and his upcoming book for quite some time, and finally, unless you are an avid CNN viewer you may not have even heard of him.

• [quote] People who say he''s obviously gay, i don''t see it. He''s got the perfect match of masculine and feminine qualities that i like. %0D\ %0D\ R20, you obviously have no gaydar whatsoever.%0D\ %0D\ Stevie Wonder could see that Don Lemon is gay.

• Bravo to Don!!%0D\ %0D\ I like him so much more than TJ Holmes.%0D\ %0D\ TJ seems very stepin fetchit.

• Wake me up when Anderson Cooper has the balls to come out.

  Until then, yaaaaaawwwwwnnnnn.

• R103, you''re going to be sleeping for a very long time!

• So many fucking negative comments. Be happy for the guy and the fact that it''s a well known African American. This is a breakthrough, not just for the gay community but for the African American community as well.%0D\ %0D\ And R86, if it was that twit Cooper, every thread on the first page would be littered with glorious pronouncements about how wonderful and brave a human being he is and how he''s done us a huge favor by coming out. Despite the fact that he''s been outed a million times already, and didn''t have to make that big of a leap.%0D\ %0D\ But of course the minority gets nothing. It''s just disgraceful. %0D\ %0D

• [quote] Don is definitely throwing shade at AC. I dont expect him to be on the new talk show!%0D\ %0D\ Don is well aware that there are loads of gays and lesbians at CNN and in the TV news industry who are not publicly out. Just because Anderson Cooper is the only not-out TV news guy to you and any reference to gays delivering news is all Anderson Cooper to you does not make the same true for Don.%0D\ %0D\ Also Don said in the same interview that he thinks everyone must come out in their own time:%0D\ %0D\ [italic] Mr. Lemon said he knew that coming out this way would stir up a degree of comment about other television news personalities, and whether any would acknowledge being gay. %0D\ %0D\ "I think it would be great if everybody could be out," he said. %E2%80%9CBut it''s such a personal choice. People have to do it at their own speed. I respect that. I do have to say that the more people who come out, the better it is for everyone, certainly for the Tyler Clementis of the world." [/italic]

• It wasn''t obvious to me he was gay, and he didn''t come across as feminine to me either.

  yes I''m GAY

• [quote]Don is well aware that there are loads of gays and lesbians at CNN and in the TV news industry who are not publicly out. Just because Anderson Cooper is the only not-out TV news guy to you and any reference to gays delivering news is all Anderson Cooper to you does not make the same true for Don.\ \ Really? Anderson has the highest profile of ANY of the closeted gays in news. NOBODY cares about Shep/Suzanne/Robin or anyone else, even DON, so when people talk about closeted gays, they are MAINLY talking about Anderson Cooper and you know it.

• I generally don''t pay that much attention to TV anchors but I really like this guy. He is adorable and seems like he would be a really nice guy to know.

• [quote] Don probably resents the attention and resources that Anderson gets at CNN, so hinting that AC''s a coward closet case is one way of hitting out at him.%0D\ %0D\ Don Lemon is a few years older than Anderson, Don has been successful in news and on CNN for years, and Don has only just officially come out of the closet himself. He wouldn''t be in any position to get bitchy about "closet cowards cases" the day he comes out.%0D\ %0D\ He was probably just talking about his own decision and general thoughts in that quote, not obsessing about Anderson Cooper like DL and the gay media does. This was a personal decision for him. He probably made that decision by contemplating what he thinks is right for him to be doing not by worrying about what''s right for Anderson Cooper''s life.

• r108 the gay media and gossip forum commenters obsessing about a cute white Vanderbilt boy they want to fuck does change the fact that people actually in news are aware that they have many other successful gay colleagues who aren''t publicly out. Don Lemon was one of those other guys himself a day ago, and I''m sure didn''t think his own existence, sexuality and decisions were entirely meaningless because he isn''t Anderson Cooper.

• I have to laugh at all the excuses being made on behalf of Anderson Cooper.

• [quote]a cute white Vanderbilt boy %0D\ %0D\ cute???? 39 years ago he could have been considered cute.%0D\ %0D\ boy???? More like well into middle age.

• [quote]people actually in news are aware that they have many other successful gay colleagues who aren''t publicly out. Don Lemon was one of those other guys himself a day ago, and I''m sure didn''t think his own existence, sexuality and decisions were entirely meaningless because he isn''t Anderson Cooper.\ \ The point is that no one really cares about these people you''re referring to. It is always about Anderson and the fact that he refuses to come out is glaring and that''s why whenever there is talk about ANYONE coming out, inevitably someone will bring up Anderson''s name because it continues to be RIDICULOUS that he refuses to come out. Why are you always making excuses for him? He should come out and all this would end.

• I just can''t imagine Anderson Cooper is one of them. He doesn''t act feminine. %0D\ %0D\ He goes to all the rough and tumble parts of the world and hosts that fun New Years Eve show with the red head woman. Actually, he seems rather smitten with him. I would be surprised if there wasn''t some romance developing between the two of them.%0D\ %0D\ No, definately not a homosexual.

  Maria Mae Davis, Colorado Springs, Home of the Mighty Cougars

• Maybe he''s not "cute", but he sure is HOT R113.

  http://oldboysclub.tumblr.com/post/5427073693/cooper-everyone-looks-cool-in-grey

• r112 it''s stupid people are even trying to turn this into an Anderson Cooper thread. Don, a gay newscaster, explained in his coming out interview why he thinks it''s appropriate for someone who is a gay new person to come out. The obvious assumption would be he is talking about himself as a gay news man and his reasoning for his own decision. That would also fit with the context and the fact that later when he is asked about gay TV personalities apart from himself he says it is a personal choice and needs to be done at their own speed.%0D\ %0D\ Don Lemon should be let to have his own moment here instead of his coming out being twisted into an event supposedly all about some white guy.

• Don was obviously making thinly veiled comments about Anderson remaining in the closet as he proclaims to Keep ''em Honest. But he can''t speak the truth about himself.

• [quote] Don Lemon should be let to have his own moment here instead of his coming out being twisted into an event supposedly all about some white guy.\ \ Agreed R117 but good luck getting that. This site can be so disappointing.

  R112

• To be disappointed you have some expectation of something better, don''t you r119?

• Yeah. Silly me.

• Does anyone think Don will appear on 360 to discuss/promote his book?

• Anderson doesn''t like Don or Roland Martin, so no.

• I don''t know if that is a serious question, r122, but I would guess against it. He and his book would be hopelessly overwhelmed with talk about Anderson Cooper so I don''t see how it would be beneficial for Don.%0D\ %0D\ I''ve heard Don will be appearing on Joy Behar''s show. Maybe he will do Piers Morgan''s show since a talk show is an obvious forum for this kind of thing, to bad Piers is such an obnoxious pushy interviewer.

• Outstanding, young man.

• Where is the shit stain that kept claiming he was married?

• I was wondering the same thing R126. Isn''t she mostly a weekend visitor?

• r126 Maybe that poster has re-located to the Luke Macfarlane thread to join the troll who keeps insisting Luke is a ladies man and the whole coming out as gay thing was a big misunderstanding?

• I haven''t heard anything about Don coming out with a partner by his side. Is he single or is he just doing the Luke Macfarlane thing of stating his sexuality but keeping his love life to himself?

• I'm sorry, but in spite of Lemon's denials, it's hard to imagine that having an older neighbor boy "molest you" - and I don't even want to ponder what all violations that entailed - from the time you are a five year old child until your teen years wouldn't tend to "sexualize" you towards men and make you feel like an outcast and perhaps predispose you to being gay.%0D %0D I think children are very impressionable sexually - that's one of the reasons child molestation is so utterly repugnant.%0D %0D What no one wants to talk about or hear about is that the victims of this abuse usually at some point begin to derive pleasure from it, even though they're not really willing participants, and that is not something that is easy for the victims to cope with.%0D %0D I've just met one too many women in my life who were sexually molested as children who are now self-loathing sluts as adults, and men who were sexually molested as children who are now gay - yet self-loathing and incapable of healthy emotional relationships.%0D %0D %0D

• r130, you will never have a real discussion about sexuality on DL. Too threatening for most here. They will have you F&Fd to keep you silenced.

• He is all MINE... stand aside you Jezebels and Daughters of Sodom!

  Black Berry

• I always love it when overtly queeny queens....."come out". Miss THANG is simply attempting to generate book sales.

• [quote]I''ve just met one too many women in my life who were sexually molested as children who are now self-loathing sluts as adults, and men who were sexually molested as children who are now gay - yet self-loathing and incapable of healthy emotional relationships.\ \ I''ve met many more men who are self-loathing sluts and incapable of healthy emotional relationships and many more women who are incapable of healthy sexual relationships due to poor body image and low self-esteem. \ \ This happens with or with out sexual abuse, buddy.

• You''re damned if you do and damned if you dont. I know at 45 Don realizes this. \ \ r133 who gives a fuck if Don wants to sell his book? He has a story to tell that is really relevant to young gays and a huge portion of black community.\ \ The response seems to be the same here as it is on the black gossip sites. People say he shouldn''t have bothered coming out publicly since everyone thought he was gay. Yet here we are waiting with bated breath for Anderson to come out. This is what happens when you are black and gay.\ \ I think all of this is tragic. It seems like no one knows what to do with people coming out who are already known as gay. It saddens me that Americans have thought of another way to marginalize homosexuals.

  http://sandrarose.com/2011/05/cnns-don-lemon-finally-admits-hes-gay/#comments

• All of Atlanta has known about Miss Donna Lemon for years. How precious that she has "come out"! I''m sure I''m simply shocked.

  Blanche of the Bougainvilleas

• Aren''t Cooper and Lemon about the same age? Looking at them makes one realise the phrase "black don''t crack" is so true.

• [quote] "[R133] who gives a fuck if Don wants to sell his book? He has a story to tell that is really relevant to young gays and a huge portion of black community."\ \ Right because the Black "community" is soooooooooooo supportive of the Gay community. And who is the "we" waiting w/ "bated breath" for Anderson to come out of the closet? Hold onto your Betsy, but some of us don''t wear our sexuality on our sleeve. We don''t have to "prove" anything.

• r138, I hope you are a troll.

• Apparently Don''s BF of 4 years is a CNN producer based in NYC:\ \ Lemon doesn%E2%80%99t want to discuss his boyfriend of four years, a CNN producer based in New York. %E2%80%9CI%E2%80%99ll talk about it another time,%E2%80%9D Lemon says. %E2%80%9CHe says this is my time. He%E2%80%99s very supportive. He%E2%80%99s been out since he was 14.%E2%80%9D

  http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/don-lemon-i%E2%80%99m-already-%E2%80%98the-black-guy%E2%80%99-on-cnn-i-don%E2%80%99t-think-being-known-as-gay-is-bad_b66851

• [quote] Hold onto your Betsy, but some of us don''t wear our sexuality on our sleeve. We don''t have to "prove" anything.\ \ \ Wow. Calm down dear, nobody is forcing you out of the closet. You can stay in there and cater to your straight friends all you like. It''s your choice.

• I wonder who the CNN producer is that Don''s dating? Don should move to NY too.

• Don'' boyfriend according to Signorile''s radio show is CNN producer Ben Tinker. Google CNN Ben Tinker. He is GORGEOUS and is like in his late 20''s, so much much younger than Don and he''s white. I''m suprised bc Don is handsome but there is a huge age difference and they live in different cities. Maybe they have an aggreement? IDK

• So both Don and Anderson are dating guys named Ben. Odd.

• I should watch more CNN. It''s like a White Party only with news instead of techno.

• I saw Don on Joy Behar''s show. He seems pretty dull and has a hang up about appearing "masculine." %0D\ %0D\ However, it''s nice to have more visible gays in the media. The more the merrier.

• Don seems like he has an attitude. His personality is weird, kind of unlikable. Something''s off about him.

• I just remembered that Don Lemon was on Anderson''s New Year''s show with Kathy Griffin. I don''t think he''ll be asked back this year.

• [quote]It''s disingenuous and dishonest and you should live in truth and give a hand to people who are struggling and help pull them up rather turning your back on them.%0D\ %0D\ That''s an interesting quote from Lemon. %0D

• This is Ben Tinker and he''s def. gay.... listen to purse fall out of mouth.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axnrRLzY99Y

• [quote]Don seems like he has an attitude. His personality is weird, kind of unlikable. Something''s off about him.\ \ Of course he has an attitude. Did you read the comments at r48? You dont become a prominent black AND gay news personality by playing nice, all the time. Don seems like an "A Gay" who puts a lot of demands on himself, so he is is like that with others. That''s why he and Ron broke up. He is nice to get what he wants. I still like him a lot and think he is an interesting person.

• I loved Don''s interview on The Joy Behar Show last night. But when Joy said that Don "came out of the closet," Don added, "Well, I was never in the closet." %0D\ %0D\ Okay, there is some distinction between "coming out of the closet" and "coming out," but not much.

• He was great on Wendy Williams today. Seems like a great guy.

• I liked him on Wendy''s show too. Very nice, very likable and very handsome. It''s hard to believe he''s 45 years old.

• Everyone seems to be shocked by Don''s age. I guess it''s no big deal to me because I''m black and we tend to look a little younger because of the melanin in our skin. He looks about in his 40''s to me because that''s how a lot of blacks look in their 40''s or even 50''s for that matter.

• Anderson doesn''t have to make excuses. If he doesn''t want to come out that''s his CHOICE. Good for Don and wishing him the best.

• I''m black and I''m 36. I''ve learned that a lot of non black people have no clue how old I am. I''ve gotten as young as 27 to as old as 45. It really doesn''t make any sense. I can understand a couple of years either way, but really.

• No one cares about Don anymore?!

  Bitches!

• Here''s yesterday''s interview with Michelangelo Signorile. It''s well worth your time.

  http://www.signorile.com/2011/05/don-lemon-interview.html

• Don''s man is VERY cute!

• Wow. Even the female country singer got at least two threads out of her coming out on Datalounge. But I guess that when the book comes out there''ll be more posts.

• So whos the top/bottom? Clearly with the age difference there must be a LOT of sex!!

• His bf looks kind of average to me, nothing really special. I thought he''d be better looking with all this excited yammering here.

• "Excited yammering" has nothing to do with looks. We had three days of excited yammering about Princess Bea''s hat. Did that yammering make her attractive?

• I wonder if Mr. Lemon gives a Good BJ? Perhaps his bf calls him Lemonhead.

• Well, I''m disappointed. Some of you guys either have really low standards or you are so excited about Don now that everything connected to him has taken on an exceptional glow. The bf is a really average looking guy, even more so for the partner of someone like Don who is fairly attractive and has some TV fame. I guess he has a great personality?

• I hate to agree with R166 but...\ \ I understand they both work at CNN. How much of their relationship is based on being a support system for their work environment?

• where''s the picture of his boyfriend? (too many pages too little time!)

  help!

• lol you all are just jealous because YOU are not with the Lemon. \ \ Well let me tell you, if I ever get to meet Don, he will forget his bf ever existed!

• I thought this would be bigger news. I guess with the Spermenattor updates, this seems rather boring. Poor Don, but I''m happy for him.

• This is bad, but I felt a twinge of disappointment when I saw the inevitable white boyfriend. On one hand, it would be nice to see a newly out, successful black gay man with a hot black boyfriend, but on the other hand I completely understand the social networks that result in black gay men of high achievement partnering up with white guys. I''ve dated white guys myself and I''m sure I will in the future, but still... \ \ I guess there simply aren''t enough of us to go around it seems...\ \ I wonder if Don ended up with a white guy, or if he dates white guys exclusively. I know Mike Woods does.

  GBM

• I thought Ron was black/mixed but he is Jewish.

• I''m happy with the guy I have, r169, and would have loved for my google to have turned up a hot piece as Don''s bf. Don''s cute but there has always been something vaguely yoda-ish about his features to me and he''s never seemed like he''d be much fun. %0D\ %0D\ r168 see link:%0D\ %0D

  http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2009/01/07/dcl.tinker.struggling.artist.coop.cnn?iref=videosearch

  r166

• There is the "white Jewish guy with black guy" that makes me think of my partner.

• [quote]Don''s cute but there has always been something vaguely yoda-ish about his features\ \ lol Don only looks like Yoda because his ears are kind of elf-like and pointy. He has a black Peter Pan thing going on.

• It''s not just his ears, it''s something about his eyes and facial features.

• I just think Don "Mr Bojangles''ed" this whole coming out thing/book release very ineptly. Too obvious.

• You think he should have done more of a mystery build up thing about who was coming out, r177? I don''t think that would have been a good idea. It backfired on Chely Wright, pissing everyone off since their expectations had been built up so much and they''d wasted time trying to guess someone they hadn''t even heard of.

• Too obvious? What was too obvious? That we all knew he was gay?

• I''m more shocked that he is black, I always thought he was Hispanic.

• Ron is White /Jewish but he is descended from Eatern European Jews who tend to be darker in complexion anyway.Don dates white guys only from what I know. Total bottom who likes it rough ..... Had a former friend ,a photographer in Chicago , who dated him and thats what he told me.

• Has anyone read don''s book? Is it juicy or just by the numbers?

  Haven''t bought it yet

• Well good luck to Don. He''s made a move that thousands of gay TV personalities can''t or won''t in being honest about himself so respect to him for doing it his way.

• Ron looks like he throws a mean fuck.

• Anderson''s bf isn''t so hot in the face either, but he has the body of DEATH. I hope Don''s man at least has a big dick because he''s strictly average in looks.

• In other news; Big Bird reveals that he has yellow feathers.

• Seriously, R186?\ \ I thought he was Hispanic.

• Hispanic with the last name "Lemon"? You gotta be kidding me.\ \ Not saying it''s impossible for a black man to be Hispanic since there are black Latinos, but nothing screams Southern-Sophisticated-African-American-Male-Sissy than Don Lemon. \ \ Have to admit his boyfriend is cute (I find Jewish men to be sexy). Yet Tinker also carries that same arrogant/smug vibe as Lemon. Match made in heaven, I guess.

• I''ve said it before, Don seems like an asshole. He comes across badly when he anchors and during interviews. I want to like him, I''ve tried, but there''s something very off putting about his manner. Maybe R151 has a point, but I just don''t like him.

• Since Don is from Louisiana, I thought he was Creole for sure. He isn''t according to the person here that knows him. I also thought he said one of his grandparents was white on CNN once, but maybe that person can clear that up too.\ \ r189 Don is extremely confident and he seems like an intense person. He did that Oprah thing a couple of times this week where he says "I will do this" and "I will be this". Just a very ambitious person and sometimes that turns people off.

• R190- Why can''t he just be African American? Why does he have to mixed ? Even though African Americans are mixed anyways why does he specifically have to have white in him to be desirable? I hate when folks do this. They act like anytime a black person is goodlooking because they have to have something else besides black in them. Even though African Americans are already mixed. They are not 100% African blood.

• I agree R191.

• The thing is, many white Americans are not 100% European blood. But you don''t want to open that can of worms.

• [quote]Why can''t he just be African American?%0D\ %0D\ Why can''t he just be American?

  Irish American - NOT!

• Well excuse me, Miss r191. I only brought that up because his ethnic makeup was already being discussed on this thread! And you are doing a lot to defend the blackness of a black man whose love life is doesnt include very much black, if any.

  r190

• A hot famous black guy admits that he likes sucking d*** and we can''t even make it to 200 posts on the DL? Come on guys surely someone''s read the book by now. Any juicy scoop from it?

• [quote]surely someone''s read the book by now.%0D\ %0D\ The Books-A-Million in the next town doesn''t have it yet and it''s not at the library. Have some patience. It just came out.

• Don is doing a radio interview right now on "On Point" on NPR.

• Don must resent Anderson for being the upcoming host of Ladies of Reality at the *ESSENCE* Music Festival.

• Anderson loves the ladies of reality TV and talks about them frequently on air. Don has shown no such love that I''ve seen.%0D\ %0D\ Don has as many engagements as he can handle right now anyway.

• I hope ratings are good when he''s on CNN again.

• lmao

  http://sandrarose.com/2011/05/barbara-walters-comes-for-don-lemon-on-twitter/

• R195- I''m not defending him and I''m addressing everyone. Whoever said he''s American is right. I stand corrected and thankyou. You can say he''s distancing himself from being African American. But, he steadily is addressing himself as one. So until he says anything other than that I will respect that. Again he constantly referring to himself as African American. So take it up with Don boo.

• This is truth: You're running that same line that pseudo-closeted gays use when they are damn near afraid of being out and proud. It's none of their business, blah blah blah...wah wah wah! What more do I need? What more does the public need? For men like Anderson to speak and declare that they are gay, instead of waiting for people to 'get the hints'. That's childish shit. And no one said anything about a press conference--but he also needs to be able to be frank and clear about being gay. When someone asks me if I'm gay (whether I feel it's their business or not) I tell them. I have no shame or anything to hide. Who knows why I'm being asked? That defensive crap about people just wanting to know one's business is tired. How can we tell kids, teens, and adults who are trying to find themselves that it's okay to be gay--when you have grown people in the spotlight who can't even open their mouths to say it? Put up or shut up. You just like that 'he's out with his bf in public' crap because that's how you would go about it. Not everyone operates like that. Some people are not going to make assumptions...and they're not going to say Mr. Cooper is gay until it comes out of his mouth. Otherwise, by keeping his mouth closed--he is saying that's there's something wrong with being who you are. Don't try to run that tired crap on me. I got guys like Anderson, and you figured out. *yawn* Insecurity is showing...

• [quote]Some people are not going to make assumptions...and they''re not going to say Mr. Cooper is gay until it comes out of his mouth.\ \ Those people are idiots if they think he is not gay.\ Point. Blank. Period!

  Tamar.com

• There are lots of them R205, you''d be surprised.

• Any pics of Don WITH the BF?

• why isn''t the book out? Why''s he doing so much press when you can''t even get the book yet?

• Don will be signing his book in mid-June at the B & N on the Upper West Side. I WILL be there.

• Its been a week since Don came out of the closet and seems people are already done talking about it.

• Does anyone know if Don will be doing a book signing in Atlanta?

• Been seeing him more often on CNN. He is very cute. Is he seeing anyone? I don''t feel like reading the rest of this thread to find.

• He''s seeing a guy named Ben Tinker, a producer at CNN, there are some pics in this thread.

• In his book Don says he''s sometimes attracted to women. Is he really bisexual?

• Oh so is he bi then?

• Stop replying to yourself R214/215=aka fraucunt

• Who is Ron?

• Ron is Don''s ex-partner from Chicago. (r59)

• 214 is not a Frau. Here''s the quote from dons book. "though I am Sometimes attracted to women, I''m a gay man." Does sound like he''s kinda bisexual. Hmmm

• Why do you refer to yourself in third person R214/215/219?

  Trolldar is fun

• Maybe Don doesn''t mean sexually attractive. Maybe he just finds some women''s personalities appealing or vibrant. I think he''s full on gay.

• I got my copy of Don''s book. \ \ Don was wrestler in high school, and he was good too!\ \ Anything else you bitches want to know?

• How many pages is the book?

• 220

• His boyfriend is cute. I enjoyed the Michaelangelo Signorile interview.

• The story Don tells in the book about how he found who his dad was is very cute.

• Lemon bump!

• Could someone clear up the bisexual rumors?

• I quote from Don''s book:\ \ [quote]I was pretty grossed out by the entire concept of having some smelly, sweaty guy on top of me.\ \ So clearly our Lemon drop is not a bottom!

• what does he say about other CNN colleagues?

• I''m sure CNN must''ve prohibited him from talking about any of his colleagues there. They run a tight ship and don''t play when it comes to punishing employees who talk.

• Entertainment Weekly magazine has a picture of Don on their Bullseye page. The caption says something like "Great, but you aren''t the CNN anchor we were expecting to come out."%0D\ %0D\ Well played EW.

• Anyone "expecting" you know who to come out will be waiting. He''s not. And Don will continue to fire shots at him because he keeps it real, bitches.

• Has TJ Holmes responded?

• Anyone else get Don''s book?

• He does say in the book he is sometimes attracted to women so who knows what he means by that exactly

• Im not finished with the book yet. But Anderson and Don have some things in common. They both lost their fathers at age 10-11 and they both were spoiled. And why cant they get along?\ \ Don does seem a little obsessed with race, but I guess he cant help it being from the Deep South. It seems like his top priority growing up was not to associate himself with other black people who weren''t as well off and smart as he was. He definitely has an "A gay" personality that will do anything to get ahead.\ \ He also eludes to the fact that he is not a Democrat but I need to read further on that.

• Wow, not a Dem and attracted to women.%0D\ %0D\ I don''t know, bitches....

• Don is a Republican?? \ \ If there is one thing that makes me lose interest in a person is that.\ \ I hope he votes Green.

• Im upset that there are no pics in the book! Don mentions that he got attention for being a hottie back in the day, which I totally believe since he looks this good now.

• I wish Don would comment in interviews about what he meant by "attracted to women" in hi sbook. Should he really have come out as bisexual and not gay?

• I''m gonna go out on a limb and say if Don is a Repug, and still fucks women, DL will dump him faster than an f6 going through the great plains.

  Anderson, gay and fabulous!

• I hope so, r242.\ \ Don dedicated his book to gay kids who are bullied, and also to that kid who committed suicide because of that (can''t remember his name). Voting republican, who perpetuate hatred towards the gay community and racial minorities, doesn''t make sense.

• To clarify the Republican thing, Don says votes for the platform he feels is most similar to his. He also hinted that he is more conservative about money issues, and liberal about social issues. So he calls himself independent. Ronald Reagan is one of his idols because of his ability to communicate, not for his politics.

• Hmm, R244.

• Is Don Lemon the one constantly bumping this thread? Because no one I know cares that he''s gay. I told my news junkie father about it and we were both more surprised by the fact that he''s in his 40''s.\ \ Give it a rest, Don. Nobody cares. That''s good, right?

• He also talks about being a condescending bitch on air sometimes lol\ \ Apparently Don doesnt like Wolfe Blitzer. Hear hear to that!

• Don will never be half the reporter that Blitzer is, or have anywhere near his stature.

• r248, what you mean to say is that Don will never be the bumbling idiot that Wolf Blitzer is. He is by far one of the most exasperating personalities in news.

• [quote]Don does seem a little obsessed with race, but I guess he cant help it being from the Deep South. It seems like his top priority growing up was not to associate himself with other black people who weren''t as well off and smart as he was. He definitely has an "A gay" personality that will do anything to get ahead.%0D\ He also eludes to the fact that he is not a Democrat but I need to read further on that.%0D\ %0D\ Now I know why I never liked him, he sounds as awful as I suspected and as obnoxious as he comes across on TV. Sometimes you really can sense things about people, even if you don''t know them.

• And sometimes you can allow your fantasies and prejudices to assume bs things about people you don''t know.

• [quote]He also eludes to the fact that he is not a Democrat...\ \ This drives me crazy -- & I''m not alluding to the political information.

• R241 is the Don Lemon is bi troll. Wash the shitstains off your stirrup pants cunt.

• Ok, here''s the thing. Gay, maybe Bi. Good for Don. Ok, now I''m over it. Move on. At best he''s an average news reader on a shit cable news network. He''s surrounded by other average news readers, including Wolf Blitzer (the most fucked up name in news). I don''t care if Lemon is a Republican or a martian. It adds up to about the same thing. Zero, nothing. He will flame out before July. \ \ And anyone who could not recognize that the man was both gay and over 40 before this admission, wasn''t paying attention.

  Seven

• r250 it sounds like you were looking for an excuse not to like him, which makes you sound awful. That''s how he grew up but he didnt stay that way. Don went to Rwanda alone on his own dime to research AIDS, when his affiliate refused to let him go. It was very dangerous for a gay light skinned man. He ended up earning two Emmys for his work there.

• The don is bi poster is not a troll. It says it in his new book that he is attracted to women. You can go to barnes and nobles and read it urself in the section about his coming out. This is a real discussion!!

• You are an idiot R256. He has said he is gay, stop trying to make him something he isn''t. Finding someone attractive doesn''t mean you want to fuck them. \ \ Let it go dear.

• Its interesting that Don didnt mention being attracted to any men, and he doesnt really touch on coming into his sexuality at all. He was in therapy for many years, and he admits that he has trust problems.\ \ Don was newsreader for NBC Weekend in the early 2000s and Soledad O''Brien was an anchor. It seems like she has been Don''s main competition for years, even though his education is not as prestigious. Even at MJ''s funeral extravaganza they looked like they couldn''t stand each other. They should be best friends since they both love white men!

• I wasn''t familiar with him, but I saw an interview with him yesterday. He seemed like a very nice guy.\ \ R237, what do you mean by spoiled?

• r259 Don''s dad was a well to do attorney who took him on vacations pretty much bought him whatever he wanted. His step father also was pretty well off so he had it better than a lot of black children. He also was the baby of his family, he has two older sisters.

• I''ve watched Don Lemon for a long time and I''ve tried to like him, but he comes off kind of odd to me and always has. R237''s comments just confirmed everything that I felt about him, it''s not an excuse, it''s just the truth for me. What difference does it make if he''s not loved by everyone?

  R250

• I like Don. I however do think he sometimes comes off as arrogant and dismissive which is interesting considering in his book tour he keeps talking about how empathetic to others he is.

• I live in Atlanta. I don''t claim to be close friends with Don, but we''ve been out to dinner several times (not as dates) and we see each other out from time to time. He''s a nice guy, not an asshole. He is open about having a boyfriend (demonstrated by taking him along to the Michaelangelo Signorile interview).\ \ I realize nobody likes everybody on t.v. But it''s bizarre to me the way some of you write so angrily about him and wish him ill fortune, particularly when your reasoning is based on assumption or speculation. \ \ Normally we criticize people in the public eye for not coming out. I don''t understand finding reasons to criticize them when they do. It says a lot more about you, unfortunately.

• He wouldn't be the first person to see himself a little differently than others do. I don't mind him from what I've seen, but sometimes he's inappropriate in an insensitive, tone deaf kind of way. When I saw him during the Michael Jackson funeral coverage he kept acting too much like an excited kid at the circus (Look who's over there! Wow! Look at this cool event program I got! I'm going to keep it!). There were a lot of black icons there and I can understand that causing some excitement, but I'm not even an MJ fan and I though he should have kept it in check and remembered he was covering a funeral. During the CNN Haiti coverage Don kept cluelessly trying to grill colleagues on location about how hard the reporting was on them emotionally and whether they are going to have therapy when they come back home. The CNN people acting as correspondents there all quickly said anything they were experiencing was nothing compared to the Haitians' suffering and none of them would divulge personal emotional trauma or talk personal therapy plans but Don refused to take any of their strong hints to cut it out. I'm sure Don probably thought he was being a great guy thinking of the emotional needs and problems of co-workers, but on air coverage of the aftermath of the earthquake was not the time or place to try to get into that and he should have paid attention to their discomfort and cues. It's not as though the correspondents had been attacked or kidnapped or were bringing up emotional difficulties to him on their own, he was just publicly prying at a really bad time without a relevant news reason.

• Are you black r250/r261?

• Yes I am R265.

  R250

• r264 after reading his book Im almost 100% sure that Don was aware of how he was coming off, he likes to rock the boat. He''s been suspended in some pretty big markets for having too much attitude and being too feisty. But this is how he impressed some key people in the media. He also secured big exclusives by being empathetic to people in major stories.

• His reason for not coming out earlier is kinda lame:\ \ [quote]One of the reasons I didn%E2%80%99t come out earlier is because I am not the Ken doll that represents the gay community. I didn%E2%80%99t think anyone in the gay community would support me because I%E2%80%99m not the classic gay role model. I%E2%80%99m not the Clark Kent type. I would go and host events at gay organizations as a news anchor and I would be the only African-American in the room so I thought maybe, nobody%E2%80%99s going to care because I%E2%80%99m not the blonde, white guy. That was a concern for me.

• r268 that kind of thing is what comes of the random stupid obsession gay media have had with outing Anderson Cooper over and over while ignoring every other non-out gay in TV news. Naturally Anderson Cooper is going to be put off by being singled out alone constantly for criticism and outing when all the other successful people on TV news taking the same "living out but not talking about it publicly" approach get a pass on it all the time for no good reason. That sort of unequal treatment doesn't inspire a cooperative attitude. It's also left everyone in TV news who isn't Anderson under no pressure and made it easy for them to tell themselves it doesn't matter if they come out and there is no need or desire for them to come out since they aren't Anderson. Even now when an interviewer brings up gays in TV news who haven't come out there's a big explosion of "They are talking about Anderson! This is all about Anderson!" chatter, which is dumb considering that even if the interviewer is obsessing about Anderson when asking the question Don is well aware there are many other gay men and women in TV news who haven't come out. Don has also been very focused on the special need for black gay role models and the challenges and experiences of being both black and gay in his comments, so the odds that he is mentally fixated solely on whiter than white Anderson when he's thinking of people in news he'd like to see come out is highly doubtful.

• r267 "rocking the boat" and being "feisty" has nothing to do with what I was describing. He was acting tone deaf, professionally inappropriate and without a sense of the occasion. This was a funeral and talking to CNN''s own people during disaster coverage, it wasn''t talking back to the powers that be or trying to pin down shady politicians.\ \ Also you sound like you are relying too totally on a guy''s complimentary descriptions of himself in his own book to sketch his character.\ \ Having said that, I don''t dislike what I''ve seen of Don Lemon. I was just replying to the talk about how sensitive he may or may not be.

  r264

• Actually, R268, there is an element of truth in his reasons why. The gay community is run by white elitist queens who want to be represented only by those who look like themselves, or someone they want to fuck. But still, Lemon should come out for himself, and himself alone. You should never do things like that for anyone else.

• r271, I''m just saying I think it''s a lame excuse. It''s as if he needed white validation, i say fuck ''em.

• R271 here, R272. I don''t disagree with you. But he is very much into white men and the gay white community in general, so maybe that is why he considers their approval. But coming out should be about what the individual wants and needs and s/he should do it based on that. Fuck the white gay community if they feel that he lacks those Ken doll looks they desire to have represent the gay community. You are on point there.

• r270 you might think he was done deaf and professionally inappropriate, but CNN did not. Really, Don holding up his program at the memorial was insignificant considering the spectacle that that day was. And if you had read the book before making those comments you would have a better context of Don''s coverage of his death, and what his CNN colleagues thought of it. \ \ r261 I see where you are coming from. Don said it best himself, even if he was self congratulatory while saying it: there precious few out black men. My admiration of him for publicly announcing that he is gay overshadows the fact that he is bougie, for lack of a better description. But again, everyone has their own opinion.

• Someone on twitter asked if don was a boxers/briefs guy but Don wouldn''t answer. Damn!

• I totally get where R264 is coming from. Don''s style of reporting is very odd and sometimes inappropriate and rude. He''s very peculiar at times, but he seems to think very highly of himself as a reporter.

• Don seems like a silk panties type of guy

  And I like that

• r274 you are speaking for CNN now? You know no one at the network found him inappropriate on those occasions because Don rated his own MJ performance highly in his book about himself and bragged that some somebody at the network told him he'd done good? Seriously? It was a funeral and he was acting like a gushy tween fan at a Bieber concert. That is not occasion appropriate to a funeral and it is not sensitive to mourners. It doesn't matter how self congratulatory he is in portraying that coverage in his book he wrote and how enthusiastically he pats himself on the back, it was plainly not appropriate behavior or tone for a funeral. CNN got very good ratings so I doubt the executives were interested in dishing out anything but praise, and it also helped that the network had some major correspondents leading the coverage who brought respect Don was lacking. I don't know whether any of his CNN colleagues took him to task after the Haiti coverage but they were noticeably unhappy and abrupt in response to his persistent questioning about their possible personal trauma and future therapy.

• anybody else know Don and got stories?

• r278 Don did not "enthusiastically pat himself on the back" in the book. If you had read it you would know that he included CNN''s criticism of his coverage of MJ, and it had nothing to do with his comments at the actual memorial.

• Bump!

• When Don was in Chicago he was the host of a Gay Networking event for Pride month. He couldn''t get the crowd to quiet down and when they would not he went off on them.The hecklers kept calling him a Princess ...to which he snapped..."I AM NOT A PRINCESS!!" What an enjoyable evening that was.

• Lol r282.

  Leave my Don alone!

• Anderson Cooper and Thomas Roberts(while Ed Schultz is on hiatus) are hosting shows at 9pm. Who do you think will win in the ratings?

• I bet Don reads DL.

• I wonder if Don does read this site. If he does maybe he could post and clear up some of the stuff like the bi thing.

• Don wears a Peter Pan costume to bed at night. Don''t ask me how I know!

  David Tyler Muir

• Has anyone else read his book?

  You guys suck

• [quote]I bet Don reads DL.%0D\ %0D\ I think he''s been posting in this thread.%0D\ %0D\ %0D\ %0D

• The white boyfriend has kind of made Don irrelevant on the black blogs both gay and straight I think.%0D\ %0D\ Just a theory but his coming out hasn''t generated much buzz in the black community.

• He was never a big star to begin with, so stop making racist shit up about his boyfriend. \ \ Stop putting your issues on the "black media."

• R286-the Don Lemon is bi troll.

• r291 as a reader of black blogs, I can say that he would have made way more buzz if his boyfriend/partner was black too.

• Truth hurts don''t it.

• Why do you say that r294?

• Don is looking good tonight, covering the the Casey Anthony case. I cant tell whether his tie is blue or green...

• [quote]I think he''s been posting in this thread.%0D\ %0D\ Just like Casey Anthony is posting in her thread.

• Don should be a guest on Anderson''s show, it''ll will make for good ratings.

• r298,\ \ For whom? Don is not that famous.

• For the bitch fight that will ensue r299. Duh! Ratings gold.

• Anderson hates Don Lemon. \ \ Don is probably one of those Herman Cain self-loathing black Republicans.

• [quote]Anderson hates Don Lemon. %0D\ %0D\ While I doubt if he hates Lemon, there''s no doubt Anderson is annoyed to have another news reader come out while he''s still hiding in his closet.

• Anderson doesn''t care who comes out, as long as it isn''t him.

• Don Lemon is a snow queen?

• For what I saw yesterday, Don is in NH covering the Republican debate.

• Don was playing Frisbee with John King and talking about Twinkies yesterday on CNN.

• Did anyone see this?

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/14/don-lemon-rick-santorum-gay-friends_n_876545.html

  Go, Don!

• "Do you have any gay friends?" Lemon asked hate-monger Santorum. %0D\ %0D\ "Yeah," Santorum said. "In fact I''ve had gay people work for me."%0D\ %0D\ "And friends?" Lemon asked again. %0D\ %0D\ "Yes!" Santorum insisted.%0D

• Don is awesome.

• I demand that everyone who said Don is arrogant and rude take it back!

• AHEM

• Don tweeted a link that has photos of a brunch held in his honor for his new book. Gayle King was there and there are a few pictures of him with his boyfriend Ben Tinker. They do make a cute couple!

• Here is a pic of Don and his boyfriend Ben.

  http://www.apimages.com/OneUp.aspx?st=det&ids=Belvedere Bloody Mary Presents Brunch With Bevy Smith Honoring Don Lemon&showact=details&sort=date&prds=10002&intv=3d&sh=10&kwstyle=or&adte=1308426901&pagez=60&cfasstyle=AND&rids=d0a9b87877

• So dons BF is really cute!!

• I''m not seeing the pic.

• I cant see it either

• This link should work

  http://tinypic.com/r/2u71ymg/7

  r313

• Aww, they are a cute couple.

• Lemon is a horrible anchor. He just ended an Amy Winehouse story with "Get it together, girl."

• Well I agree with that R319. He has a very odd style of anchoring. Very off-putting.

• Well she does need to get it together.

• Don''t BF is a cutie. Don is 45 and I wonder how much age difference there is. Anyone know how old Ben Tinker is?

• Sorry R319, but if Don really said that, it''s kinda funny.

• [quote]Sorry, but if Don really said that, it''s kinda funny.%0D\ %0D\ Why are you sorry? Do you have self-esteem problems?%0D\ %0D

• I for one am glad that Don is officially out. He has now has license to ask people if they have gay friends and make even more bitchy comments on air like r319.

• We still don''t know the age difference? I''m guessing at least 10 years.

• So nobody knows how old Ben Tinker is?

• I saw Don interviewing Joe Jackson yesterday. Don is as aggressive and combative as Jackson and I could tell he wanted to tell Jackson off during the interview, but he sort of kept his cool.

• r328, I just watched the interview. This is why I like Don, he is not afraid to ask something at the risk of being abrasive. He sees right through people''s bullshit and you can tell when he''s had enough.

  http://newsroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/06/26/father-still-coming-to-terms-with-michael-jacksons-death/?iref=allsearch

• Don is very assertive and good at shutting people down.

• R330, isn''t shutting people down counter-productive in an interview? He''s not supposed to be engaged in a debate with them, he''s supposed to be eliciting information from them.

• I just got Don''s book from the library and its not that good. He constantly talks about race. Its ridiculous. And the chapter titles are stupid. They''re all "A Lesson in ______". Maybe it will get better the further I get into it.

• r332 I think Don felt obligated to write about race since there are few out gay black men in the business. His feelings about the color of his skin were very honest. Its almost like he was biracial growing up in Louisiana. I think Don struggled with which side to choose as a kid and it probably left him a little damaged as an adult.\ \ The book was disappointing because he doesnt talk very much about being gay, outside of being a gay anchor in the media.

• He DOES seem damaged and maybe a bit thin skinned and touchy.

• Enough already. We know it. Why continue a thread like this? He''s great and cute. Let it rest. MOOOOOOOve on bitches. Schpattch! Buy bye////

• Excuse you, Miss r335. We will continue this thread as long as Anderson Cooper (who is STILL not out btw) has 3000 threads on DL.\ \ Anyway, someone at the Atlanta Post did NOT like Don''s take on light skinned black anchors in the media. I bet they wouldn''t say it to his face though, unless they want to get cut!

  http://atlantapost.com/2011/06/29/who-is-responsible-for-fighting-colorism/

  Carole Simpson

• I''m sure Don knows all about why African-American anchors are predominantly light-skinned, but he has to be careful about what he says.\ \ Here''s a good interview with Don on Black Enterprise.

  http://www.blackenterprise.com/2011/07/01/watch-don-lemon-on-coming-out-and-being-transparent-in-the-black-community/

• Anybody else read Don''s book?

• Don is wearing a checkered shirt that looks like a picnic table on CNN right now. How festive!%0D\ %0D\ His face looks thin, I hope he gets to eat this weekend!

• R332 here. The book gets a little better the more you get into it, but its still not all that great. I recommend getting it from the library if you''re interested in reading it. I found it odd that there were no acknowledgments. At least Anderson had acknowledgments in his book. I think acknowledgments are a nice thing to put in your book.

• Don only acknowlegdes himself, ok?

  You better ask somebody

• So. What has Don been up to lately? Shutting more people down on air?

• He''s been a CNN filler. Today he was on from 3-5 and he hosted In The Arena on Mon and Tues. I think it''s interesting that he''s a 45 year old, black, southern gentleman from the Baptist faith, and his partner is a 30 year old, white, jewish guy from upstate NY. Don mentioned that Ben was Jewish in an interview. Its like Don entered "Opposite Me in Every Way" on Match.com and Ben''s profile appeared. I wonder who the top is and who the bottom is?

  A. Cooper

• I sure hope CNN doesn''t put him on the early morning show to replace Kiran Chetry when she leaves.\ \ I already have to lunge for the remote & change the channel when that show ends & Kyra Phillips looms.\ \ But when I first wake up, CNN is the only channel with news -- if I were to find Don Lemon simpering at me then, it could blight my whole day.

• God will have answered my prayers if I could wake up with Don''s frienly face on CNN every morning, shutting down each one of his unsuspecting guests!

• Don is kind of obnoxious, but he looked really good today.

• Don does look sexy today! I iwsh he''d post more "everyday" pics of himself on twitter. Tired of the suits.

  R. Maddow

• photo link of Ben Tinker please (Is he of the Grant Tinker clan?)

• still want a Ben photo!

• This is the only decent pic of his boyfriend

  http://renwl.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/donlemonswhiteman.jpg

• Well r319. What do you have to say for yourself?

  Don, keepin it real on CNN

• Fine ass

  Yes ma''am!

• Poor Don went into full Mary mode over Jon Stewart''s piece about him on TDS.\ \ [italic]donlemoncnn Don Lemon\ Expected @colbertnation cause I taped a seg w/him. Didn''t expect @TheDailyShow. I think it was funny?? Kinda? Oy, I''m in trouble.\ \ @donnabrazile yikes Donna. Yikes!\ \ Had to leave room. Can''t bring myself to watch entire skit on @TheDailyShow.\ \ @AboutThePeople @thedailyshow why didn''t u warn me. Was watching w a friend. Had to leave the room.\ \ OMG.[/italic]

• Don is botoxed to within an inch of his life!

  Nicole Kidman

• Sounds like Don''s sick of Anderson Cooper getting all of the attention at CNN and wants to have a more prominent role. There were rumors about Anderson''s colleagues being resentful and jealous of his star status there and I think Don might''ve been one of them. He''s promoting himself more now.

  http://www.businessinsider.com/don-lemon-anderson-cooper-daily-show-2011-8?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+businessinsider+(Business+Insider)

• Oh dear.\ \ [quote]Obviously I prefer CNN. But there are some really great journalists at fox, and you have to admit that their hosts do great TV. No comment on the fair and balanced part.

  http://www.mediaite.com/online/cable-news-it-boy-don-lemon-takes-questions-on-social-news-site-reddit/

• I read on the blog ''all things cnn'' that maybe Lemon wants a primetime gig on CNN and not just do weekends.\ From the r356 quote, he would probably go to FOX if they give him a better show/time-slot.

• The sooner the better.

• He had the best week last week with both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert doing bits on him. His Q rating went up a couple of points. His Twitter feed blew up after the Jon Stewart skit.

  http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-july-26-2011/cnn-anchor-don-lemon-appears-not-to-care-for-cnn

• Its only a matter of time before Don disses Anderson right on air.

  You know he''ll do it.

• I have always thought for a long time that Anderson hated Don and that Don felt like he should be the real star on CNN.

• Maybe so, R360. He''s unprofessional enough to do something childish like that. Reminds me of Rick Sanchez, & I hope the same thing happens to him.

• Anderson would never do an interview like the one Don did @ the link on R365. Don says whatever he thinks and Anderson carries around a script and talking points and he can''t break out of that. Don might get himself in trouble at some point, but he is bold and refreshing because he''s unscripted and speaks his mind. Anderson is rigid and uptight and afraid to make waves.

• Don can have the 10pm spot on CNN.

• He will be covering for Joy Behar ... here is an interview.

  http://www.allthingscnn.com/2011/08/for-all-you-don-lemon-fans.html

• The big boss at CNN, Jim Walton, doesn''t think that black reporters have the gravitas to be major anchors there. Don won''t get the top slot at 10 as long as Walton''s the boss.

• It''s going to be a repeat of Anderson''s show @ 10pm.\ \ Don will stay with all of the other black anchors, the weekends!

  TJ, and Fredricka

• r363, Don was taken off the air in Chicago for the same kind of stuff he has been doing lately, letting his attitude show through while in front of the camera and being a bitch behind it. I actually love it when he queens out, but a lot of people just dont get him. Im glad Jon Stewart does.

• CNN believes that people won''t watch black anchors in prime-time.

• Do Don and Ben ever double date with Anderson and Ben?

• r370 I have a feeling if Don was in the same room with Anderson the Bens would be breaking up the bitch fight.

• LOL R371, you''re probably right.

• Don will be covering the results of the straw poll in Iowa with Candy Crowley. He is becoming more and more visible on CNN, I think.

  http://www.allthingscnn.com/2011/08/cnn-from-iowa-this-weekend.html

• The longer Cooper stays in the glass closet, the more I appreciate Don Lemon for coming out.

• Cooper may be coming out soon too.

• Don gets shoved by Marcus Bachmann!

  http://www.towleroad.com/2011/08/marcus-bachmann-shoves-cnn-anchor-don-lemon.html

• I think that Don and Candy Crowley, are DRUNK!

• Don looked quite sexy today.

• A new marriage dilemma\ By Don Lemon

  http://www.cnn.com/2011/08/23/living/marriage-dilemma/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

• You''d never get something like this out of Anderson - Don''s marriage dilemma.

  http://www.cnn.com/2011/08/23/living/marriage-dilemma/

• Such a famewhore!\ \ And was he outing DiCaprio?

• Wow, I didn''t see R379''s link at all before I posted mine, sorry about that.

  R380

• Will Don be one of Anderson''s guests on National Coming Out Day?

• Doubt it R383, they don''t like each other.

• Guys, he''s guest hosting Joy Behar''s show all this week!

• I think it was yesterday when I was channel surfing and I came across his interview with Chaz Bono. Chaz was getting a little testy with him for asking "Transgender 101" questions, and Lemon remained unswayed, saying that a lot of the viewers out there are curious about the very things he''s asking.%0D\ %0D\ At one point, Lemon asked Chaz what his mother''s reaction has been to the change, and Chaz basically responded something along the lines of "Why don''t you go ask her yourself."

• Chaz is a nasty bitch just like her mom, but so is Don for that matter.

• Don''s at some conference and he said that he doesn''t know if Anderson Cooper is gay, but that he laughs like a girl. He knows he''s gay.

• r363 Anderson was more carefree about what he said and how he said it years ago before he was so heavily scrutinized and before he was given the responsibility of being poster boy for the network.%0D %0D Don obviously tries to be diplomatic and he'll probably be working harder at that and becoming more careful as he gets more experience from all the media interviews he's doing and the increased coverage of him. He'll be waiting until he's sure he's out of ear shot now to ask his PR person if he danced around enough in his answer to a question, instead of making the mistake and doing a red faced blog afterwards to try to clean it up. He'll be more careful with his phrasing so it can't be turned around to bite him like it has already a few times. If he does a lot of high profile interviews over years like Anderson where he gets asked the same questions frequently he'll also end up with some repetitive answers, most famous people do because the answer to a question is the answer and because they've become more skilled at ensuring the appropriate message is sent, promoting their network or project effectively, and avoiding being screwed over by interviewers. %0D %0D You can't know what someone will never do. A year ago when Don was 44 like Anderson people could have predicted that Don would never come out, never talk about his boyfriend, never be promoting himself like all over the place and saying he'd be interested in working for FOX News.

• [quote] There were rumors about Anderson's colleagues being resentful and jealous of his star status there and I think Don might've been one of them.%0D %0D You mean the Wrap article. That was one CNN on air personality intentionally telling the Wrap about small minded jealousy "that Anderson Cooper sucked up resources by going to Haiti and the Gulf of Mexico, leaving them unable to build their profiles at the network" and claiming AC was likely about to leave the network. It was pretty obviously Rick Sanchez, eager to make waves. It wasn't long after that Sanchez was exploding with resentment and frustrated ambition over everything, making it an ethnic issue and attacking jewish media control as holding him back. %0D %0D The other CNN major personalities were involved in the BP and Haiti coverage and benefited from it, they wouldn't have reason to be resentful. One would hope they were also big enough people to see they were important stories deserving coverage. Don looked into the coverage of those stories and he wasn't a major personality at CNN. If Anderson consumed less resources the surplus would get sucked up by more of Soledad and Sanjay's specials and any left overs would go to some bigger personality like Sanchez before Don, and Don would know that. %0D

• [quote]He''ll be more careful with his phrasing so it can''t be turned around to bite him like it has already a few times.\ \ I dont think so. As Don sits at CNN, weekend after weekend, year after year, he is becoming more resentful. And it his not in his nature to keep his mouth shut, he is a diva!

• An evening weekend anchoring gig on a national network is nothing shabby. You can bet there are a lot of people working at CNN who would love to take his spot.

• I think R391 is right. I think he resents not being in Anderson''s position at CNN. Especially since Anderson doesn''t get great ratings, why does he get the special treatment?

• r393 I''m sure lots of people at CNN and outside of CNN would like Anderson''s position just like lots of them would like Don''s. Tough shit, there''s only so many positions like that to go around. Don doesn''t bring in fabulous ratings, people could ask what makes him special enough to get the weekend job instead of them. %0D\ %0D\ Anderson gets the best ratings in CNN''s prime time line up, he''s a very high profile personality in news, and he generally has likability and public goodwill. He''s about to become more high profile with a talk show. He''s been creative about making opportunities for himself and increasing his value. CNN''s bread and butter is event news, and he''s strong at it and known for that. He''s experienced, hardy and enthusiastic about location work, unlike Don who cried loudly over getting elbowed by doughy Marcus Bachmann after thrusting himself in his path at a fair.

• [quote]He''s experienced, hardy and enthusiastic about location work, unlike Don who cried loudly over getting elbowed by doughy Marcus Bachmann after thrusting himself in his path at a fair.\ \ Don is more approachable than Anderson. He was the only reporter that Sarah Palin paid any attention to at the straw poll in which he got pushed by Marcus Bachmann. Anyone who Don interviews knows they can leave the bullshit at the door. He has also broken down some criminals. Anderson is becoming a news caricature that is flown out to disaster zones with body bags.

• Mr. Lemon looks great in his raincoat. Yellow is his color, honey!

• Here''s a good article about Don going on a date with that former Queerty guy David Hauslaib. It''s for charity though, they both have bf''s.

  http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/how-much-would-you-pay-for-a-date-with-don-lemon_b83155#more-83155

• "Anderson is becoming a news caricature that is flown out to disaster zones with body bags."%0D\ %0D\ Very accurate description.%0D

• Lemon is 45.%0D\ %0D\ His partner, CNN producer Ben Tinker, is 26.%0D\ %0D\ Commitment issues, Don?%0D\ %0D\ Your partner is young enough to be your SON.

  Thomas Roberts

• Too bad Cooper is too ashamed to admit that he''s gay.

• How does one become a producer at CNN at age 26?

• Put out for an anchorman, obviously...

• Ben is really 26? That is a big age gap... But then again look at CZJ and michael.... The heart wants what it wants

  Babs Walters

• lol r4o2

• Don thinks Anderson is lame! [quote]I have to be honest, I haven't really seen the segment. I watch the show but I haven't caught the segment. Sometimes his show is on in the background when I’m getting ready for bed etc. So I don't get a chance to watch it from start to finish

  http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-08-02/entertainment/29989069_1_cnn-segment-show

• Don who?

  Anderson%20

• Don...you know Don...the Black CNN news anchor who is honest about being a gay man. Yeah, Black and gay at the same time man. Who would've guessed you can be both???

  Nod%20Nomel

• Sounds like Don may leave CNN when his contract is up.

  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/don-lemon-on-cnn-i-think-_n_1165587.html%3Fref%3Dmedia

• Or he'll be fired, because CNN doesn't like their employees speaking up or out about anything.

• This is a good article on Don from the Don & Justin Lance Black thread. He is just like I imagined he would be, a diva that wakes up at noon. CNN is lame for confining him to the weekend. I personally would tune in during the week just to hear his bitchy asides. They are about the only interesting thing on CNN.

  http://clatl.com/gyrobase/can-don-lemon-set-cnn-straight/Content%3Foid%3D4435878%26showFullText%3Dtrue

• Now that TJ is gone, is he the only black guy left? You know he is dying to take Wolf or Anderson place.

• Petty much, R411. They have Joe Johns, Chris Lawrence, and Jason Carroll. But I would consider those three to be second tier anchors. And I don't like any of them besides Lawrence.

• There's also another African American reporter on CNN who's usually reporting from the White House, but I forgot his name.

• R413 I think you're thinking of Dan Lothian.

• Anybody know about CNN International cutie Errol Barnett?

  http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z42/Morpium-CNN/CNN%20Anchors%20And%20Correspondents%20-%202010/Errol%20Barnett/EB0501111.jpg

• Why dont we talk about Don more? Is he getting more air time on CNN? Is he still with his partner? Is he still bitchy on air sometimes?

• DRAMA is his middle name!

  Andy%20Cooper