The Greatest Love Of All: On What Really Killed Whitney Houston and the Mainstream Media’s Coverup of the Star’s Sexuality

Oh, shit.

Too late!

No secret to the public, we knew she was a twisted sister.

lol, another Whitney thread. That dyke-hating, high-strung piece of shit from that other thread will have a meltdown.

Whoa! she was even implying Oprah is gay!

This was a really interesting read. A commenter mentioned how Whitney and Robyn went to a club called the Dutchess. I think I read that on here somewhere.

"It takes a lot of energy to stay closeted and most of us can only imagine what this felt like under the glare of fame as large as Whitney’s. Here’s what I do know: Robyn was real, she was around for years and they were definitely together. I also know that Arista Records and, indeed, the record business in general, was a homophobic place to be. In fact, after nine or ten months literally working on the floor, I was “fired” by a homophobic executive with the initials K.A. who didn’t like fags, even ones who worked five days a week for free. The label needed to contain Whitney’s open secret, especially as it was grooming her for a film career, a process which necessitated a husband. Exit Miss Crawford. Enter Mr. Brown."

The woman was surrounded by toxic people at home and at Artista. It appears that the only one who wasn't was Robyn.

Funny - I went for a walk this morning with a friend/neighbour - switched on urban professional mother in her mid forties - and the subject of Whitney came up. She had no clue about Whitney being bi/gay...

I guess people in the burbs didn't think about it much - especially after Whitney married and had a kid.

I first heard the rumors bout her sexuality back in the late eighties. She was touring Australia, and a straight male buddy's girlfriend was often getting gigs with a tour-promoter as chef-to-the-stars. She worked the Whitney tour, and told her boyfriend (and probably other close friends) that Whitney a) would only sat her bare feet upon white towels and so her dressing room had to have abundant white cotton towels on the floor and b) she was traveling with her partner - who was female - so yeah - she was a lesbian. Remember being surprised at the time cos I just hadn't got that vibe from the Whitney clips and marketing machine - but the chef was on the scene and her gossip always reliable. Was more shocked by her marriage later to Brown - but then saw the trainwreck her life became - and more than once wondered - like the author of the linked article from OP - if living in the closet and being under such pressure to be something other than herself contributed much to what became of her.

I also wonder who was the real Whitney. She was so poised at the beginning of her career and a wreck in the latter part of her career. I don't think she was prim but I also don't think she was rough and ghetto. A lot of her behavior could've been the drugs. I am amazed that she and Robyn were so open with their affection.

I like that blogger, David Munk. Thanks, OP.

well written

That was a great read.

this totally lines up with what I heard in the late 80s, that whitney was lez, everyone in the biz knew it, and she was inching her way out of the closet.

It's clear that she had a TON of pressure on her.

Too bad this isn't an open enough 'secret' that it could be used to spotlight the effect of the hatred toward gay people in our society and what it actually does to those who are hated or feel like that have to hide in order to escape the attacks they know will come.

I wonder if a book will come out along these lines?

A book may come put but I doubt Robyn will write it.

I love Munk's observations on how coke-fueled Arista was and how they payola'd Whitney to chart topping history.

Did Arista pressure her to stay in the closet because of the Bodyguard? It sounds like Whitney was somewhat open about her sexuality.

She was more open before the Bodyguard r18. The Bodyguard years were when the coke use escalated, according to the oprah interview.

I bet when she was only a music superstar, her gayness was tolerated to some degree. Pop music is one thing. But once she became a movie star, the lesbian rumors had to be squelched for box office.

It seems like Whitney's life started to decline after the Bodyguard. I wonder if the cast and crew of Preacher's Wife knew she was using daily.

R20, I think I remember reading somewhere that she didn't hang out much with the casts of her movies. Just sulked around her trailer with Robyn and her bodyguard. The cast and crew could probably guess she was using, even if they couldn't be sure of it.

its stories and threads like this of the famous and non-famous that give me the courage to live my life as an honest gay man. it is not healthy to be afraid of others opinions and reactions (this includes family.) its possible to live with dignity and honesty without shame. even if you choose to live in the closet, i feel you need to at least find a healthy way to accept you're gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. there should not be any shame if you haven't yet figured out your sexual orientation (that's your business.)

no one is perfect (this includes those who have the nerve to judge others.) live your life as freely as you have the courage to do. please remember: its your life.

RIP Whitney and all others who "broke" in some way due to not being able to be their true selves for whatever reason. as a side note: Sadly, i think most of Whitney's family enabled her greatly because of their greed and the lifestyle that went along with being in her life. Whitney had to be aware of this fact. i'm sure it did not give her joy. i don't trust Pat Huston/her sister in law and manager at all! i hope someone will honestly look out for Bobbi Kristina. Pat Huston and her husband Gary don't seem like honest people.

amen

[quote]A commenter mentioned how Whitney and Robyn went to a club called the Dutchess.

She and Robyn also used to go to that one lesbian dance bar on Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood - it was around in the late 1980s, early 1990s. It was on the south side of the boulevard, between San Vicente and La Cienega. Don't remember the name.

The question I have from this is about Oprah. I believe the blogger, but has anyone seen Oprah in similar situations as they saw Whitney before she was put in the closet?

Jeez, and Whitney was such a lousy nothing actress...all of this crap for a movie.

Bullshit.

Completely agree with your post, R22.

R18 and R19, I really don't think she was pushed deeper into the closet and into a marriage because of the Bodyguard. It was simply an issue of age.

A 20-something year-old straight girl living with her best friend, with no real relationships with men? Somewhat believable. A 30-year-old straight woman who STILL has no man, and STILL shares her life with her "roommate"? Not so much. She was pushing 30, and had 6 or 7 years of constant gay rumors behind her. It was simply her time to beard up. Nothing specifically to do with the movie.

I'd heard about Robyn from the late 80s as a kid in the midwest. I was talking to a friend recently and she told me a story about a relative delivering a pizza to Whitney on tour. He walked in on Whitney and Robyn making out. So she wasn't very secretive about it at first.

The truth will never come out now because the family is so invested in the lie and the income it continues to generate.

On the other hand, these quotes kinda make me think Whitney herself wanted to go the ex-gay route.

On Robyn:

"She's my best friend, who knows me better than any woman has known me. But by the time I met Bobby, Robyn and I had had enough time together and our relationship had changed from friendship to more of an employer-employee arrangement." Crawford, Houston adds, no longer lives with her "but in her own place, which is about 30 minutes from me."

On her marriage to Bobby:

"As for her marriage to Brown, Houston, who had previously been linked with Arsenio Hall and Eddie Murphy, says it came about "because after a while I wanted a man, and he is the first man that I considered a friend." She also says: "Women are supposed to have husbands. We are validated by that, and we validate ourselves that way."

These quotes are so bizarre that when I first read them, I thought there was no way they were authentic. I thought there was no way she'd say this to the press. "We had had enough time together", "but after a while I wanted a man", "we are validated by that"... Who says crap like that about their best friend and about their marriage?

Someone who is being pressured by her PR people to make sure to deny she's gay, r31.

David Munk is that disastrous queen from the Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys Show. Urf.

agree, R32.

>>>As for her marriage to Brown, Houston, who had previously been linked with Arsenio Hall and Eddie Murphy

She linked herself to Murphy, there was no dating reported on in the press.

Arsenio Hall???? LOL.

R32, her PR people were obviously doing a lousy job of preparing her for interviews. That interview reads just like an ex-gay leaflet to me.

BOTH eddie and arsenio are on the down low....

Of course the truth will come out. In fact, I imagine that even at this moment, friends and relatives of Whitney's are contacting publishers about writing the first "tell all" bio. And in less than five years, Robyn will probably have written her own version of the story "because there have been so many lies and the truth needs to be told."

Of course by then few people will really care and many others won't believe the books anyway.

The Eddie/Whitney rumors were reported in the press at the time. They even appeared together on Arsenio. Never heard about Whitney and Arsenio though. I heard about Paula Abdul and Arsenio.

Whitney was also linked with Michael Jordan and (hold on to your hats) NY anchor Sue Simmons.

It was even reported in the gossip columns during that time that Robert De Niro was trying to hook up with Whitney. He was buying her all kinds of expensive shit, but she was having none of it, and returned all the gifts.

Whitney gave very bizarre answers in r31's link.

People of a certain age remember who she was sitting on the precipice of super stardom right after The Bodyguard. She was going to be HUGE. She was our generations Babs or Judy. THAT was electrifying to watch.

When she didn't make it and devolved into drugs and violence, the reasons weren't important. The tragic loss of talent and wasted career was all anybody thought about.

I grew up in the stick and I knew Whitney was gay. I have no idea how we knew this, but it was common knowledge. Like the lead singer of Judas Priest.

Her team misplayed this. We were enamored of her talent. Nobody cared about her sex life. She would have been fine.

Natalie Cole told Dr. Drew that Whitney was a people pleaser and worried what people thought of her.

[quote]Her team misplayed this. We were enamored of her talent. Nobody cared about her sex life. She would have been fine.

Were you not around in the mid to late 80s or the early 90s? No one around at that time could type that with a straight (pun intended) face.

I mean, really, wasn't Elton John still "straight" back then?

Her team still didn't have push and pressure her as much r43.

whitney.was.not.good.in.movies

Good points R22 and R29.

R31, That interview was outlandish to say the least.

Why didn't anyone coach her for interviews? She sounds ridiculous.

whitney was better in movies than madonna.

Ok... I have been trying to join this website for a long time now. I am really wanting to talk about Robyn Crawford and Whitney. I have been obsessed with this.

Will this post?

Can anyone please send me info on how to join/subscribe/sign up to this site?

Thanks.

There is a website, but I would like to ask if you are male or female?

What website?

been trying to respond for days.. keep getting the... prime time hours.. pay us now if you want to get on message. frustrating. i am surprised that someone asked me about my gender? does it really matter? for the record i am a 50 year old woman who has adored whitney my entire adult life. i am torn up about her death. i cannot stop thinking about robyn and wanting to know more about their relationship there seem to be many people here who have stories/interactions/information about this. is there a way to join this list that does NOT involve using my credit card? i have had bad experiences with this online in the past. i hesitate to leave my email address here, well, you know why. i think being able to discuss this with other gays and lesbians would be very healing for me. please provide more info... i think i am able to read, but not always ab le to respond. thanks in advance.

- jaay

oh dear, I think we have a new winner here.

jaay..if you are real, just pay the $18. I haven't had any negative ramifications from doing so.

This website is not "healing" it is a bitchy, bare-knuckled, bare-assed, sometimes boring place.

That is the risk you take...not the credit card thing.

And don't tell anyone you are female again.

ok then perhaps someone would be kind enough to give me other websites where people are discussing the whitney houston robyn crawford relationship

thanks in advance

Jaay, I think there's a really good discussion going on over at Lemonparty.org

What self-respecting lesbian would want her? Self-loathing, conflicted, hopeless addict.

R.I.P., Whitney. Hope your sad life can at least serve as a cautionary tale.

Thoughtfully written article and seemingly very authentic.

She and Robyn were definitely lovers in the 80s according to my partner at the time who sold Tony Chace growns to them.

Women are more fluid than men sexually in my opinion. On the other hand she most certainly could be mostly one way (gay). And she was up against powerful homophobic forces- the pop record industry, and the black church. Let's face it- she was perhaps not strong enough to be herself, to chart an authentic direction for her career- like Barbra, like Madonna. Barbra had the instinct to know that her great talent and self belief would come out on top. Also she is heterosexual- but she was hardly leading lady looks material and she succeeded to become the leading lady of her generation, as suited her.

Whitney did not have the strength of personality. Perhaps her drug and alcohol addictions were her way of saying fuck you to everyone- only she did not know that she was mostly fucking herself- or perhaps she did at some point when it was too late.

It's a sad story. So much talent wasted. Her music catalogue is not 1/5 of Franklin's or Streisand's the only two with gifts equal to hers. Barbra seems to me the strongest of the three. Aretha has just barely hung on, and we know how she acted out.

thanks for the lemon party fucktard

charlie, thank you for the letter. it is nice to know that others actually gave a shit about this woman and her struggles, who are better able to remember the immense talent she had over her grave struggles with addiction

Lemonparty.org link NSFW.

Make sure to FF that person.

Re:Whitney, I also knew someone in the early 90s who was doing an internship with a PR/promo company that worked with Arista. She said whitney was gay, everyone knew it, everyone knew Robyn was her GF. I was skeptical, until the I'm Your Baby Tonight video came out.

My guess is she got pressured around the time of the Bodyguard to go back in the closet. Probably from the record co. The rumors started to spill over from insiders to the general public. I wonder if she had come out how much it really would have cost her. Probably not as much as being closeted and becoming a drug addict. RIP nippy.

Thanks for your post re: WHitney. All of us in the gay community in Toronto in the 80s heard about Robyn too. It has only been since her death that I really started to research this. That, and I am home with an injury and have a LOT of time on my hands.

I am sure there are endless resources I have yet to discover.

My heart breaks thinking about her inner conflict.

I got into a verbal spat over this with someone on another forum who claimed that the gay community was trying to exploit her death. Then another poster accused me of trying to push my "Agenda" which infuriated me even further.

The administrator of the forum sided with them, so I told the administrator where he could put his forum and left. And this was not a Republican/religious forum by any means.

My oldest friend was infuriated when I posted Robyn's letter on my Facebook account. She wrote, "Shame on you". Fairly incredible, given our history as friends and her apparent acceptance of me and the gay community.

It is so sad that people get so upset about the notion that Whitney loved another woman for many MANY years.

To the LSA font, get over it.

Poster #64 here. #62, that message was for you.

Hey! That's written by David, the guy who was on that Logo show, Girls who Like Boys who Like Boys--I loved his cross dressing as an Edith Bunker look-alike.

Psyched to see his blog and his writing.

I don't think Whitney was driven to addiction because she couldn't live as a lesbian. She was already heavily into drugs when she was with Robin. Addicts are addicts because they are addicts. I think to say that her closet status is what killed her is simplistic. If she had stayed with Robin she may have gone more deeply into drugs because she had the money and she could. She could still live a lesbian life and not be able to stand herself.

ok. she didnt use drugs because she was so sad she couldnt come out. she used them because of the fact that to be in the music business she had to worship satan. that is all.

Number 67, wrong. She always did drugs. But she got heavily into drugs around the Body Guard. That's the same time she got married to BB. Looking at the ugly little man caused her to turn to the pipe.

Who could blame her?

Whitney told Oprah that she abused drugs daily during the Preacher's Wife.

The only time I found her likeable was in "Waiting To Exhale".

why can i not find the whitney video that has her on the back of the motorcycle with robyn????? can anybody lead me there?

It's the I'm Your Baby Tonight video.

Thanks re: I'm Your Baby.... It's only on the European Version though.. Interesting

Bullshit R67.

Addicts are addicts because they are running from themselves, from something they've been taught is a terrible thing.

[quote]who claimed that the gay community was trying to exploit her death.

[quote]Then another poster accused me of trying to push my "Agenda"

They're right! You're also getting off on the whole tortured closeted bullshit. Being a professional victim, by proxy, in this case, is the only that thing makes many of you wet.

She wasn't a lesbian not even close!

Being forced into the closet and being made to dump her long term gf might have started her on the road to drugs and self-destruction, but as for who killed her, by being a synchphant and drug supplier is Raffles van Exel

[r76] You're delusional. I was there. Yes, she most certainly was. Monk's post is 100% on the money. In reality Whitney was closeted and tortured. Wake up and smell the homophobia, internal and external.

what do you mean you were there???

Cissy is shopping a book and could get 7 figures for it.

[quote]Whitney told Oprah that she abused drugs daily during the Preacher's Wife.

How could she abuse drugs and still have her voice sound the way it did in the mid to late nineties? The mind just boggles. That album is vocally her richest most authentic studio work. It became the best selling gospel album of all time and, in places, is right up there with Aretha's Amazing Grace.

if she was gay she could have come out in the last few years. her rep was already damaged cause of her drug use, coming out would have caused the gay celebs to embrace her. what did she have to lose?

omg, i also think the preachers wife is her best album. great record, i love listening to it.

Robyn Crawford refused to speak to Vanity Fair for their Whitney story.

Did they refer to any gay rumors in the Vanity Fair article?

I don't know. They claim Ray J called Karinne Steffens and told her to tell Bobby that he screwed 2 of his women.

The Vanity Fair article did not refer to any gay rumours.

Boggles the mind.

Cissy is going to write a book. My gut tells me she will IGNORE the 20+ years that Whitney and Robyn were together. I fantasized briefly this morning that she would do the opposite, and vilify the beautiful relationship they shared.

Thoughts?

Whitney's entire family is doing a reality show on Lifetime. Even Cissy will be on there!

There must be someone that will write about it.

cissy's book will probably also ignore the drug use by her daughter. i guess miss cissy needs the money going on pat's reality show. what a bunch of lowlifes. no wonder whitney needed drugs, with a family like that.

Whitney was a crack ho, simple and plain.

It's a pity she wasn't poor coz she'd be alive today as she couldn't afford drugs.

You start with crack (or cocaine, black people think all cocaine is crack) and move on to other drugs. In her case, doctor hop.

Bottom line the bitch was such a loser she couldn't sober long enough to take a bath

no, r91, poor addicts often resort to prostitution, and end up dead or in jail. They don't live longer because they have no money to buy drugs and therefore stop. They start committing crimes in order to get their fix.

r87: The fact that NO gay rumours were mentioned in the VANITY FAIR article (I assume it was looked at by the family before publication) tells you Cissy will completely whitewash Whitney's lesbianism .

R87, 'vilify' the word, subject, is bad. The sound of it, though, is good.

Look, the best thing that can happen now is Todd Haines shoots a thinly veiled, ice cold, coked out biopic - about Whitney and Robyn, with the family as evil forces. And extremely well lit cunnilingus scenes. Not HBO. Cinema.

i'm sure her greedy family had no say over the vanity fair article. cissy is as greedy as pat,no wonder whitney was destroyed. she should have stayed with robyn, screw her piece of crap family.

[quote]Robyn Crawford refused to speak to Vanity Fair for their Whitney story.

You have to give Robyn credit - she's a loyal person. You can't say she's a famewhore or accuse her of kissing and telling. They must have had something really special for her to still keep Whitney's secret even now.

The reality show will be a trainwreck. Pat Houston claims she was working on a reality show for herself prior to Whitney's death.

Will the theme-tune be one of Cissy's forthcoming hits?

It's a shame that auntie Dionne won't be in it, being as she feels watched twenty-four hours a day.

[quote] the preachers wife

Sounds very 1950's

no one knew who pat houston was before whitney's death; there was no interest in it then. hell, there was no interest in whitney until she died. pat's goal is money since whitney can no longer give her or gary any money, and to get fame for their untalented daughter. i guess cissy needs money too, now that her daughter is dead. but shame on her for doing it.

YES, gay rumors were referenced in the VF article, you idiots!

Gay rumours in vanity fair?!?!?!

I say SHAME on them all for the upcoming reality show. WHo really gives a shit? WHitney is gone.. They are all broke now that her cheques have stopped.. Cannot stand any of 'em really.... But I feel sad for Bobbi Kristina 'cause they were so close. Whether or not she has any talent remains to be seen.

Fukken eh.. I wonder if we will EVER know the REAL story of Robyn and Whitney?

why would anyone care to watch pat houston? another leech attached to the barnacle that was whitney houston.

Why would Cissy agree to this?

ka-ching

Corporate labels stlll suck.

@105 cause whitney isn't around to give her any money and whitney didn't leave her anything in her will.

Jesus Christ. I just had a horrible vision.

What if some lowlife producers out there decide to hold a competition to find the next Whitney? They put Cissy on the panel of judges as a mentor, bring Clive in for guidance, and contestants do duets with Whitney's favorite duet partners?

Call it "The Mantle" or some pseudo-religious bullshit about carrying on the legend . . .

America is THAT tacky now. It would be a hit.

ka-ching is right

shame on them all

as if whitney didn't take care of them well enough for SO LONG?!

get a REAL JOB

Her mom's bigotry lead to her using, so it's no wonder she wasn't in the will.

I won't be participating in this show because I'm incapacitated by severe leg spasms. Besides I'm busy working on an album of duets with my son Kecalf. We're calling it "Gospel meets Rap".

Cissy and Whitney dueting

Robyn 'bout a dumb bitch then because Whitney was fucking men out of both drawer legs. What was Robyn doing? Licking up all that man residue?

29 Jermaine Jackson was banging the hell out of Whitney for 2 years and he was married and she was hoping he would leave his wife. That's why she didn't seem to be dating anybody from 1984-86. Whitney dated or hooked up with Blair Underwood, restaurateur Brad Johnson, Daryl Strawberry, and had a three year off and on relationship with Eddie Murphy's tranny loving ass. She was seeing Murphy and Bobby Brown at the same time. After the divorce she got her a boy toy named Ray J. Whitney liked dick too much to be a dyke. Who knows maybe she let thirsty Robyn lick it occasionally when nobody else was around.

The only way Whitney Houston was having sex with Eddie Murphy was if she had a real penis, not just a strap on.

116 bitch Eddie might like girlie boys but he likes pussy to, there are men who like both. he wouldn't have 9 children by 5 women if he was so repulsed by 'gina.

Thirsty mofos acting like out gays are never addicted to drugs and alcohol! Whitney has two heterosexual brothers who are also addicts. The down low relationship Whitney had was with married Jermaine Jackson which they both acknowledged years later. Whitney's relationship with Eddie Murphy was widely reported in the press and he gave her a 5 carat ring for her birthday. She tried to use Randall Cunningham to make Murphy jealous. If she had kept Robyn hidden your dumb asses would still accuse her of being in the closet.

R118: Are you a showbiz insider? Your posts are interesting. Can you tell us more about the private Whitney?

R115. Don't forget a jealous Bobby accused Whitney of fucking Ralph Tresvant as well. If anyone knew how much Whitney loved dick it would be Bobby.

The original blog has now disappeared. Wonder why? Sad...

I think it's interesting how, after years and years of keeping Whitney's and other's down low reputations on the up high, Clive Davis should come out and announce his bisexuality in his memoirs, just published.

zzzzzz

Hmmm...Whitney was a lesbian, we all know Madge swings both ways...for a while they hated each other, but later reconciled.

I wonder if the 2 ever hooked up.

[quote]Whitney was a lesbian

No she wasn't.

"Who knows maybe she let thirsty Robyn lick it occasionally when nobody else was around."

Please, they were inseparable. It was a real relationship.

I think we have some Homophobe trolls in here...morons google "Whitney and her girlfriend" and just drop on by. Any bisexual or gay adult recognizes that Crawford and Houston were indeed getting it on, if only for a few years. Our inside sources are much better than Frau entertainment magazines any day.

Haters, don't get us queens all riled up or you will be sorry, don't let the door hit you in the puss on the way out.

Funny how they all say, from Cissy to Clive "I don't know what went on" instead of "Oh NO she wasn't!"

Long past time for homohaters to move on down the road...

R26 This.

Haters leave. Not welcome. People like you are a problem.

Everyone knows that Female Ball players always make the right moves and get their women. Crawford was no exception, and Whitney loved her.

R126 I meant R126 not 26

R120 maybe B.B. was worried about losing Ralph’s affection to Whit, rather than the other way around. Those two always did and still do fight and get jealous over each other’s time like a typical gay couple, and they’ve been tight since the playground...

This thread is dead as Whitney is. There’s no excuse for your bumping it, t132.