OREGON S GAY/LESBIAN/BI/TRANS NEWSMAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 18. 2009
47 W
PERSONALITIES
I Am q Bitch":
JO:
By NICK MATTOS
Perez Hilton just might surprise you.
Born Mario Lavandeira, the hot-button
celebrity gossip blogger behind perezhilton.
com—who made a name for himself airing
dirty laundry—has expanded his empire to
include concert promotion and a record la­
bel. H e’s one of the most polarizing figures
in the industry—but, love him or hate him,
he’s a pioneer as an openly gay man in the
media. Here, he talks about his new musical
endeavors— the Perez Hilton Presents tour
hits Portland’s W onder Ballroom September
29— the controversies that have shaped his
persona, his tussle with Tyra, and why blow
jobs are better than boyfriends.
JUST OUT:
Perez Hilton Owns It - And a Year of Controversy
W hat made you decide to
mount the tour?
PEREZ HILTON:
M y love of music! It’s
something that I’ve been wanting to do for
a long time, and I’m excited that it’s finally
happening!
JO:
Anyone that you really wanted for the
tour who couldn’t participate?
PH: Lots of people, actually. It was quite
an undertaking to pull it off—coordinating
schedules, booking people who could do it
at the same time. I’m really happy with the
lineup we have, though— it’s all artists who
I’ve supported for a long tim e...
•
Does it ever get difficult,
living inside o f this thing you
created called Perez Hilton?
PH: Yes— because it makes get­
ting laid hard, and I’m a big gay!
I like getting my dick sucked just
as much as any other gay. In real
life, I’m not as loud, crazy, and
obnoxious as Perez is. In real life,
I’m actually fucking boring. All
I do is work, and when I’m not
working I go over to my friend’s
house and we play games, I go to
concerts. That’s all I do.
JO:
So much attention and ac­
tivism is given securing marriage
equality for same-sex couples. Is
this the best arena in which queer
people should devote their ef­
forts, or are there other advances
we should be focusing on?
PH: W hat I’ve learned from the
whole experience this year is that
marriage equality has nothing to
do with gay marriage. The back­
lashes and negative reactions I’ve
received around [former Miss
California Carrie Prejean, in par­
ticular] have nothing to do with
gay marriage and everything to
do with a lot of people in Amer­
ica thinking that being gay is bad, abnormal,
sinful and not worthy of equal rights. The
entire [marriage equality] debate is occurring
because people don’t perceive that we’re equal
and deserve equal rights.
JO:
You’ve come under fire for “outing” clos­
eted celebrities. W hy do you feel it’s important
for gay and lesbian celebrities to be out?
PH: I feel it’s important for gays and lesbi­
ans to be out, whether they’re public figures
or not. The more visibility we have, the easier
our quest for equality will be. However, I don’t
call what I do outing, I call it reporting— and
I’d never report on the private life o f a private
person. Celebrities, politicians, and profes­
sional athletes, on the other hand, made a
choice to live their lives in the public eye for
their careers. They need to be prepared for the
public talking about their private life.
JO:
You made an agreement
with Tyra Banks that you wouldn’t
gossip about the children of ce­
lebrities. Why?
PH: I made that agreement
because I had a moment of weak­
ness and I was on television! I’ve
broken that agreement because,
well, fuck it! I don’t care if Tyra
thinks I’m a bitch—I am a bitch,
and I own it!
JO:
H ere’s a question submitted by a Just Out
reader: why are you a role model for young
gay people?
PH: No! I would have been a role model
to myself, because I am who I am. I am un-
apologetically gay—I am very gay—and I’ve
achieved a certain level of success which I
didn’t see that many openly gay people were
attaining when I was young. So, whether I
thought I was an asshole or not, I would have
at least gotten some sort of hope that “Gosh!
That ugly, unfunny loser who’s a bad writer
could get as far as he did—well, shucks! I
could do it too!”
H S i^ ire Optical
W C G U o * 5 S and Sperated!
JO: Do you get lonely?
PH: No! Thankfully, I
moved
my family out from Miami to
Los Angeles, and have a dog. I
said I want my dick sucked, not
a boyfriend or a relationship.
Maybe I’m a bit o f a cynic, but
I definitely want a family. I put
my attention on my family, not
on a boyfriend whom you might
break up with in two months
or two years. You can’t break up
with your kids!
W hat I V0 learned from the
w hole e xp e rie n ce this pear
is that m arriage equality
has nothing to do with g ay
m arriage. The entire d eb ate
is occurring b e c a u s e p e o p le
don't p e rce iv e that we re
eq u al and d eserve eq u al
rights.
JO:
W hat have you learned about yourself
this year? •
PH: I learned a lot about life, and things I
would or wouldn’t do again in the future. Ac­
tually, I learned about myself that I need to be
more aware o f my setting. O n my website I
can do and say whatever I want, but when I’m
taken out of that context I need to be much
more careful about what I do and say.
JO:
W ill there ever be a time that you stop
being Perez Hilton?
PH: No, I love Perez Hilton. He created a lot
of opportunity for me. I loye him, and I don’t
care if other people don’t.
JO:
Anything else you’d like Just Out readers
to know?
PH: Hopefully, they can get over the fact that
I’m putting on the tour and go to the show
in Portland. ... It’s a great thing I’ve noticed
about the first few shows of the tour—there’s
a great gay turnout. I’m excited that the gays
are feeling my music tastes and enjoying the
lineup I put together!
Perez Hilton Presents: Ida Maria, Lady-
hawke, Julian Peretta, and Semi-Precious
Weapons play the Wonder Ballroom Sept. 29.
Visitperezhiltonpresents.com fo r more info.