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High School Actor Upstages Jodie Foster for “Coming Out” Speech of the Month
Ok. I should admit that I am of the camp that Jodie Foster did not actually “come out” at the Golden Globes. I consider her speech to have been more of a plea for privacy–perhaps even a plea that “coming out” should not have to be part of an actor’s life.
But high school senior Jacob also delivered an award speech this month that seems more timely, more culturally relevant, and more universally coherent than Foster’s. Jacob delivered an acceptance speech to over 300 of his classmates for the award of “Class Actor.” And in the process of doing so, highlighted the implicit connection between acting/performance and LGBT identity.
“Straight Jacob” had been the performance of his lifetime–and apparently he believes that it is now time for a different role. Perhaps what is most significant is the fact that he has left his new role relatively undefined. He comes out not as gay but as LGBT.
He may have abandoned his old, “straight” role, but he has left the new one open for discovery–which speaks not only to his bravery (as his father proudly mentions) but to his intelligence for not leaping straight from one label to the next. He’s been typecast long enough.
