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by Ron O'Orazio staff writer

Coming out of the closet?

This seems to be the action that many previously unknown homosexual or bisexual celebrities are taking these days. Whether it involves music, sports, movies or network television, more stars are publicly admitting their sexuality.

The trend of entertainers making public their sexuality may have started around four years ago with Amanda Bearse.

According to Dana Kennedy of "Entertainment Weekly," Bearse, who plays Marcy D'Arcy in "Married With Children," is the first lesbian actress to be open about her sexuality. Soon after came the stories of tennis star Martina Navartilova and Greg Louganis, the gold-medal Olympic diver, whose story included the fact that he is

Melissa Etheridge disclosed her relationship with video and film director Julie Cypher in 1993. Etheridge announced in August that they are expecting a baby.

This has raised another controversy, that of homosexual couples raising children. Some people believe that Etheridge should not be given adoption rights. A survey taken by ''Newsweek" reported that 47 percent of the people surveyed were against adoption of a baby by a same sex partner.

According to "Entertainment Weekly," th-e known homosexuals of the music industry include k.d. lang, Boy George and· punk band Pansy Division, who has opened for acts like Melissa Etheridge Green Day.

The network television industry has also bad some of its actors and actresses come out of the closet in the recent past. The group includes Sandra Bernhard of "Roseanne," Wilson Cruz of "My So-Called Life" and Rosie O'Donnell, host of a new talk show and a new mother.

With all of the _celebrities coming out of the closet or playing homosexual roles on prime-time shows, like Roseanne with her famous kissing scene with Mariel Hemingway, you wonder if the announcements and actions are being done to send a message or for ratings.

Some celebrities are coming out of the closet to be role models for people who feel that they are confused or ashamed of their sexuality. Others may simply be disclosing their sexuality· for exposure, ratings or money.

by Jeanne Lombardo arts and entertainment/featureseditor

Senior Jeff Orlow did not always know he was gay. "

In high school, I was the most homophobic person you would want to meet," Orlow said. "It was just a part of my own inner struggle that I was dealing with."

Orlow first realized he was attracted to other males in the seventh grade. However, it was not until his senior year of high school that he came to the conclusion be is gay.

Orlow went through a period when he thought there was something wrong with his feelings for other males. He isolated himself for fear of someone finding out. In his junior year of high sch°'?] he bad attempted suicide.

It was not until he saw a gay character portrayed in a popular TV soap opera that Orlow began to accept his sexual orientation. '"Tb.atwas the first time in my life when I had a role model who I could associate myself with and who was my own age," Orlow said.

Orlow also believes that society played a large part in his confusion during adolescence. He was taught by society that to be gay, a person had to fit into certain stereotypical roles.

"It was just always like 'there are those people' who are gay. I myself did not fit the stereotype," Orlow said. Orlow tends to be closer to his mother, while his brother is closer to their father. During his first year at Cabrini, Orlow finally decided to reveal his sexual orientation to his mother. However it was not until his sophomore year that he found out his older brother was gay also.

"I was at a gay bar downtown. I was dancing with some of my friends and I looked over my friend's shoulder and saw my brother," Orlow said.

Orlow was afraid he would lose friends and family if he was open about his sexual orientation, but when he did tell them he found it to be just the , opposite.

"

- Jeff Orlow, a senior

Everyone was very supportive of him, even one of his best friends, who happens to be male.

"I feel as a gay person that I actually have more of a fear of how other people are going to react than how they actually do," Orlow said.

Orlow has had quite a positive experience at Cabrini.

"I cannot express the amount of support that I have had here at Cabrini," Orlow said. ''Everyone has been accepting of who I am as an individual and I really value that."

Although Orlow has had positive experiences here, he does feel that a lot of the students are uneducated about homosexuality and in some cases they are even fearful.

"You can just hear it from students walking around campus," Orlow said. "People just assume that I'm straight and I will hear 'oh, that kid's a fag.' They don't know who they're talking to. You cannot judge on stereotypes."

Since his first year at Cabrini, Orlow bas stuck with his decision to live off-campus.

"I didn't want to have to live a 'closeted life' and I wanted to be who I was," Orlow said. "I felt that ifl lived qn campus, I would have to face certain pressures that I didn't want to deal with. I didn't'want anyone finding out I was gay and I didn't want to have to hide it more than I already was."

According to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, likely to attempt suicide than heterosexu suicides are completed by gay, lesbian gay, lesbian and bisexual young people isolation.

During his junior year, Orlow struggled with whether or not he wanted to admit his sexual orientation publicly. On the one hand he felt he had nothing to hide and on the other he felt that his sexual preference was not anyone's business.

"The reason why I feel people do have to know is because I have accepted myself and I know I have a place in society," Orlow said. "Certain people are still dealing with the coming out process and I feel by myself coming out I will help them."

Orlow has been responsible for most, if not all, of the gay/lesbian and bi-sexual programs that have been started at Cabrini over the past couple of years. His most recent projects have included a hotline for gay/lesbian and bisexual students. He also organized a panel discussion where relatives and friends will come together to discuss relationships. Orlow is starting another discussion group for not only the gay/lesbian and bisexual students, but straight students as well. Orlow said he does not want to exclude straight students because they mi~t also benefit from group discussions.

Gay/lesbian and bisexual students can call the hotline at 902-8790 for a reference of supportive people on campusas well as a list of upcoming events. All students are invited to attend in a panel discussion, which will be facilitated by Dr. Anne Parle,professor of social work, and Dr. Leonard Primiano, professor of religion, and will be held in the Red Qoud Coffee house on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7:30 p.m.