Yesterday, a tipster told us Jason Wu, who has been enjoying a publicity bump following Michelle Obama's appearance in one of his gowns at the inauguration, had been effectively outed to some of his extended family by his profile in the Times Sunday Styles section. Writer Eric Wilson's mention of Wu's boyfriend, Gustavo Rangel, was, we heard, the first some of his family members had heard about his sexual orientation.

Whether that's true or not, says Mr. Gabriel, his section did not "out" the designer.

During his reporting, Eric Wilson asked both Wu and his partner, Gustavo Rangel, if it was okay to mention in print that they were a couple. They both consented. (...) [I]t is wrong to leave readers with the implication made by your headline that The New York Times someone [sic] outed Jason Wu. We take this issue seriously here. We did no such thing.

It's also worth noting that Wu spoke about Michelle Obama's style and his experience designing for her to The Advocate for their issue of January 20; the piece was headlined "Michelle Goes Gay." Although Wu was not quoted discussing his sexuality with the magazine, both the text and the sub-headline referred to him as a gay designer.

There are clearly levels of in-ness and out-ness within almost any gay individual's life — especially so for anyone whose family comes from a more conservative culture, but who lives and works far away in the relatively tolerant bubble of New York City. Negotiating these levels of identity must be fraught at the best of times. Wu may even have thought it was 'safe' to speak to The Advocate, since his Taiwanese relatives wouldn't read it. But if he did give the Times positive permission to identify his and Rangel's relationship as a romantic one, then he wasn't outed — even if it's true that the news entailed some difficult family discussions. He outed himself. And good for him, because he has plenty to be proud of right now.

The Spotlight Finds Jason Wu [NY Times]
Michelle Goes Gay [Advocate]

Earlier: Did Jason Wu Inadvertently Out Himself In The New York Times?

[Image via Tricia Romano]

The first paragraph of writer Eric Wilson's glowing profile this past Sunday includes a blithe mention of Wu's boyfriend, Gustavo Rangel, who was present when Wu and a neighbor bought a Domino's pizza and sat down to watch the inauguration that would feature Michelle Obama making a dramatic entrance in one of Wu's gowns. Rangel oversees Wu's company's finances; Wilson includes at the end of the article the tidbit that Rangel is waiting for Milk actress Alison Pill to wrap up a dress fitting so he can take his boyfriend to a celebratory dinner. It's a sweet touch, but if what the tipster writes is true, Wilson's article was also the first Wu's extended family had heard of his sexual orientation.

The tipster explains that he overheard Wu saying that while his parents knew he is gay, some of his other relatives did not, and that the frank revelation has caused some awkward conversations. The tipster says the Taiwan-born designer's parents were "disappointed" their son couldn't have been more "discreet."

If true, this has to be a beyond awkward situation for Wu. Who wants to get outed, even accidentally, by the New York Times? Two years ago, Wu founded his business with money from his family; their "disappointment" would weigh heavily. Wu should be feeling on top of the world; he's young, talented, apparently happily coupled, and coming into professional success. My heart goes out to him if some in his family don't see it that way. It would be nice if this rumor wasn't true.

Other people have been outed in the media, and it must be deeply unpleasant. In October 2006, Isaiah Washington called T. R. Knight a "faggot" during an argument on the set of Grey's Anatomy; Knight wasn't commonly known to be homosexual prior to that. He later told People, "I hope being gay isn't the most interesting thing about me." And even a casual reader of Perez Hilton knows that gossip's penchant for viciously pursuing stars he perceives to be closeted. What's rare is that a publication as august as the New York Times would be the venue to have unwittingly marred Wu's moment.

The Spotlight Finds The Designer Jason Wu [NY Times]

"Brooke Smith was obviously not fired for playing a lesbian. Clearly it's not an issue as we have a lesbian character on the show – Calliope Torres. Sara Ramirez is an incredible comedic and dramatic actress and we wanted to be able to play up her magic. Unfortunately, we did not find that the magic and chemistry with Brooke's character would sustain in the long run. The impact of the Callie/Erica relationship will be felt and played out in a story for Callie. I believe it belittles the relationship to simply replace Erica with 'another lesbian.' If you'll remember, Cristina mourned the loss of Burke for a full season."

TV critics are being extremely vocal about this issue. EW's Michael Slezak writes, "Brooke Smith's Grey's Anatomy ouster is not right and not okay… Was it the lesbianism they objected to, or the fact that Dr. Hahn didn't bake muffins or decorate lockers or act generally flighty-flaky-cutesy or hook up with hot male colleagues to help her sort out her sexual orientation? Yeah, you could say I'm outraged." Melissa Silverstein from the Women & Hollywood blog says, "I loved the storyline for so many reasons, especially because neither Smith nor Ramirez were stick thin." And Mary McNamara of the LA Times offers this theory:

"I suspect what irked whoever made the call… [was] not that they were both women — good heavens, how dull — but that they were, how shall we say, average size. With hips, you know, and actual breasts. Not two girly waifs exchanging a stolen kiss or a grope in the women's room stall over a line of coke, not an androgynous club kid putting her best moves on some sitcom heroine. But two women of substance, physically and psychologically, falling in love and talking about it way too much, the way women tend to do."

Women & Hollywood's Silverstein also points out that the timing is suspect: "Remember the term from West Wing 'taking out the trash?' That's when they dump news on a day when nobody will notice. Me thinks ABC did some trash dumping last night." And it is interesting that today is the day California voters vote on Proposition 8, which seeks to outlaw gay marriage in the state. It's tough when you don't know what the network execs — or even Shonda Rhimes — are really thinking, but doesn't it seem like Grey's Anatomy missed out on an opportunity to make some truly groundbreaking television?

Exclusive: 'Grey's Anatomy' Discharges Dr. Hahn, Brooke Smith's 'Grey's Anatomy' Ouster Is Not Right And Not Okay [EW]
Critic's Notebook: Brooke Smith's Firing Is Bad For 'Grey's Anatomy,' And The World [LA Times]
ABC Freaks Out About Gay Grey's Storyline [Women & Hollywood]
'Grey's Anatomy' Has Change Of Heart About Dr. Hahn [USA Today]