Ron Reagan Jr. Gets Married, Eyebrows Are Raised (November 24, 1980)

Speculation was rife that Ron Reagan Jr. just had to be gay.  After all, he was a willowy dancer with the Joffrey Ballet who grew up among his parents' Hollywood friends.  So eyebrows raised when the 22-year old son of the newly elected president was married on November 24, 1980. 

 

After his father left office Ron's liberal politcal leanings became known and he even addressed the 2004 Democratic Convention.  In that same year he was interviewed by the Advocate and addressed the gay rumors head on.  Unlike some other figures in the public eye I've never heard reports of any sightings of him in clubs or walking hand-in-hand with another man at a gay resort.  The rumors and hubbub have long since dried up.  Meanwhile Reagan and wife Doria are still married, they have a daughter and live in Seattle.  

 

Similar speculation surrounded New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza who felt compelled to call a news conference in the spring of 2002 to deny he was gay.  And married couple Richard Gere and Cindy Crawford took out a full page ad in the Times of London in 1994 to deny rumors that they were splitting up (which they did six months later) and that both were gay.  Curiously, the fact that President Obama's former chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, studied ballet and attended Sarah Lawrence College (after turning down a scholarship to the Joffrey Ballet - the same dance company Reagan performed with) didn't cause speculation about his sexuality.  A sign perhaps that metrosexuals had become fully integrated into society - and that Reagan was ahead of his time.    

Comments

[Susan]

I love Ron Regan weather is straight or gay I knew he wasn't he is a great person he oviously has a good wife to have to put up with all the craziness of people putting him down, he is just a great person I would love to meet him someday, I am a democrat but I did cross party lines when I voted for his Dad in 1980, what can I say here's one for the ole gipper and I am only 50 some things don't die easy.
Thanks for allowing me to share. Susan

[Jess]

I like Ron very much he is articulate, very informative. I love when he's on msnbc. I am a democrat and agree with his political opinions. I'm glad to see he is happily married.
Keep coming back to msnbc. Jess

[Rob]

Thanks for your comments Jess. I can always tell the days when he appears on MSNBC because the traffic to the post I wrote about him spikes.