James Randi: Why I Came Out at Age 81 | Big Think

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I say prove it.

👍︎︎ 27 👤︎︎ u/maywest 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies

Whoa, mind blown, I had no idea. Though this is actually good news to me, this whole time I always thought he was alone in life when it came to love, makes me feel glad for him that this was not the case.

👍︎︎ 30 👤︎︎ u/Geocat 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies

I must confess when I read that I thought he had "come out" as an atheist. That seemed like a fairly useless announcement. Then I watched the video and had a great smile. I'm thrilled to hear that he's been with a person he loves for 25 years. Rock on!

👍︎︎ 13 👤︎︎ u/LevitatingTurtles 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies

I believe he says, he actually came out much sooner than that. Everyone who knows him personally has known, but it is simply a non-issue.

Still, it's good of him to put it out in public like this, i'm sure it will encourage alot of people.

👍︎︎ 17 👤︎︎ u/SongGarde 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies

Why am I not suprised? He is rational, considerate, intelligent guy. That's gay.

👍︎︎ 35 👤︎︎ u/Cohomotopian 📅︎︎ Nov 05 2011 🗫︎ replies

Both Amazing and fabulous.

👍︎︎ 5 👤︎︎ u/MikeTheInfidel 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies

I could understand him coming out so late, it would've probably undermined his efforts at exposing some of the fraud especially the Christian evangelicals.

👍︎︎ 7 👤︎︎ u/rmeddy 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies

You just cost me an hour of my life (well spent) watching all the other videos linked after this one.

👍︎︎ 2 👤︎︎ u/evilhankventure 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies

Wow, I had no idea. Guess it wasn't big news? (That's a good thing, right?)

👍︎︎ 2 👤︎︎ u/Addyct 📅︎︎ Nov 06 2011 🗫︎ replies
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Question: Why did you decide to come out publicly at age 81? James Randi: Oh, well. I did it, first of all, my next book is to be called, this is a plug, "A Magician in the Laboratory." And I’m working on that currently right now and it’s more or less autobiographical because so much of my life is spent running around the world and sitting around in laboratories and watching, in many cases, watching scientists make total fools of themselves. But I forgive them for that, they’re just not informed. I tried to inform them and such. And I thought, "Well hey, before I publish the book, I should really come out and say to people, yes, I’m gay. I’ve been gay all of my life." I don’t have any problem with that whatsoever. The point that I came out so late in my life is only due to the fact that I never got around to it. All my friends and family have always known. All of my office people and such have always known about this. And I’ve never made any refusal to discuss it, and if anyone has every asked, I said quite frankly, “Yes, that’s the situation.” And for 25 years now, I’ve had a faithful companion and we get along just fine. We’re very attached to one another, I’m very happy in that relationship and it doesn’t enter into my work at all though. Question: How has the public reaction been? James Randi: Oh, the public reaction has been wonderful. I anticipated that it would be, frankly, but it’s been much more, much better than I even dreamed it could be. I’m still getting emails months after this happened. I’m still getting email from people who say, "Oh I just found out about so and so, and bang on, that’s the way to go." And these a people who can or cannot be gay one way or another, it doesn’t make any difference. They all accept it. And a couple of sour grapes out there, but I could ignore them safely. But a very, very small minority. People have understood and we are in an enlightened age. Now, when I was a teenager, oh, that would have been the last thing I could have possibly have done. I would have gotten stoned, I would have gotten beaten up every day, I’m sure, by the kids at school. But not anymore. That day, I hope, is passed. Question: Will coming out be easier for the next generation? James Randi: Yes. And not only that, in that respect as a matter of fact. I’ve found one thing that I did not anticipate. I’m getting a lot of correspondence from young gay people who say that I’ve served as an example of how it can be done and they’ve determined that they’re going to do it too. And that’s very encouraging. I think that relieves them of a bit of a burden, you feel somewhat freed up. Now, I didn’t notice the difference at all because I’ve been out all of my life if anyone asked. That’s all there is to it. And nobody ever... well some people did ask, or sort of hinted at it. And I would come out with it right away. I had no problem with that. I still have no problem with it whatsoever. Here I am. And people often will say, “But you named your car Sophia, after Sophia Loren.” A little blue Miata, a beautiful little jobbie. And they said, “Well, you keep on talking about Sophia Loren.” And I say, “Yes. You see, I’m gay, but I’m not blind." After all, you know, that is not Oil of Olay that Sophia uses. That’s got to be witchcraft.
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Channel: Big Think
Views: 829,118
Rating: 4.7374396 out of 5
Keywords: bigthink, Big Think, BigThink, BigThink.com, James Randi, magician, scientific skeptic, autobiographical, coming out, come out, gay, homosexuality, homosexual, life partner, public reaction, stoned, stoning, james randi coming out, james randi big think, james randi interview, coming out story, james randi homosexuality, coming out at 81, elders react to coming out, homosexuality in history, James randi story, james randi ted, james randi sexuality
Id: 5QLt6EO3k28
Channel Id: undefined
Length: 3min 22sec (202 seconds)
Published: Fri Jun 10 2011
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