Keller @ Large: Barry Manilow Is Gay, Do You Care?

BOSTON (CBS) - I have some news for you about a very prominent celebrity.

Some of you may be surprised at this news; many of you will not be.

And the main question I want to explore with you is - once you hear this news, will you give a darn?

Singer Barry Manilow is considered the top-selling adult contemporary pop artist of all time, but until this week, he hid a personal secret from his millions of fans.

He's gay.

He's been in a relationship with business manager Gary Kief for 39 years. The couple were married three years ago.

So, back to our question - do you care?

Next month we'll mark the 13th anniversary of legally-recognized same-sex marriage in Massachusetts, or rather, we won't really do much to mark it, a sign of how routine gay marriage has become here. Long before that 2004 milestone, Massachusetts voters had re-elected two openly-gay congressmen.

And a full decade before that, my friend and mentor David Brudnoy came out publicly and was almost unanimously embraced by even his most conservative listeners, a reaction that left him relieved and overjoyed.

It turned out he needn't have worried about fan reaction, the same mistake Manilow made, saying "I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew." instead, reports Manilow - the reaction has been "beautiful."

Massachusetts is Massachusetts, and I have no doubt there is still plenty of anti-gay bigotry.

But it seems to me the jury is in - around here at least, people are far more interested in who you are and what you do than in your sexual preference.