Whitney Houston gay rumours resurface, timing is tasteful

A warning to anyone who feels a bit sick today: When you die, any rumours that anyone has ever heard about you will resurface within 24 hours of your body going cold, and will be confirmed without a shadow of a doubt in 36. Seriously. When we here at Holy Moly all pop our clogs, we're almost sure the first person they're going talk about is Dom Joly, the man who really runs this site.

Unfortunately for poor Whitney Houston, who died late last Saturday night, this means that all those questions about her sexuality have popped straight back up into the public eye. Was she a gay? Was she a straight? Was she a bit of both? It's hard to know for sure. That is, unless you listen to the words of LGBT campaigner Peter Tatchell, who believes he knows better than most. Another triumph for the Q and A system on Twitter:

PT: #Whitney #Houston was happiest with #lesbian partner in 1980s. Pressured into #BobbyBrown marriage. It was downhill from then on #feminist

GUEST: @PeterTatchell You might well be very right but I'm curious as to how you know?

PT: @GorlestonJames I met #WhitneyHouston & her female partner in 1991. She spoke at Reach Out & Touch vigil in support of people with HIV.

GUEST: @PeterTatchell shame on you. Who are you to say if Whitney was happy with Bobby? Did you meet them? I did and they WERE happy! Grow up!

PT: @james_bartlett If Whitney was so happy with Bobby why did she turn to substance abuse?

GUEST: @PeterTatchell its offensive to say her death was down to being in the closet, she had multiple issues & she was no victim, she was tough!

PT: I met #WhitneyHouston & her female partner in 1991. She spoke at Reach Out & Touch vigil in support of people with HIV. Bravo #Whitney. RIP

GUEST: @PeterTatchell so Whitney was a lesbian

PT: @1Dev Well, perhaps she had relations with women for a while or permanently? Or was bisexual? It doesn't matter, so long as she was happy.

GUEST: OI @PeterTatchell, you racist fuck. wanna have a smack down on racism? you decide time and place. I'll be there.

PT: @daninayyar What's racist about saying that Whitney loved a woman & praising her support for people with HIV?

PT: I met #WhitneyHouston & her female partner in 1991. She spoke at Reach Out & Touch vigil in support of people with HIV. Bravo #Whitney. RIP

GUEST: @PeterTatchell Her female singing partner?

PT: @MaryamSaghir No, her love partner. She loved a woman. But could not fully accept / express those feelings. Plus church pressure.

So there you go. Conclusive proof that not only was Whitney Houston in the closet, but a compelling argument as to why we needed to know about it. Incidenatlly though, if you needed any more proof as to which way her dungarees hung, here's an interview she did with TIME back in 1987:

“My mother taught me that when you stand in the truth and someone tells a lie about you, don’t fight it. I’m not with any man. I’m not in love. People see Robyn with me, and they draw their own conclusions. Anyway, whose business is it if you’re gay or like dogs? What others do shouldn’t matter. Let people talk. It doesn’t bother me because I know I’m not gay. I don’t care.”

See? So gay. Incidentally, we should probably point out that Peter Tatchell resigned from a career in politics a few years ago after admitting that he had incurred brain damage on one of his protests. Not sure what difference it makes, but we thought you might want to know anyway.