Have you noticed Google’s new search addition where if you type in “[celebrity name] gay?”or “[celebrity name] straight?” or “[celebrity name] sexual orientation?” for certain celebrities, then Google will guess their orientation? They also do this for height, and, at least for President Obama, for religion. However, a quick look shows that celebrities who are frequently rumored to be gay but not out, have no answer. Google won’t hazard a guess about Anderson Cooper, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta or even Ted Haggard. Which is totally fair — Google isn’t Perez Hilton — but why have this feature at all? Is the word “guess” just some weird legal maneuvering? Why mediate the search results? Google, awkward.
Soooo awkward. It also seems to not do it for people they don’t have enough info on? Or perhaps people they are confused by (straight actors who play gay roles seems to really confuse it.)
