George Michael to sue over “media slurs”
Gay star George Michael has threatened to sue over “slurs” on his relationship after a tabloid claimed he was cruising on Hampstead Heath last weekend.
The News of the World published a series of photographs of the star which they claim prove that he was illegally having sex in a public place.
The photographs they published both in print and on their website simply show him walking to his car through Hampstead Heath. The newspaper also printed photographs of a 58-year-old unemployed van driver who they claim the star had sex with.
Michael justified cruising when speaking to ITV News, “Please don’t tell me as a member of the straight community that I am taking risks. I know what I do and I am sorry but we should not be taking questions like this, from straight women in particular
“I do not deserve the criticism. What I don’t have respect for is some demand for answers from an openly gay man who is living his own life.
“I have not cheated or lied about my sex life to anybody in my life, in my entire life. I hate not to be able to rise above it, but there is only so much you can take.”
He criticised the News of the World and denied reports that his relationship with long term partner Kenny Goss had been effected.
“When media starts to put slurs on my relationship and indicate that my partner – who is perfectly happy with the way I live my life and the way we live our life together – that my partner is calling off our registered partnership and that I am having to buy him back with money: these kind of things are just unacceptable to me. I am really just here to say I have had enough really and I am going to have to take legal action against pretty much everybody involved,” he said.
Earlier in the week he explained his actions in a telephone conversation on the Richard and Judy show and explained why his and Goss’s civil partnership had been postponed, “I’ve got no issue with cruising, I’ve talked about it many times. It’s never been an issue between us.
“We knew with all the rubbish between us that we couldn’t get a nice private wedding, so we’ve postponed it. But we had a lovely tenth anniversary party.
“I would have to do something he dislikes before the wedding was off.
He added, “There can’t be shame unless the people involved are ashamed and I’m certainly not that. I think those sort of words should change.”
