Lindsay Lohan & Samantha Ronson		Articles/Text Photos Add info
Text by mubirshu American actress Lindsay Lohan, star of Mean Girls and Herbie Fully Loaded, has had a long history of substance abuse and bad behavior, which has been blamed for marring what many consider would have been a promising career. She has also been the subject of gay rumors since her late teens. These rumors, while unsubstantiated at the time, took root in the gossip world despite her long string of very public albeit brief affairs with men such as actor Wilder Valderrama and model Calum Best. The whisperings about her sexuality persisted, though, and Lindsay's former friend, celebrity socialite Paris Hilton (herself the target of rumors), referred to the actress as a "dyke". The lesbian rumors began to come into sharper focus, however, in mid 2007, when Lohan began to be seen publicly with openly gay British-born DJ Samantha Ronson in Los Angeles. Their friendship seemed to be emotionally charged, as evidenced by shouting matches; Lindsay reportedly ended one argument by screaming, "you're a lesbian!" at Samantha. Unfortunately, Lindsay's drinking and drug use was increasing, and she entered rehab several times. During her final rehab stint, she reportedly emailed Samantha, saying, "Babe if I don't have you in my life I should just go die. I want to marry you and have children with you." [signed] Lindsay Ronson. After rehab, their friendship continued, but by December 2007, things seemed to have cooled, as Lindsay had moved in with Courtenay Semel, the openly lesbian daughter of Yahoo! CEO Terry Semel. Attending a party together hosted by Hollywood power lesbian Jeanette Longoria, the two reportedly held hands throughout the evening and described themselves to others as roommates. By spring of 2008, Lindsay's friendship with Courtenay ended, and tabloids began to report a power struggle between Courtenay and Samantha over Lindsay's friendship. Samantha won this struggle, and in May 2008 the pair moved in together. Lindsay has denied that her relationship with Courtenay was anything more than that of a roommate. By this time, Lindsay and Samantha became inseparable, rarely venturing out separately. Lindsay had not been seen with a man in a romantic setting in several months, and the tabloid press began speaking more openly of Lindsay as a rumored lesbian. Photographs of Samantha with a hickey only served to encourage the media's open statements. Lindsay also took to publicly wearing a ring that boasted the initials SR. In late May 2008, while attending the Cannes Film Festival in France, Lindsay and Samantha were photographed in intimate embraces and kissing. The media used this as proof that the two were in a romantic relationship and began to refer to Samantha as Lindsay's "girlfriend" (the term was actually fairly safe for the press to use, since girlfriend can also be used between women platonically). With the legalization of gay marriage in California and the purchase of a $22,000 ring for Lindsay by Samantha, new rumors began to circulate that the two were planning on getting married. All the while, Lindsay's publicist denied that the pair were lovers. In September of the same year, while Lindsay spoke with Los Angeles DJ Ted Stryker on the radio show Loveline, the following exchange took place: Stryker: "You guys, you and Samantha, have been going out for how long now?" Lindsay: Laughs knowingly. Stryker: "Like, two years, one year, five months, two months?" Lindsay: "A long... a very long time." Stryker: "Well, I hope you guys stay together, you're a very lovely looking couple." Lindsay: "Thank you very much". The mainstream press accepted this as a public acknowledgement of a romantic relationship between Lindsay and Samantha, and began to describe Lindsay as "gay", "out of the closet", and as an "out celebrity". The reaction was at once positive and unexcited. Most articles treated the news as very unsurprising. The next day, Lindsay's estranged father Michael Lohan, a born-again Christian, decried the interview, saying that the DJ and Samantha had tricked her into saying what she did. In the process, he vilified Samantha, calling her "evil". Lindsay responded in a blog posting, saying, "Samantha is not evil, I care for her very much and she's a wonderful girl. She loves me, as I do her." By the following day, Lindsay's publicist issued a denial that the exchange with the DJ constituted a confirmation of a romantic relationship, but very few media outlets acknowledged it and none issued a correction or retraction of statements regarding Lindsay's homosexuality. As of this writing, neither Lindsay nor Samantha, both of whom post blog entries on their Myspace pages on a fairly regular basis, have personally issued any kind of denial of a romantic relationship, and when interviewed by the magazine Marie Claire prior to the radio interview, Lindsay stated that she is in the market to buy a house "with someone."