While giving an acceptance speech for this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement award Jodie Foster made some rambling remarks that we are still trying to sort out almost a week later. It seems that the big question is “did she give a coming out speech?” Well, the answer to that: sort of.

Foster opened with the typical thanking of executives, directors, producers and family. She then held a serious tone saying she felt the urge to share something that she has not yet been able to share in public. After quite the build-up Foster revealed that she is now single. Big deal, right? She then went on to say something that would spark a flame in the viral voice of the media.

“I hope that you’re not disappointed that there won’t be a big coming out speech tonight, because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the stone age,” Foster said.

Chadwick Roberts, a professor in the communication studies department and member of the LGBTQIA advisory board at UNCW, was disappointed.

“When you’re a celebrity you have some obligations. You can’t just opt out and still take the pay check” said Roberts.

Roberts pointed out that Foster missed a brilliant opportunity to do many things with her speech. “Her two children were in attendance and she could have shown them honesty, bravery, integrity” said Roberts, “instead it was all about her”.

Roberts said as a gay celebrity, Foster had a responsibility to represent, at least in some part, her community.

“She obviously has tons of resources and support, but what about the working class kid in the trailer park,” said Roberts. “That whole thing about ‘just let me be private and do my work,” that fits for some things to be a celebrity from age 3 she should be used to it and should talk about it.”

Bill McCarthy, a professor in the history department at UNCW, teaches classes on gender and masculinity from a historical perspective and hate speech. His own research pays focuses on sexuality and verbal insults in a historical setting.

He has heard others responding to Foster’s speech in a completely different tone.

“I’ve heard people say ‘Oh how wonderful, how courageous, right in the public forum’ and I’ve also heard people say there was just too much alcohol involved” said McCarthy.

McCarthy had mixed feelings about Foster’s speech. According to him, it’s a good thing that such conversation was sparked inside and outside the gay community. However, he felt that there was still a great lack of empathy in the matter.

 “I think it was good, it was something. If people had any idea, normal ordinary people, how many people around them, how many of their friends and family are gay or bisexual some of this difficulty would disappear,” said McCarthy. “And some of the burden has to go to these people who have celebrity status; they have to be more honest about it. As long as we have hate crimes we have responsibility.”

When asked about it Foster said “The speech kind of speaks for itself. It’s a big moment and I want to say, you know, what’s most in my heart.”