We’ve been had. That “ghost” in the hit film Ghostbusters, Slimer, is not actually a ghost. Apparently he’s a “sassy,” loud-and-proud, “fluorescent homosexual beast” who gives grown men the courage to come out of the closet. Who knew?
In what has to be the strangest “coming out” story of all time, a blog posted Monday by Horace Richdale credits the film Ghostbusters for giving the blogger the courage needed to come out to the world as a homosexual. Richdale explains how his life was forever changed by Slimer, who, at one point, is depicted as a “green, hairless teenager from space who loves eating garbage and is unabashed in his gayness.” Richdale adds that Slimer “flies around leaking his festive sour discharge wherever he goes, flaunting his queer identity.”
Richdale starts in by explaining that he saw Ghostbusters as a 28-year-old man back in 1984 and was amazed by the ghost, (hairless queer teenager), who made “no effort to cloak his homosexuality from a world that was hostile” toward his openly gay “lifestyle.” According to Richdale, the film is all one giant metaphor; the actual “ghostbusters” were trying to rid the world of Slimer, not because he was a ghost, but because Slimer was an “unabashed” gay and the “ghostbusters” were homophobic. Or something.
“For this glowing, wailing orb to simply be himself in a culture with so much anti-homosexual hysteria, it must’ve taken an unfathomable amount of bravery…He was so sassy and fearless!” writes Richdale. “Instead of hiding or surrendering, he chose to confront his pursuers head-on, dousing one of the Ghostbusters in his lovely bodily gravy.”
The blogger recalls making serious gains in accepting his homosexuality, but says that it wasn’t until Ghostbusters II and multiple animated series of the movie came out that Richdale’s courage was nudged into high-gear, allowing him to fully come out as gay.
Slimer was always simply being himself—merrily devouring trash when there was plenty of normal food available, wildly spraying his private syrup at the slightest provocation, and, of course, being brazenly, unapologetically gay. Watching him emboldened me in ways I never thought possible, and eventually, I could no longer justify the lie I was living.
So, I came out of the closet.
Slimer’s unapologetic gayness was apparently so ground-breaking that the character even helped Richdale explain his homosexuality to his parents.
“Watching him emboldened me in ways I never thought possible, and eventually, I could no longer justify the lie I was living.”
Horace Richdale
“I started showing them different Ghostbusters shows and movies so that they could see Slimer for themselves and realize that there was nothing wrong with being gay, and ultimately, they came to understand me and love me for who I really am,” revealed Richdale.
Richdale concluded that he was a happier man since the day he opened his “heart to slime,” and strongly suggested that “you do the same.”