Juan Gabriel’s Alleged Boyfriend Is Given the Tabloid Treatment

Spanish-language media outlets are reporting that Juan Gabriel, the iconic Mexican singer who died August 28, passed away with a very close friend by his side. But the question is, why is that news?

One report from El Gordo Y La Flaca, a talk show on Univision, goes into detail about how Gabriel's supposed boyfriend lived a lavish lifestyle because of his relationship with the superstar. But if Gabriel had been a straight man who was dating a younger woman, would this be viewed through the same lens?

Reportedly, Gabriel's boyfriend Isaac Martinez, 25, was with the singer in Santa Monica, Calif., and was present at the last performance of his life, in Los Angeles. The report goes on in detail about Martinez's expensive cars and his home, and shows photos of him with high-profile Mexican celebrities.

Basta! obtained photos of Martinez and the house he shared with Gabriel in San Carlos, Mexico. Martinez has deactivated all his social media accounts since Gabriel's death. Many of the photos obtained by several media outlets were taken from his social media pages. It is common for fans to be curious about the personal lives of celebrities, but the way this story is being reported seems somewhat voyeuristic. Would a straight celebrity and his girlfriend be treated the same way?

Juan Gabriel is famous for never having publicly "come out" as gay, though he did say in an interview with Univision that "you don't ask about what can be seen," when he was asked if he was gay.

During Gabriel's life, there were numerous reports about his personal life and alleged boyfriends. One of his former personal assistants wrote a book saying the two had a romantic relationship, though Gabriel never confirmed it. The singer had four children with a close friend via artificial insemination.

Weeks after Gabriel's death, thousands of protesters took to the streets in the state of Guanajuato to protest a proposal that would legalize same-sex marriage in Mexico. Several outlets in the country reported the contradiction in honoring the life of Juan Gabriel and then protesting against same-sex marriage a week later.

In a photo that went viral, A 12-year-old boy stood in front of three moving cars and thousands of protesters Saturday. He told the photographer who captured the shot, "I have a gay uncle, and I don't like that you hate him."