Paul Stanley, born Stanley Harvey Eisen on January 20, 1952, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and painter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the iconic hard rock band, Kiss. Stanley has been an integral part of the band’s success and has played a key role in shaping the band’s image and sound.
Stanley’s love for music began at a young age. He was heavily influenced by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and as a teenager, he started playing in local bands. In the early 1970s, he co-founded Kiss along with bassist Gene Simmons, drummer Peter Criss, and lead guitarist Ace Frehley. The band quickly gained a massive following with their theatrical performances and unique makeup and costumes.
Outside of music, Stanley is also a talented painter. He studied art at the High School of Music & Art in New York City and has continued to create art throughout his career. His paintings have been exhibited in galleries around the world, and he has even designed album covers and stage sets for Kiss.
In this industry, spreading a rumor about someone’s sexuality is common. Stanley was not spared by this. So, is Paul Stanley gay? Let’s read on to know the answer.
VOTE: What is Paul Stanley’s Sexuality?
Relationships: Too Many To Mention
Paul Stanley has a long and successful career in the music business, and he has been in a number of relationships over the years.
Stanley has married twice. His 1992 union with Pamela Bowen was his first marriage. They had one child together, a son named Evan Shane Stanley. They were not a happy couple, and their marriage ended in divorce in 2001.
Stanley remarried Erin Sutton, a former actress, and model, in 2005. Before getting married, they had been dating for a while. The couple had three children together; a son named Colin Michael Stanley and two daughters named Sarah Brianna Stanley and Emily Grace Stanley. As they have been dating for more than 15 years, their marriage appears to be strong and loving.
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Outside of his marriages, Stanley has had several relationships in his life. This is the list of names with the year they were linked with him. Carol Kaye (1978), Conny Hamzy (1980), Georganne LaPiere (1980-1982), Lesley Ann Waren (1980), Donna Dixon (1981-1982), Rita Rae Rox (1984), Lisa Hartman (1984-1985), Cathy St. George (1985-1986), Lydia Cornell (1986), Eloise DeJoria (1987-1988), and Samantha Fox (1989).
He was also rumored to have had relationships with Laura Branigan, Carol Miller, Wenche Steen, Sonia Vassi, Teri Weigel, Gayle O’Connor, Victoria Medlin, and Mary Tyler Moore. There is no other information other than their names. And these relationships will remain as what they are, a rumor.
Stanley’s Birth Defect
Paul Stanley was born with microtia, a congenital abnormality in which the external ear is either absent or underdeveloped. Stanley’s situation involved his right ear, and he has been transparent about his challenges with this disease his whole life.
In an effort to treat the condition as a child, Stanley had several surgeries, but all ultimately failed. He has always used a prosthetic ear as a result, which he claims has given him more confidence in his appearance.
His Take On Sexuality
For how many decades in the music industry, Paul Stanley faced a lot of rumors. And for him, the craziest ones are those speculations about his sexuality. When interviewed by New Zealand’s The Breeze, this was the response that everybody thought was the perfect answer:
Well, the oddest, to me, was always — and it’s always persisted over time — is that I’m gay. And it’s an interesting thing, because if I were, I’d be proud to be whatever I am. As long as you’re a good person, sexual orientation and stuff like that is totally irrelevant. But, that being said, besides having four children, honestly, I never saw a guy where I said, ‘Gee, that’s a close second to a woman.’ Honestly, I never looked and said, ‘You know, if I can’t have that girl over there, I’m taking the bloke,’ you know what I mean? So that’s always been really interesting — that some people can’t find a way to take my comfort with sexuality to misreading it as something it’s not. But, that being said, I more scratch my head at that. So that’s always been something that was, and is, persistent. And I just kind of go, ‘Well, the boys may not understand, but the women always did.’ They got it in more ways than one.”
Well, perfect answer indeed.
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Is Paul Stanley Gay?
No, Paul Stanley is not gay. Although he pointed out that sexuality is not a problem as long as you’re a good person, Stanley is definitely straight. With all the number of ladies he dated, it would be unbelievable if he admitted to being gay.