It's kind of late to say and it's not a big deal anyway but the Sawajiri Erika thing is definitely specifically referring to her funniest scandal, where she got in trouble for responding "betsu ni" to a reporter while looking pissed off. That phrase is permanently associated with her since then...
@Ceiye honestly it could be both. He's gay but because he doesn't know it's a thing he assumes that birds he finds attractive must be girls because that's how he was taught it works.