I can not believe that anyone would be surprised by this "news". The only news here is that George Takei is finally willing to publicly discuss his lifelong sexual orientation! I have known this since I first started going to Star Trek conventions in 1978. I even sat in the Hunt Valley Inn hot tub with George T. and Walter Koenig! Cheesus H. Rice, what is the big fracking deal here?
From the CNN article:
"The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay," he said. "The issue of gay marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I was young."
The 68-year-old actor said he and his partner, Brad Altman, have been together for 18 years.
Takei, a Japanese-American who lived in a U.S. internment camp from age 4 to 8, said he grew up feeling ashamed of his ethnicity and sexuality. He likened prejudice against gays to racial segregation.
"It's against basic decency and what American values stand for," he said.
*****END*****
Seriously, if you didn't know George was gay, you must have been living behind an ass-teriod. George's dog is even named La Reine Blanche, which in English means, The White Queen. I mean really, all of Hollywood is either Gay, Jewish or Canadian! Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Live long and prosper!
well, the world was a different place when he was young, and as Margaret Atwood once said "old neuropathways die hard". I think he's to be commended for coming out - it was very brave of him.
Posted by: tea on October 28, 2005 10:42 AMOh my.
Posted by: Clark on October 28, 2005 10:58 AM*peeks out from behind ass-teroid*
I honestly had no idea when I IMed this morning. Sorry for causing such a stir. That's what it's like being me, last to find out everything.
Of course, I don't normally set my gaydar on men running through the halls wielding a foil. Without a shirt on.
Posted by: SteveK on October 28, 2005 08:47 PMThat's the thing, the world IS a different place now. It's incredibly sad that Richard Chamberlain felt he had to wait until he was 70, and George Takei until he was 68, to come out. And, yes, anybody who was paying attention already knew, and that's part of the tragedy, because Richard and George and so many non-famous others didn't realize that people knew and still loved them, still could love them, that their being gay was no kind of obstacle to the love of their fans, their friends, their family.
Sadder still are the uncounted numbers who took their "secret" to the grave -- who never knew that they could be loved for who they were.
There's a great deal of trouble in the world today -- but here, to me, is a solid example of how the world is a better place now than it was 20, or even 10 years ago. I only hope we can hang on to the real progress we've made.
Posted by: Thomas G. Atkinson on October 29, 2005 02:34 AMAmen to that, Tom. And we, as humans fighting for human rights and equality, have to keep up the good fight. If I could go back in time and visit with Thomas Jefferson, I would urge him to change the Declaration of Independence to read, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all PEOPLE are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."
Equal rights for everyone reardless, because EVERY human being is special and unique; no one has greater claim to divinity or closeness to God. ALL ARE EQUAL in the eyes of the Lord.
Peace & equality,
--Will
My fondest memories of George are a quit smoking tape I have from many eons ago. The subliminal messages in it are really quite amazing. Almost as bad as some of the "special effects" from Star Trek's first incarnation...
Posted by: juli on October 30, 2005 10:30 PMbtw...I was born in Hollywood. I'm neither Jewish or Canadian so I guess that makes me a pretty happy camper.
Posted by: juli on October 30, 2005 10:32 PM