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Star Trek's Sulu...GAY!

Guest jeffOH

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Guest jeffOH

Guest jeffOH

Posted
Posted

Good for him. It's never too late to come out.

 

George Takei Discloses His Homosexuality

 

LOS ANGELES - George Takei, who as helmsman Sulu steered the Starship Enterprise through three television seasons and six movies, has come out as a homosexual in the current issue of Frontiers, a biweekly Los Angeles magazine covering the gay and lesbian community.

 

Takei told The Associated Press on Thursday that his new onstage role as psychologist Martin Dysart in "Equus," helped inspire him to publicly discuss his sexuality.

 

Takei described the character as a "very contained but turbulently frustrated man." The play opened Wednesday at the David Henry Hwang Theater in Los Angeles, the same day that Frontiers magazine featured a story on Takei's coming out.

 

The current social and political climate also motivated Takei's disclosure, he said.

 

"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.

 

Takei joined the "Star Trek" cast in 1966 as Hikaru Sulu, a character he played for three seasons on television and in six subsequent films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986.

 

A community activist, Takei ran for the Los Angeles City Council in 1973. He serves on the advisory committee of the California Civil Liberties Public Education Program and is chairman of East West Players, the theater company producing "Equus."

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Trixie Community Regular

Trixie

Posted
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Good for him! Also, congratulations to him for an 18 year relationship. He was the one character on Star Trek that I had a wee crush on when I was a lad.

It's amazing how that show, which lasted a brief 3 years, has become an icon which informs "sci-fi" thinking and tech-camp to this day. People the world over will know who Spok is, long after Bill O'Reilly fades into hot air.

 

La Trix

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Guest

Guest

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He's been pretty open about it for some time. I remember going out with someone over 15 years ago, who used to go out on hikes with Takei and his SO. It was fairly common knowledge in the gay community in LA, just as Gere, Cruise, Damon, and Affleck seem to be. Around that time as well, a good friend of mine was propositioned by J-C Van Damme. My friend was scared off--I wish I'd been in his place! ;-)

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JT Brooklyn Mentor

JT Brooklyn

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Well knock me over with a Feather!!! I guess not many have seen the Howard Stern Show with Mr SULU? If you did your Gaydar would have gone off big time. He spent alot of time saying "Now Howard" in a very good impression.. of a "Butch Drag" Voice! Howie baby was impressed very much with the fact that, MR Sulu owns a BANK in his Native country! LOL :+

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twinkboylover28 Experienced

twinkboylover28

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>It was fairly common

>knowledge in the gay community in LA, just as Gere, Cruise,

>Damon, and Affleck seem to be. Around that time as well, a

>good friend of mine was propositioned by J-C Van Damme. My

>friend was scared off--I wish I'd been in his place! ;-)

 

 

You forgot to mention Ponch and John, William Shatner, Donald Trump, MacCauley Culkin, Dick Cheney, and Spock are also gay. And that my friend was propositioned by Arnold Schwarteneger back in 1978.

 

Oh, and don't forget Wil Wheaton must be gay also since he's the cutest of them all.

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twinkboylover28 Experienced

twinkboylover28

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RE: O'Reilly

 

>Just an example of a cultural phenomenon that will have no

>lasting effect, that's all.

>

>

>La Trix

 

 

You must be talking about Sulu, because Bill O'Reilly reaches a worldwide audience of millions of people every week in prime time, has several books, a clothing line, a nationaly syndicated radio program, and a successful newspaper colum among other things.

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Guest zipperzone

Guest zipperzone

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>It was fairly common

>knowledge in the gay community in LA, just as Gere, Cruise,

>Damon, and Affleck seem to be.

 

OK - I can't resist......... Although I have long time wished the above noted four were gay, I put it down to youthful exuberance on my part. Don't leave us hangin here - a little more detail please.

Pretty please!

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tedbear Contributor

tedbear

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>I thought Ponch was but John wasn't.

 

Although a Google search didn't turn up anything about it, I'm pretty sure I remember that Erik Estrada (actor who played Ponch) was sued by his first (?) wife because of homosexual acts. This was a couple of years after CHIPs went off the air (except in reruns, of course).

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