I'm not surprised to discover that Sean Penn is under attack again for his outspoken admiration of Venezuela's Hugo
Chavez and Cuba's Raul Castro. The real shocker is who's doing the attacking: The Advocate, America's leading
gay publication. James Kirchick, an assistant editor at the New Republic, pretty much eviscerates Penn, who just wrote a cover story in the Nation singing the praises of both Latin American dictators. Up until now, in the wake of his bravura performance
as gay activist Harvey Milk in "Milk," the mainstream entertainment press hasn't bothered to ask Penn any tough
questions about his political views.
But the Advocate doesn't pull any punches. Saying Penn is likely to win all
sorts of prizes from prominent gay organizations for his role, Kirchick writes that "Penn's political activism, irrespective of his views on gay rights, negates the values for which a movement
based upon individual freedom must stand." Kirchick calls Penn's Nation story a "love letter" to the dictators,
comparing it to the notorious dispatches starry-eyed liberals sent back home during the early years of the Soviet Union, describing
it as a worker's paradise, "neglecting to mention anything about the gulag, the 'disappearance' of political
dissidents or any other such inconvenient truths about Communism."
Penn, who received a Golden Globe nomination
today for his performance in "Milk," seems to have forgotten that not long after Fidel Castro took power, the Cuban
government ordered the internment of gay people in prison labor camps where, as Kirchick puts it, "they were murdered
or worked to death for their 'counterrevolutionary tendencies.' " He adds that Penn's pal, Raul Castro, was
notorious for executing political opponents, whose only crime was often their homosexuality. Though Cuba has since decriminalized
homosexuality, the government still bans all gay organizations or any other group critical of the regime.
Thor Halvorssen,
president of the respected Human Rights Foundation, also takes aim at the actor in the piece, calling the Castro brothers
"thugs and murderers," saying "that Sean Penn would be honored by anyone, let alone the gay community, for
having stood by a dictator that put gays into concentration camps is mind-boggling." I'm an old leftie myself. But
having grown up in Miami, where I saw up close and personal the flood of people--straight and gay--fleeing persecution in
Cuba, I no longer share Penn's naive admiration for totalitarian despots who pass themselves off as populist heroes.
In
an era of softball showbiz journalism where newspapers and magazines--including my own paper--rarely ask actors or filmmakers
any inconvenient questions about their political beliefs, I'm not holding my breath that anyone will be holding Penn's
feet to the fire. Kudos to the Advocate for reminding us that it was Harvey Milk who said that gay rights are human rights
and it is Penn "who discredits both when he rushes to the defense of thugs who posture as victims of the West."
It
raises a fair question that I'd like to hear your opinions on: Should we only concern ourselves with Penn's wondrous
work as an actor in "Milk," which coming in the wake of the controversy over Proposition 8 will surely remind people
that the struggle for gay rights in America is far from over? Or does his offscreen embrace of gay-bashing dictators matter
just as much as his onscreen artistry, especially when the views of his political heroes so completely conflict with the free-speech
message of the man he celebrates in "Milk"?
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Schwarzenegger tells backers of gay marriage:
Don't give up
The governor
expresses hope that Proposition 8 would be overturned as protesters continue to march outside churches across California.
By Michael Rothfeld and Victoria Kim 2:26
PM PST, November 9, 2008
Reporting from Sacramento and
Pasadena -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger today expressed hope that the California Supreme Court would overturn Proposition 8,
the ballot initiative that outlawed same-sex marriage. He also predicted that the 18,000 gay and lesbian couples who have
already married would not be affected by the initiative.
"It's unfortunate, obviously, but it's not
the end," Schwarzenegger said in an interview on CNN this morning. "I think that we will again maybe undo that,
if the court is willing to do that, and then move forward from there and again lead in that area."
With his favorable comments toward gay marriage, the governor's thinking appears to have evolved on the issue.
In past statements, he has said he personally believes marriage should be between a man and a woman and has rejected
legislation authorizing same-sex marriage. Yet he has also said he would not care if same-sex marriage were legal, saying
he believed that such an important societal issue should be determined by the voters or the courts.
Following that
position, he publicly opposed Proposition 8, which amends the state Constitution to declare that "only marriage between
a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California."
Today,
Schwarzenegger urged backers of gay marriage to follow the lesson he learned as a bodybuilder trying to lift weights that
were too heavy for him at first. "I learned that you should never ever give up. . . . They should never give up. They
should be on it and on it until they get it done."
The governor's comments came as protesters took to
the streets for a fifth day in a row, sometimes marching to Catholic and Mormon churches that supported passage of the ballot
measure with public pronouncements and campaign donations.
Hundreds of protesters gathered down the hills from
Saddleback Church, an evangelical mega-church in the Orange County city of Lake Forest, to speak out against Proposition 8.
As several thousand congregants attended services inside the church, passing motorists nearby beeped horns in support to demonstrators
waving placards that read, "Equal Rights" and "You Cannot Vote Away Civil Rights." The protesters had
dispersed by early afternoon.
In Los Angeles, 75 protesters showed up to a demonstration at Lincoln Park on the
city's Eastside. They were outnumbered by police, soccer players and children enjoying the park. But organizers called
their Lincoln Heights event a triumph, saying the largely Latino community had seen very few protests over Proposition 8.
"My optimistic projection was 25 people," said Robert Olivares of the Latino/Latina LGBT Coalition. "We're
hoping that eventually 300 people will show up. For us, that's beyond a success."
In Oakland, a swarm
of protesters at the city's Mormon temple prompted the California Highway Patrol to close two nearby highway ramps.
Other demonstrations were planned today outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles and
at other churches in La Jolla and Palm Desert.
To be sure, not all churches supported Proposition 8.
All
Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, a well-known liberal church with 4,000 active members, has been blessing the marriages
of gay and lesbian couples for the last 16 years.
"The evil of discrimination against our lesbian sisters
and gay brothers is still alive in the passage of Proposition 8," the Rev. Ed Bacon told about 1,000 parishioners attending
the Sunday morning service. "We will continue to bless same-sex unions here until we can legally celebrate same-sex unions
again." His words brought extended applause and a standing ovation from the congregation.
After the service,
Bacon and other clergy members held a news conference on the church steps. They were surrounded by gay and lesbian couples,
some holding hands, some standing with young children in tow.
"I know these couples. I know their relationships,"
Bacon told a phalanx of television cameras. "They should be celebrated, rather than disparaged. How dare a religious
body say these people are not holy and these relationships are not holy?"
William Shatner Calls Former 'Star Trek' Co-Star George Takei 'Psychotic' and 'Sick'
“Star Trek” star William Shatner is slamming former co-star George Takei for being “psychotic”
and “sick” in a new Internet video clip.
“There is such a sickness there,” Shatner
said. “It’s so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there. I don’t know what his original thing about
me was. I have no idea.”
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Shatner’s rant was a response to Takei
deliberately not inviting him to his civil wedding ceremony to his boyfriend last month.
In the video, Shatner claims
that no one cared when Takei finally came out of the closet.
“He has continued to speak badly about
me for all these years. Obviously, hiding his homosexuality — talk about festering and not living the truth of your
life and feeling badly about yourself — and being fearful somebody would find out about this terrible, terrible secret,
so he thought," Shatner said.
“Finally at the age of, I think, 70, he decides to come out of the closet and
say, ‘I'm gay.’ … Like, who cares? Be gay. Don't be gay. That's up to you George.”
Takei has expressed his negative feelings toward Shatner, claiming that his ego was unbearable on
"Star Trek."
For his part, Shatner downplayed Takei’s role in the cult science-fiction series, saying
he barely knew him because he was so rarely on the set, the Mail reported.
“I didn't know him very well on
the series. He would come in for a day or two, as evidenced by the part he played," Shatner said. "Then on the movies,
there occasionally. I didn't know the man.
“It's sad. I feel nothing but pity for him.”
George Takei Responds to Shatner 'Psychotic' Internet Rant
"Star Trek" star George Takei has responded to former co-star William Shatner's angry
Internet rant, saying he hopes that he will come out in support of gay marriage.
In the rant, Shatner dubs
Takei "psychotic and sick."
“There is such a sickness there,” Shatner said. “It’s
so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there. I don’t know what his original thing about me was. I have no idea.”
According to a report in the Daily Mail, Shatner’s rant was a response to Takei, who played Mr. Sulu on "Trekm"
deliberately not inviting him to his civil wedding ceremony to his boyfriend last month.
But Takei and Altman had previously
stated that Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk, was invited to their wedding, but he never RSVPed.
"It is
unfortunate that Bill was unable to join us for our wedding as he indeed was invited to attend," Takei responded. "It
is our hope that at this point he joins us in voting no on Proposition 8, which seeks to eliminate the fundamental right for
same-sex couples to marry in California."
Takei and Brad Altman married on Sept. 14. "Star Trek" alums Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig —
who played Uhura and Chekhov, respectively — were among the attendees at the multicultural ceremony at the Japanese
American National Museum."
NEW YORK (AP) -- Clay Aiken is finally confirming
what many people suspected: He's gay.
"American
Idol" runner-up Clay Aiken has rarely addressed rumors about his sexuality.
The cover of the latest People magazine shows Aiken holding his infant son, Parker Foster
Aiken, with the headline: "Yes, I'm Gay." The cover also has the quote: "I cannot raise a child to lie
or hide things."
The magazine has an interview with Aiken and
confirmed that he was on the cover but refused to release the article until Wednesday.
The baby's mother is Aiken's friend and record producer Jaymes Foster.
Aiken, who gained fame as the runner-up on "American Idol" in 2003, rarely
addressed the frequent rumors about his sexuality. He said two years ago, "I don't really feel like I have anybody
to answer to but myself and God and the people I love."
Brad Altman, left, and actor George Takei pose for photos
on their wedding day at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, in the Little Tokyo section of Los Angeles,
Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008. Their legal marriage became possible this year when the California Supreme Court overturned the state
ban on gay marriage.
I'm not surprised to discover that Sean Penn is under attack again for his outspoken admiration of Venezuela's Hugo
Chavez and Cuba's Raul Castro. The real shocker is who's doing the attacking: The Advocate, America's leading
gay publication. James Kirchick, an assistant editor at the New Republic, pretty much eviscerates Penn, who just wrote a cover story in the Nation singing the praises of both Latin American dictators. Up until now, in the wake of his bravura performance
as gay activist Harvey Milk in "Milk," the mainstream entertainment press hasn't bothered to ask Penn any tough
questions about his political views.
