Rooster_Ties Posted October 28, 2005 Report Posted October 28, 2005 (edited) (TOS, short for ST:TOS = Star Trek: The Original Series) From CNN.com. George Takei, 'Trek's' Sulu: "I'm gay" Friday, October 28, 2005; Posted: 10:43 a.m. EDT (14:43 GMT) LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- George Takei, who as "Star Trek's" Sulu was part of the Starship Enterprise crew 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." Edited October 28, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote
Spontooneous Posted October 28, 2005 Report Posted October 28, 2005 I want to live long enough to see the day when this sort of story is no longer news and the news media do not treat it as such. Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Posted October 28, 2005 (edited) Can't say I've always had a hunch that Takei was gay, but sometime 10 or 15 years ago - I saw a couple interviews with him, and my 'gaydar' started to go off a bit about him. Sulu was always one my favorite Star Trek characters and I think his finest hour was in Star Trek 6 - The Undiscovered Country, where he was shown as Captain Sulu - captain of his own starship, the U.S.S. Excelsior. He later reprised that same role (as captain of the Excelsior) on an episode of Voyager. There was some talk a while back, about a new weekly TV series, with Sulu at the helm of the Excelsior. It would have followed Voyager (or overlapped by a couple seasons), but they decided to go with the Enterprise series instead (with Scott Bakula). I sure wish they had gone with the Sulu-centered series instead. Could and would have been great!! Edited October 28, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote
Rooster_Ties Posted October 28, 2005 Author Report Posted October 28, 2005 (edited) I want to live long enough to see the day when this sort of story is no longer news and the news media do not treat it as such. ← I totally agree. In some ways, what I do like about these stories -- is how they're really NON-stories. Like when Michael Stipe came out a few years ago. I think most people see the headline, and are like "Oh, OK, whatever". Edited October 28, 2005 by Rooster_Ties Quote
BERIGAN Posted October 28, 2005 Report Posted October 28, 2005 Glad to hear he was gay, and not dead...which is what I thought when I was on General Discussion Subforums Quote
Jim Alfredson Posted October 28, 2005 Report Posted October 28, 2005 I want to live long enough to see the day when this sort of story is no longer news and the news media do not treat it as such. ← Totally agree. Sulu is badass. George Takai has always been one of my favorites of the original cast. Quote
Johnny E Posted October 28, 2005 Report Posted October 28, 2005 Bones will always be my favorite. Deforest Kelly was an awesome actor. Quote
Chuck Nessa Posted October 28, 2005 Report Posted October 28, 2005 What a bunch of crap. be what you be. Quote
J.A.W. Posted October 28, 2005 Report Posted October 28, 2005 What a bunch of crap. be what you be. ← Exactly. Quote
BERIGAN Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 be what you be. ← Isn't that the Army slogan? Quote
Brad Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 Kind of a non story to me. So he's gay, good for him. That's be all you can be but I agree with Chuck. Quote
rostasi Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 be what you be. ← Isn't that the Army slogan? ← No, I think that's Sinatra... Quote
Jim R Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 I want to live long enough to see the day when this sort of story is no longer news and the news media do not treat it as such. ← I totally agree. In some ways, what I do like about these stories -- is how they're really NON-stories. Like when Michael Stipe came out a few years ago. I think most people see the headline, and are like "Oh, OK, whatever". ← ... um... yeah... Quote
Jazzmoose Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 I for one am shocked and stunned. This news absolutely amazes me. In all honesty, I had no idea Sulu even had a first name, let alone something like "Hikaru"... Quote
DTMX Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 Always like to see his character on the Simpsons: Akira - owner of The Happy Sumo restraurant and sometimes martial arts instructor. Quote
sjarrell Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 My favorite thing about this non-story is the announcement email a friend sent with the subject line "Set Phasers to Fabulous". Quote
maren Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 I for one am shocked and stunned. This news absolutely amazes me. In all honesty, I had no idea Sulu even had a first name, let alone something like "Hikaru"... ← Okay, I've waited long enough for Chris Olivarez, so... Jazzmoose, Jazzmoose... Quote
Ron S Posted October 29, 2005 Report Posted October 29, 2005 He obviously gave this interview before he came out--not even one reference to Judy Garland. Quote
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