Oh no, not Captain Sulu!!!

'Star Trek' Actor George Takei Comes Out
AP

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."



aC. Sidebar

Serious, this month is Coming-Out Month, which is funny because October is also Breast Cancer Month too. So, sex and boob. That's the topic of the month. I'm surprised to hear about all of these people that are coming out. I'm very proud of my sexuality and I'm proud that these people are proud of their sexuality. Granted there are some homophobic tendencies in me, but in overall sincereness, the accomplishments and the value of a person in Sheryl Swoops and George Takai should not be misinterpreted by their sexuality. What I mean is, the American Coalition for Family group should not be saying, "Ban All WNBA and Star Trek film. Boycott for family values!"

Give me a break, the family dynamics are changing. Unfortunately, not like these conservative groups. Yes, I'm bashing my own peers in a way, but I realize that the TV dinner generation and the TV reality show generation shows that we may not always be a big happy family. The happiness is in the extended family. Divorced parents, same-sex partners, single-parents, and other non-traditional family nucleus are becoming more of a focal point in today's family dynamics. I'm not saying that one kind of nuclei is correct, political correct, or even preferable. I'm saying that respects is in the order and if there is a same-sex core family dynamics next door to your traditional white picket fence style family, you should go over there and say, "Hi, I'm Anthony, this is my wife, and my kids. Welcome to the neighborhood." Granted this situation is different if you’re slightly more modest and those neighbors have been next door for a long time. Still, hospitality, generosity, and respect should not deter you from build a Wisteria Lane situation. You should be in a Tom Hanks situation in the movie The 'burbs.

Because if you saw the movie, the consensus group drove him nuts, granted the neighbors were killers, but seriously, same-sex couples or by-product children will not try to kill you and your family or convert you or you family. Your fear should be in the Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses. Well, I apologize to these last groups. They've done nothing wrong or for that matter much in their religious dynamics for hundreds of years. May this is something we should look at in our own religions and upbringings.

Why do we truly fear or subjugate to suppress people that are "different". I could go on, but I'm mentally ill-prepared and scholarly untrained to answer this question. Even a computer science student can be well-versed in socio-cultural matters. I'm disappointed that Scotty will never beam me up again, but knowing Sulu is having fun in the sun on Risa gives me some comfort that boldly going where now man has gone before is not a quote, but something someone can follow. Now, about those Pricedot.com ads with Spock and Kirk...