Having a gay old time

The actor George Takei, beloved by millions for his role as Hikaru Sulu on Star Trek (and a regular voice over on the Simpsons among other appearances) has come out of the closet in Frontiers, a magazine on gay and lesbian community issues, saying that he and his partner had lived together happily for many years. It is nice George can be open now but a great shame that the bigotry against gay people has been such that he was unable to come out until he was in his late 60s. I can't help but wonder how many lives were ruined through being forced to live in secrecy and fear, like Alan Turing.

The sad thing is that although attitudes have changed for many folks, there is still a sizeable number of folks out there - many of whom consider themselves 'good' people or even good Christians (or Muslims or various other faiths) - who still openly discriminate against gay folk. We're not talking about some mad neo-Nazi creeps here either, but ordinary folk, most of whom would be horrified at anyone showing bigotry over the colour of a person's skin. Yet they will discriminate against gay folk. Hey, it's not even about approving of someone else's lifestyle, it's simply about acknowledging their right to live that lifestyle; live and let live, folks - I don't give a damn what sexuality my family or friends have, as long as they are comfortable and happy with it. And good one George, I hope he and his partner remain very happy together and wish them the best.