Still, this grabbed my attention. I love the character of Hikaru Sulu -- the quirky background character who was more D'Artangan than Bruce Lee (that would have been so easy in the 60s, but Gene had balls the size of suns), quiet and unassuming yet was in command of the Enterprise during what may have been the greatest fleet battle of their time (Organia), and surprisingly multitalented for anybody, let alone a second banana in an old TV series. However, I try to be careful not to idolize actors. While I've always liked George Takei in an abstract sense, I also tend to wait until I see some real evidence of a celebrity's integrity before making a judgement.
Well, I just saw integrity in spades today. To reveal his homosexuality in the current social climate took extraordinary courage, and this quote (found on Wikipedia, though it obviously has a separate origin) shows admirable insight:
"It's not really coming out, which suggests opening a door and stepping through. It's more like a long, long walk through what began as a narrow corridor that starts to widen."From a personal standpoint, Mr. Takei had every reason to just continue living his life quietly -- his revelation involves considerable risk for no tangible gain. He did the right thing solely because it was the right thing to do. I can imagine no higher praise for anyone than to make such a statement about them.
On the other hand, the number of Sulu slash stories is about to explode, so it's not all good. ;^)
Kudos, Mr. Takei, and may you and your partner live long and prosper for many years to come.
--
(/) Roland X
Straight but not narrow
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