News Rapp: Honored To Play A Gay Man On Trek

[Starship]

Don´t get me wrong, I´m not homophobic! As I wrote above, I have good friends (a cousin included) that are gays. And I expect to see a good character coming from Rapp (I think that he is a good actor), with a good history and good acting, things that will make persons to like of his presence in the show, even those who criticize him now.

I am and always have been a very forthright person. Believe me when I say that I heard those statements along the years (directed to me or for persons around in public places). By the same way I heard homophobic persons saying a lot of s**t along the years. I don´t like homophobics either! All extremists, whether in favor or against a theme, have the same problem: It is impossible to argue with them. They forget the voice of reason.

I´m just a forthright person, and I know that sometimes it is cause of some troubles to me. Also... english isn´t my native language, so, I may have not used the best words to express what I was trying to say.

But I assure you all: I don´t have intention to offend anybody, and don´t want to be misunderstood either. Anyway, my apologies.

 

[Jedman67]

There's a lot of people who desire attention and put forth a similar attitude of everything either revolving around them, or that their way is the only correct way.
This attitude is found in all races, orientations, genders and cultures.

 

[Starship]

Exactly it Jedman67!

 

[fireproof78]

^ I never knew somebody who behaved like that. Even flamboyant gays don't spout "Hi, I'm <name>, and I'm gay just so you know."
Actually, nobody of any subsection I know is like that, be it Christians or Vegans, etc.

I have. Perhaps rare, but it has been my experience in some places.

 

[Jedman67]

I have. Perhaps rare, but it has been my experience in some places.

My brother is an outspoken Oenophile and Carnivore

 

[Locutus of Bored]

Don´t get me wrong, I´m not homophobic! As I wrote above, I have good friends (a cousin included) that are gays.

I´m just a forthright person, and I know that sometimes it is cause of some troubles to me. Also... english isn´t my native language, so, I may have not used the best words to express what I was trying to say.

Can I give you a word of advice? I've never heard someone say "I have gay (or black, etc.) friends..." and then follow it up by saying something positive about that group. Like saying "With all due respect" before saying something disrespectful or "I'm not a racist, but...", people tend to use that as a sort of get out of jail free card for some terrible thing they are about to say next. If you find yourself starting a premise with that comment, you should probably think hard about what you're about to say after that and how it might come off to your audience.

I'm not questioning the veracity of your comment about having gay friends and cousins, by the way. It's just irrelevant to whether or not what you're going to say will be considered offensive. People can have gay friends and still say homophobic things or even be —consciously or not— homophobic themselves.

 

[m.lp.ql.m]

The problem is with gays (and not gays that act similar to this way) that have the desire to appears a lot, the desire to be "the last sweet coconut in the world"....

Looking in the mirror, I can tell you this, and maybe these are the people you're encountering: after being forced in the closet for 40 years, upon coming out, I was sort of like that. Not that exaggerated, mind you, but after suppressing my human need for love for that long, it simply felt really really good to finally be myself. The 'gay thing' was my focus for a couple years because it was really new, interesting, unexplored, and enjoyable.

Imagine not being able to get something you need for 4 decades, then finally being able to! With that perspective, I don't think any rational person would see such behavior as all that annoying.

 

[Starship]

Can I give you a word of advice? I've never heard someone say "I have gay (or black, etc.) friends..." and then follow it up by saying something positive about that group. Like saying "With all due respect" before saying something disrespectful or "I'm not a racist, but...", people tend to use that as a sort of get out of jail free card for some terrible thing they are about to say next. If you find yourself starting a premise with that comment, you should probably think hard about what you're about to say after that and how it might come off to your audience.

I understood your point Locutus. Thanks for the advice.
As I said, english isn´t my native language, so, I may have not used the best words to express what I was trying to say.

 

[Starship]

Looking in the mirror, I can tell you this, and maybe these are the people you're encountering: after being forced in the closet for 40 years, upon coming out, I was sort of like that. Not that exaggerated, mind you, but after suppressing my human need for love for that long, it simply felt really really good to finally be myself. The 'gay thing' was my focus for a couple years because it was really new, interesting, unexplored, and enjoyable.
Imagine not being able to get something you need for 4 decades, then finally being able to! With that perspective, I don't think any rational person would see such behavior as all that annoying.

I can just barely imagine the troubles you lived along these four decades and the feeling of being free after all those years. I really sorry! Nobody needs to live in jail inside yourself.

But the persons that I was talking about had between 19-30 years old, and they were to much exagerated. That´s the trouble. I know you understand.

 

[Awesome Possum]

I can just barely imagine the troubles you lived along these four decades and the feeling of being free after all those years. I really sorry! Nobody needs to live in jail inside yourself.

But the persons that I was talking about had between 19-30 years old, and they were to much exagerated. That´s the trouble. I know you understand.

Even someone that young can feel imprisoned and then joyful to be free. Straight and cis people can't begin to understand the stress and pain it causes.

 

[BillJ]

I've always found Christians to be far more "in my face" about who they are than gay/transgender folks. Gay/trans folks don't come to my door wanting time to talk about their lifestyle. They don't try to give me literature on street corners.

 

[Awesome Possum]

You also don't see LGBTQ+ people creating laws to limit the rights of Christians either.

 

[Trekkin]

Oh, you guys don't know about 'Straight Conversion Therapy?'

I heard about it at 'Pray Away the Cis-Straight' camp.

 

[DaddlerTheDalek]

If Rapp is honored to play a gay character in Star Trek, good for him. I hope that Stamets is going to be an interesting character.

 

[Bones]

I want a trans character on the show. Not a prop to show off how far we've come, but a character who is contributing to the show while still being trans. Just like how all the characters contribute while still being cis.

This would be interesting to me. What strikes me is that the medical capability for transitioning to the identified gender from the birth gender would be far better in the future than it is today. Maybe some people view this as "genetic enhancement" and show prejudice in the same manner they would with Bashir. Maybe the internal challenges of realizing your gender identification is different from the way you were born are still the same. We could have a fully integrated character, respected crew member who can occasionally be used as a backdrop to explore some of the struggles that trans people go through today.

 

[Tuskin38]

I hate to bring up that horrible episode where Quark gets a sex change, but it does show (iirc) that in the 24th Century it is really easy to do. Though the show is the 23rd century so it may be different.

 

[Awesome Possum]

This would be interesting to me. What strikes me is that the medical capability for transitioning to the identified gender from the birth gender would be far better in the future than it is today. Maybe some people view this as "genetic enhancement" and show prejudice in the same manner they would with Bashir. Maybe the internal challenges of realizing your gender identification is different from the way you were born are still the same. We could have a fully integrated character, respected crew member who can occasionally be used as a backdrop to explore some of the struggles that trans people go through today.

I'd hate for that to be an excuse to hire a cis actor or actress to play them. Most likely there would be major advancements and they could have begun transitioning at an early age. But they could write it so they came from a more primitive or restricted colony to keep some comparison to modern trans people.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

But the persons that I was talking about had between 19-30 years old, and they were to much exagerated. That´s the trouble. I know you understand.

But.. WHO CARES?

Some people are "exaggerated".

And some gay people find that heterosexuality is "exaggerated" EVERYWHERE screaming in your face all day long, like 99.99% of ads that show a couple have a hetero couple. Do you see how that is a massive exaggeration screaming heterosexuality IS WHAT WE ALL ARE in our faces every single day? And that's just one example, one tiny example.

If you replace the narrative about relationships, love, identity that we hear all around us in ALL media (music, movies, tv, advertisements on buses, every freaking thing) that are as their default heterosexual with the default being gay people would protest how in your face and exaggerated and statementy and agenda filled this whole thing was. And yet it's what we already have, for one kind of sexuality.

 

[Trekkin]

Let's put it this way: Do you think that COTEF would be so universally embraced if the love interest was 'Eric' instead of 'Edith'?

Or, forty years later, would you still be bitching - or arguing against people bitching - about 'exaggerated', 'forced', 'hamfisted agendas?'

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Would they have used the vaseline filter on Eric to make him all soft