Mr. Sulu comes out.

George Takei, best known for playing Mr. Sulu in the original Star Trek series has officially come out as a gay man in the Los Angeles gay paper Frontiers.

George and his partner Brad Altman have been together for 18 years. I was acquainted with them some years ago--they met in the Gay and Lesbian track club, Frontrunners, both being avid runners.

Although they had socialized with his Star Trek co-stars and been active in Frontrunners, George had not publicly said he was gay.

Congratulations guys!

I'm really pleased for them--they're really a terrific couple. George is a native Angeleno, and served for 12 years on the board of the Los Angeles Rapid Transit District (now the MTA). The article mentions his appearance in Equus with L.A.'s East/West Players which he has supported for years. He has also appeared in many other plays over the years. I hope more of the Gay and Lesbian Star Trek alumni will come out now. There are more than a couple of them still "under cover"! George has truly gone where no gay or lesbian has gone before!

•  Rev. Phelps announces his latest website

  godhatesstartrek.com

  by Arken on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:49:19 PM PDT

•  Well- Duhh!

  That is well known in the Trek Community.

  Next youre gonna tell me Shatner wears a toupe or something!
  

  by jgkojak on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:49:22 PM PDT

  •  Wait, are those Kirk/Spock stories true?

    Is there any slash fiction featuring Sulu?  And with whom?
    

    The Music Room.

    by madhaus on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:04:23 PM PDT

    •  Plenty-o-slash

      I'm sure they've paired him up with everyone, including some non-human species. Of course, Chekov would be the most obvious.

      Although I liked the Kirk line in one of the novels where he comments on rumors about him and Spock by saying something like, "well, if I were going to go that way, wouldn't I have the good sense to do it with someone who mates more frequently than every seven years?"

      by homogenius on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:07:41 PM PDT

•  There's a nice story to round out the day.

  Thanks!

  by jem6x on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:50:05 PM PDT

•  Thank you....

  ....for sharing this and for not attempting in any way to predict the names of the defendants or the number and nature of the counts against them in the Traitorgate investigation.

  by Bensdad on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:51:16 PM PDT

•  I forgot to add:

  Yikes!  Run away! Run away! That committed gay relationship is threatening our straight marriages!

  by jem6x on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:51:38 PM PDT

•  "Where a lot of men have gone before"

  OK, that's way too snarky. Sorry! Cheers to Mr. Takei! It was disorienting to hear his voice on a Simpsons episode some years back — couldn't place it at first, then laughed. Always liked his role on ST.

  by CJnyc on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:53:05 PM PDT

  •  Although I did not know them well,

    You could always tell when I had talked on the phone with George because my voice would drop an octave and become much more resonant. It doesn't always come across on film how deep his voice is.

    By the way, I still think his best film role was as the peacock of an Admiral in Prisoners of the Sun.

    by homogenius on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:02:44 PM PDT

•  Sulu I'll take.

  He gets to be on my side. Not Mayor West of Spokane, not JimmyJeff. But Sulu, sure.

  Remember when that show modelled a multi-racial society at a time when it actually maybe meant something? The heart was in the right place. Pity the franchise never took that one small step to a society that accepted sexual/gender minorities as well, something noted by Whoopi as she left.

  by melvin on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:53:32 PM PDT

  •  Yeah, that sucked big time.

    It was absolutely unforgiveable that they couldn't scrape up one lousy gay character in all those years/series/movies.

    I don't care if their demographic was post-adolescent males or whatever.

    by homogenius on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:58:29 PM PDT

    •  Isn't it a little tough

      to have only one? I mean, if it's gay to fiddle with your own wedding tackle, then I'm as gay as it gets.
      Yeah, especially with all the rutting and groping on the one I started referring to as "Deep Throat Nine" you'd have thunk somebody might have been a little adventurous like that.

      by justme on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:48:01 PM PDT

  •  They did do one episode of The Next Generation...

    ...that addressed the issue, albeit in a coded way.

    There was a planet where all the inhabitants were androgynous, reproducing asexually.  But a small minority felt themselves to have male or female sexual orientations.  They were treated as criminals and mentally ill by their government.

    Commander Riker fell in love (yeah, in 20 minutes, as usual on Star Trek) with one of the natives who had a female orientation.  Riker and Worf ended up doing an implausible commando raid, tacitly authorized by Capt. Picard, to rescue her from the mental hospital where she was being reprogrammed... but I think they were too late.

    I guess in the late '80s/early '90s, American TV was not quite brave enough to have an openly gay character that wasn't just treated as a running joke.  But at least ST:TNG took a stab at confronting anti-gay prejudice.

    by MaximusNYC on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 10:03:35 PM PDT

    •  Seven of Nine almost "straightened"

      me out, but not quite.

      by melvin on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 10:07:28 PM PDT

    •  Jadzia Dax....

      had an affair with a previous Dax host's wife.... does that count?

      by wendynyc on Fri Oct 28, 2005 at 01:19:55 AM PDT

•  Tips

  No, it was not a secret among many Trekies or among many gays. Still, George has taken the next step and I'm very happy for him.

  Wait--Shatner wears a TOUPEE!!!  I'm shocked...SHOCKED I say. Next thing you know you'll be telling me he wears a corset. LOL

  by homogenius on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 07:54:38 PM PDT

  •  Sulu's Final Frontier!

    Go, George, go!!!!

    by KateCrashes on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:58:25 PM PDT

•  Cheers to George, and to Brad, and...

  ...to us.

  We're building a better world where Mr. Takei can finally be more comfortable coming out.

  Yeah, I know how far we have to go. But let's savor the moment.

  by Elwood Dowd on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:00:43 PM PDT

•  Congratulations George

  always dug Mr. Sulu (later Admiral Sulu, victor in the climactic battle with the Klingon Empire).

  Sulu to the now unconcious insulting guard:  "Don't call me 'Shorty'!"

  by Rolfyboy6 on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 08:13:30 PM PDT

•  Oh, my!!!

  Can't wait to hear Stern tomorrow in whatever markets he is still on.  This will be good for at least thirty minutes.

  by normcash on Thu Oct 27, 2005 at 10:26:05 PM PDT