Outspoken actor Alec Baldwin has cast a light on what he calls The Gay Department of Justice or as I call them The Gay Gatekeepers. Baldwin wrote a lengthy essay about his experience being demonized and labeled a homophobe by the media due to peculiar situations with paparazzi and journalistic media figures.
Constantly harassed by paparazzi and tabloid reporters; in one instance Baldwin states he was falsely accused of calling one tabloid photographer a “faggot,” and he defended but also apologized for calling another tabloid reporter a “toxic little queen.”
As far as being homophobic, Baldwin states;
“Am I a homophobe? Look, I work in show business. I am awash in gay people, as colleagues and as friends. I’m doing Rock of Ages one day, making out with Russell Brand. Soon after that, I’m advocating with Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Cynthia Nixon for marriage equality. I’m officiating at a gay friend’s wedding. I’m not a homophobic person at all. But this is how the world now sees me.”
Baldwin goes on to describe what happened that fateful day when he was accused of using a gay slur;
“But—I’m sorry, I can’t let go of this—do people really, really believe that, when I shouted at that guy, I called him a “faggot” on-camera? Do you honestly believe I would give someone like TMZ’s Harvey Levin, of all people, another club to beat me with?
What happened is, a TMZ videographer ambushed me as I was putting my family in a car, and I chased him down the block and said, “Cocksucking motherfucker” or whatever (when I have some volatile interaction with these people, I don’t pull out a pen and take notes on what I said). I knew that guy. This was a guy who is on a bike usually, and when we get in a car, he follows us. Very aggressive. The same guy who followed my wife on a bicycle, and when she slipped and fell trying to dodge him and hurt her leg, he laughed at her and said, “See what I made you do?” At my wife. How would that make you feel?”
Nonetheless after Baldwin’s very open and telling of events as he perceived them, The Gay Gatekeepers are calling Baldwin’s essay, a rant, an unloading, and confessions of a homophobe. Being honest I get where he’s coming from.
Mr. Baldwin stated that as an actor, he works in an industry that’s “awash in gay people,” whom he calls colleagues and friends. This is one of the reasons he decided to reach out to a nationally recognized LGBT organization to gain understanding. Below is an expert of the interaction between himself and one of the gay activists that was present during the meeting;
“One young man, an F-to-M tranny, said, “Are you here to get dry-cleaned, like Brett Ratner?” Meaning I could do some mea culpa, write them a six-figure check, go to a dinner, sob at the table, give a heartfelt speech, beg for forgiveness. I thought to myself: Beg for forgiveness for something I didn’t do?
I said, “No. I don’t want to get dry-cleaned. I don’t want to be decontaminated by you, Karen Silkwood–wise, scrubbed down. I want to learn about what is hurtful speech in your community. I want to participate in some programs about that. Or underwrite one. And then, like you, I just want to be left alone.”
This interaction was eerily similar to the responses Cypher Avenue received when we attempted to dialogue with some of our critics. They did not want to have a conversation or share ideals, no, as one stated, they wanted to “educate us”. For me, this was a clear display of their elitism, faux superiority and indicative of The Gay Gatekeepers. They are the teachers and we the mere masculine Stone Age oafs who need to be educated.
If you have time, the essay is an interesting read. Baldwin goes into detail as to why he refers to Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow and some others as The Gay Department Of Justice. He also shares his thoughts about liberal media.
I see both sides to this. Alec definitely brought a lot of this on himself with his multitude of tirades over the years earning him a reputation as a hot head even before the homophobia claims, however he is 100% right about the gay media elite who literally control the narrative on what is acceptable and unacceptable in the gay community. I used to be a huge fan of MSNBC but I hardly watch it anymore because everyone on that network is just so damn arrogant. Even when I agree with them, they just come off as very elitist. It’s also telling that most gay people automatically relegated him to the homophobe pile without ever hearing these alleged quotes themselves. As a group, we are overly sensitive and too quick to play the victim card. Coincidentally, we do that with race a lot too. I think he just needs to go about his business and honor what he said at the end of his essay which is stop talking about it and just live his life. He’s never going to please Maddow and Cooper and Sullivan unless he gravels at their feet.
I finally read his entire letter and I must say I have a different view on the matter. Its still just one side of the story (or stories, since he told so many of them) however his example justifies my decision for not wanting to be the FACE of Cypher Avenue. Not that I would have paparazzi after me, however, I have no desire to have the attention that comes with being a known black gay personality. Its one thing if a person finds my images somewhere through hard cyber stalking work, I’m not stressed about that. I’m more stressed about the idea of doing interviews topless in bed with Lonnell Williams or having a cameo on Freefall or giving a speech on a nipple ring float during ATL Pride.
I think Alec’s problem is lack of accountability and downplaying the fact that his reputation for being a jerk speaks before he does.
sidenote: have there been gaylebrity cameos on FreeFall?
you may be right; however falsely saying someone said something they didn’t or attacking someone over a word when it hasn’t been confirmed they said it is not okay.
I think @hannibal makes a solid point though…A point that even Alec Baldwin acknowledged. If people COULD accuse him if saying the word and people quickly believed it, what does that say about his personality that it would even be believable in the first place? He acknowledges in the essay that when angry in public he uses so many curse words that he doesn’t even remember which ones he said in retrospect.
Gaylebrity Cameos on Freefall? Yes.
I guess I’m old because I have no idea who this guy is.
You don’t know who Alec is? you’re only 3 years younger than me. LOL. Alec is a great actor but he’s still a certified hot-head. You know I think that Alec’s problem is he isn’t begging for forgiveness form the gay community. It seems that every person who makes an alleged slur, runs to Gladd and such and start donating tons of money and joining gay rights boards and speaking to homeless gay teens and the gay community collectively anoints them a recovering homophobe. Alec doesn’t appear to play that game, thus he will never really be “forgiven” for his alleged slur. @ocky is spot on and these incidents just enforce the notion that there really is a Gay Mafia or Gay Gate keepers.
So I see you didn’t follow the thread and instead went to post before watching the video Nick posted with the “gaylebrity.” I grew up on Beetlejuice and you really don’t think I know who Alec Baldwin is? I’m offended sir!
My bad. LOL
You’re blocked for at least a week!!!
Alec Baldwin is a good actor and I’ve like him in various roles. He’s been excellent in various roles, but he’s a hot head and the paparazzi nag and nag and nag him until he blows up and then they get what they want–A picture of his blowing up. He should talk to people like Julia Roberts and Denzel Washington and others about how they handle the rude paparazzi and learn from them.
Do I think that he hates gays? No. But he has to learn not to play into the narrative written for him. (Justin Beiber’s narrative is young, self-destrustructive punk. Lindsay Lohan’s narrative is drug addled former child star. Oprah Winfrey’s narrative is wise and dignified and do-gooder black woman.) He should be smart enough to know how the game is played–and play it well but he appears not to know how to play and win.
interesting points.