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Kirk Cameron's Antigay Remarks: Celebrities Respond
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Kirk Cameron's Antigay Remarks: Celebrities Respond
Kirk Cameron's Antigay Remarks: Celebrities Respond
Although former actor Stephen Baldwin thinks Kirk Cameron did a "great job" making antigay remarks on television last Friday, other celebrities including Roseanne Barr, Debra Messing, and Cameron's former Growing Pains costars Tracey Gold and Alan Thicke disagree.
The former sitcom actor turned evangelical Christian activist appeared on Piers Morgan's CNN talk show Friday, and when asked his views on homosexuality, he stated, "I think that it's unnatural. I think that it's detrimental and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization." The remarks created an immediate uproar among equality advocates, and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation quickly took action, creating this page for people to express their disapproval.
Morgan was interviewed by website TMZ and asked if he considers Cameron's opinions outdated."I think he was pretty brave to say what he said," Morgan replied. "Many would argue [it's] an antiquated view."
Gold, who played Cameron's sister in the hit sitcom Growing Pains, immediately distanced herself from her former costar's derogatory comments, tweeting, "I am a strong supporter of the #LGBT Community, and I believe in equal rights for all. #NOH8 #LOVE"
Actor Baldwin, who describes himself as a "Jesus freak" in his Twitter profile, appears to be the only celebrity who is publicly defending
Cameron. Baldwin tweeted, "GREAT JOB Kirk !!! Let's pray one day Piers
Morgan finds true Salvation, God Bless!"
Obviously Cameron and Baldwin do not represent all evangelicals. "Despite what Kirk Cameron said on CNN's Piers Morgan program, being gay is not unnatural, detrimental, or destructive to the foundation of civilization," said Todd Ferrell, president of the Evangelical Network. "The church in large is part of the problem but has great potential to be a part of the solution. The church and Christianity have gotten off track by overemphasizing religious legalism and underemphasizing a relationship with God. They also are simply out of touch with where America is on equality. Churches across America are seeing lower attendance, and much of this has been attributed to their nonstop preaching against gays and lesbians."
GCB star Kristin Chenoweth, a 2011 GLAAD Media Award winner, gave an
interview to ABC in which she discussed being a Christian who supports
LGBT equality. "The Bible tells us that we're not supposed to judge, and
people shouldn't judge before seeing the show," Chenoweth says. "Even
as a young child, I thought, 'Why is being gay bad?' I didn't understand
it. So I asked my grandma, who is the best Christian I ever knew. I'd
say, 'What about my friend Denny, he's gay, is he going to hell?' She
told me, 'I read the Bible like I eat fish. I take the meat that serves
me well, but I don't choke on the bone.'"
Read statements released by other celebrities in response to Cameron's remarks on the following pages.