Letters of Support and Endorsements

Patrick Stewart Comes Out For Gay Characters

In an cover story and interview for the August 22, 1995 issue of The Advocate, Patrick Stewart says, "It would be very appropriate if the upcoming Next Generation movies made it their business to have gay characters." I think we can infer that he believes the same to be true for Voyager and Deep Space Nine.

Now, if he would just have a talk with Piller, Berman and Taylor --or better yet replace one of the men as a producer, we might get somewhere.

Stewart also said he thought that gay people should be dismayed by the fact that they are not portrayed as part of the 24th Century, that he thought that Q was gay, that he found the theory that Q was simply the another aspect of Picard "attractive", that he has seen slash fiction and homoerotic illustrations of Riker, Picard and Data sharing a shower.

He also talks about his fascination for roles that explore the abuse of power and the fact that the threat of violence played a large role in his childhood.

Here's are some more tidbits:

Q: You may or may not be aware of this, but there are some people who, for whatever reason, are absolutely convinced you're gay.

A: So I'm told! This has come to my ears only recently ... I wondered if it could be in any way connected with ... Jeffrey ... I can only say that I feel very good about it. From an evolutionary point of view, the acceptance and embracing of aspects of one's personality is wonderful: To feel areas of vulnerability that I have not in the past associated with being a man. To also be able to admit, as I have been able to in recent years, to deep love and affection--sometimes verging on passion--for some of my male friends and colleagues. It is wonderful to feel at ease and comfortable with their arms around me and mine around them. To have a kind of delight in that. All of this is a very recent experience.

Q: You've told an interviewer you felt "much discomfort" about The Next Generation's treatment of women.

A: I felt that the writers and producers could not escape from their own essential rigidity in their attitudes to women. They were continually featured as sexual objects, as softer, weaker, and therefore --it always seemed to me-- second-class individuals. And because I believed and still do that the show represents what our underlying philosophies are, it doubly irritated me that in that area I thought we were failing. ... there is kind of a boys club atmosphere about Star Trek, you understand. Our actresses were not finding sympathetic ears.

Avery Brooks Endorses The Addition of Lesbian/Gay Characters

At Creation Con in San Francisco August 5 and 6, Avery Brooks endorsed the idea and declared that there was "room in this world for everyone" when asked if he would favor the addition of a positive gay or lesbian character to the world of Voyager or DS9. Sporting a newly shaved head and minimalist beard reminiscent of his character "Hawk" in the television detective series (his new look for the season), he was extremely spiffy in a jacket, white collarless shirt and an unusual tailored pair of "overalls" in wool suit fabric. This man has a deep, rich, vibrant voice and a presence that dominates a room. He sang a little for the crowd and made very positive comments about Trek's ability to help us envision a better world than we have, a world where everyone can live up to their full potential.

Letter of Support From GLAAD/SFBA

July 28, 1995

Dear Mr. Pillar, Ms. Taylor and Mr. Berman:

Timothy Perkins has been in communication with you regarding the "Voyager Visibility Proejct" that he is directing on behalf of GLAAD/SFBA. We are encouraging you to add a gay or lesbian character to the "Voyager cast by this fall.

We would encourage you to have this character's sexuality alluded to in matter-of-fact ways, just as heterosexuals' partners are likewise alluded to in passing. That is not to say you could not occasionaly have a plot line about the gay/lesbian character's romantic involvements, just as you would the heterosexuals'. But the story line should be about the normal give-and-take in any relationship --instead of any kind of angst over his/her sexuality.

Since "Voyager's" time is the distant future, there is no reason to portray gay/lebian angst. The reason was suggested by Gene Roddenberry in "Star Trek," which takes place in an era when we have overcome war, racism and sexism. We believe that homophobia, too, will disappear in such a world.

If you think that is wishfull thinking on our part, consider this: People in different centuries think differently. They do not have the same values about politics, race, religion, ways of making a living, the roles of the sexes or the family. For instance, as late as the 16th Century, burning of heretics at the stake was not considered by churchmen the horror all of us consider it today. The churchmen's reasoning: Far better to burn a short while on earth than to burn forever in hell. Of course, almost nobod thinks that way today.

So why shouldn't gay/lesbian/bisexual relationships be totally accepted in the future? Throughout history all kinds of prejudices have fallen one by one.

Too often science fiction adopts the premise that everything in the future is the same except the science --that the values of today will remain constant. That is flawed thinking. No one produces a drama about the past as if its values were the same. Indeed, the difference in values is often at the core of historical drama. We often view the values of the past with disdain --precisely because we view the markch of history as a march of defeating prejudice and ignorance.

Sincerely,
Kristy Billuni
Managing Director
Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
San Francisco Bay Area

Post From AOL Folder on Lesbian/Gay Characters

Subj: Opened my eyes...
95-08-25 22:28:59 EDT
From: Starrgazr1