Classical Values :: Some things are worse than being gay!

Some things are worse than being gay!

While it's hardly on the same level as Democratic activists outing gay Republicans, I'm wondering exactly what might have set in motion the series of events which resulted in the self "outing" of an actor who plays a popular television doctor:

NEW YORK - "Grey's Anatomy" star T.R. Knight says he's gay, but hopes people don't consider that "the most interesting part of me." The 33-year-old actor addressed rumors of his sexuality in a statement to People magazine Thursday.

"I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I'd like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there," Knight's statement read. "While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me."

That was the actor's public announcement (and I agree with him in general about keeping personal lives private) but what was behind it was a fight between the two other lead actors in the show. According to numerous confirmed reports, the dialogue of the fight went something like this:

"What are we waiting on?" said Isaiah [Washington].
"Not me," said Patrick [Dempsey]. "I'm always ready."
"At that point," said the source, "Isaiah said something mean to T.R. Knight" (who plays mild-mannered Dr. George O'Malley).
"That's when Patrick told Isaiah, 'Pick on somebody your own size.'
"Well, that did it. Isaiah became enraged and grabbed Patrick by the throat and shoved him back a few feet.
"Dr. McDreamy [Dempsey's nickname] almost landed in McDreamland."
When Knight demanded that the pair break it up, the source says, "Isaiah called him a bitch. Isaiah stormed off to his trailer to cool off, while Patrick and T.R. stood there in disbelief.

This dialogue finds confirmation in the New York Daily News, which also quotes Enquirer editor David Perel as saying "the sourcing on this story is rock-solid."

Wikipedia discusses the background of both Dempsey and Washington; apparently there'd been tension building between them for some time.

Based on what I have seen in life, when a man calls another man a "bitch," that's usually not an anti-gay slur. Depending on the context, it might mean a lot of things, but I just don't quite understand why being called a "bitch" would force anyone to out himself.

As it turns out, the word "bitch" wasn't what did it.

According to the National Enquirer, what Washington said was the equivalent of the "N" word:

"The melee has set off World War III on the show and may cost Isaiah his job," an insider told The ENQUIRER.

"The cast is divided over the shameful event."

As The ENQUIRER exclusively revealed last week, Patrick and Isaiah clashed over cast members being late to the set, right before shooting a scene at Prospect Studios in Los Angeles.

A heated discussion quickly escalated to violence when Isaiah snapped, revealed an eyewitness.

At one point, Isaiah yelled, "I'm not your little faggot like (name deleted)," according to the source. Those who heard him were stunned.

Because of the extreme nature of the slur, The ENQUIRER is withholding the name of the co-star targeted by Washington. During the brawl, an enraged Isaiah grabbed Patrick by the throat and shoved him a few feet.

There's a lot of discussion (these two posts are typical) over whether the dispute is what led T. R. Knight to out himself. I find it interesting that the dialogue is being sanitized, and while I normally avoid such tabloid gossip like the plague, I discovered a peculiar gay Republican connection which worries me.

According to the New York Times, Washington (the man said to have used the slur) "once played a gay Republican in Spike Lee's "Get on the Bus."

In a writeup on the 1996 film, Wikipedia has more on the gay Republican -- a character named "Kyle":

Kyle is a Gulf War veteran who reveals that he was purposely shot by his own platoon because of his race and sexual orientation. Being gay, African-American and Republican, he feels persecution from all sides which has made him bitter.

Interesting. What that means is that Washington did display at least enough human sensitivity to have played a gay character in the past. (Something many actors traditionally wouldn't touch.) And a gay Republican at that. Oddly, Wikipedia does not list that film in its writeup about Washington. Why? Might Washington be sensitive about it?

In my evil heart, I wonder how he'd have felt had someone said "I'm not your little gay Republican."

(The gay Republican issue may be causing more problems that I realized, but I guess some things should be left in the closet where they belong...)