You’ve surely heard by now that former Growing Pains child star Kirk Cameron, 41, said a bunch of antiquated crap about homosexuality during an appearance on the Piers Morgan show. Cameron called being gay “unnatural,” “detrimental,” and “destructive,” as if gay people solely existed to destroy society. People were quick to point out how wrong he was, including his former “Growing Pains” costars, Tracey Gold and Alan Thicke. My favorite response comes from Thicke, who tweeted I’m getting him some new books. The Old Testament simply can’t be expected to explain everything.” He later added “I love Kirk but I may have to spank him…’tho not in a gay way!” That’s hysterical!
Now Kirk is defending himself, and he’s not backtracking or apologizing. He sent an indignant e-mail to ABC news saying that it’s all our fault for paying attention to him and calling him out on it, basically. He also tried to pull the “I have gay friends” card. Of course he did. My favorite part of this story is GLAAD’s response, which is at the end and is totally measured and convincing. I imagine someone sighing and rolling their eyes as they wrote it.
Kirk Cameron is fighting back against the “hate speech” he feels he’s endured since calling homosexuality “unnatural,” “detrimental,” and “ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization” during a Friday appearance on “Piers Morgan Tonight” to promote his new film, “Monumental.”
In an email statement released exclusively to ABCNews.com today, Cameron said that when Morgan asked him to share his views on homosexuality, “I spoke as honestly as I could, but some people believe my responses were not loving toward those in the gay community. That is not true. I can assuredly say that it’s my life’s mission to love all people.”
“I should be able to express moral views on social issues,” he said, “especially those that have been the underpinning of Western civilization for 2,000 years — without being slandered, accused of hate speech, and told from those who preach ‘tolerance’ that I need to either bend my beliefs to their moral standards or be silent when I’m in the public square.”
He concluded, “I believe we need to learn how to debate these things with greater love and respect,” and added, “I’ve been encouraged by the support of many friends (including gay friends, incidentally).”
Cameron’s “Growing Pains” co-stars Tracey Gold and Alan Thicke have spoken out against his comments, along with many other celebrities. Over the weekend, GLAAD launched a petition called Tell Kirk Cameron It’s Time to Finally Grow Up. It had more than 5,500 signatures this afternoon.
GLAAD spokesman Herndon Graddick released an email statement to ABCNews.com in response to Cameron’s latest comments: “Saying that gay people are ‘detrimental to civilization’ might be ‘loving’ in Kirk Cameron’s mind, but it’s gay youth and victims of bullying who truly suffer from adults like Cameron who espouse these ideas.”
“Obviously, Cameron has the right to recite his anti-gay talking points,” Graddick added, “just like fair-minded Americans have the right to tell him that his views are harmful and have no place in modern America.”
How did what he said have anything to do with love and respect? It’s one thing to say something like “I don’t personally believe in homosexuality, but I love and respect everyone.” People wouldn’t really argue with that. It’s quite another to call homosexuality “unnatural, detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization,” as if gay people are scheming villains instead of just normal people living their lives like everyone else. I read the rest of his comments to Morgan, which are available on the transcript, and at no point does he speak respectfully about gay people, so why should he expect that response?
A lot of you have made the comment that Kirk is probably a closet case, which is bolstered by this blind item claiming he trolls for men in parks. I don’t put a lot of faith in blind items but I could believe it. Let’s revisit one comment he made to Piers about what he would tell his child if he came to him and said he was gay. “There’s all sorts of issues that we need to wrestle through in our life. Just because you feel one way doesn’t mean we should act on everything that we feel.” I’m just going to leave it at that.
Kirk is promoting his documentary Monumental, in which he tries to claim that the foundation of America starting when the pilgrims came over is religion and that’s why we need religion in schools and government. His answer to America’s problems is to set us back 400 years when women couldn’t own property and people would have thought indoor plumbing was the devil’s work. The trailer is amusing, because Kirk just looks confused the whole time.
These are actual photos from the Facebook page for Monumental
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZma2ljaYVxe8qiqaSXk5a6pr7Op5asmamorKmx0piZnp2elMCtrc2dnKudlJSup8DEq5acmZyhtq%2BzvqGmpqejmsW2rcuiq7KXpaO7osDUq5ill6WosrSrxpqwmJ6inrKvsNKYnLGbpaiycA%3D%3D