Glee creator calls for boycott of ‘bigoted’ magazine column

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

The creator of gay-friendly comedy Glee has urged a boycott of Newsweek magazine over a “bigoted” column.

Ryan Murphy said that an article questioning whether gay actors could play straight characters was “needlessly cruel and mind-blowingly bigoted”.

Writer Ramin Setoodeh, who is gay, had suggested that gay Will & Grace actor Sean Hayes was “insincere” and “unintentionally camp” when playing a straight character.

He wrote: “If an actor of the stature of George Clooney came out of the closet tomorrow, would we still accept him as a heterosexual leading man?

Mr Setoodeh had also criticised Glee actor Jonathan Groff, the openly gay Broadway star who plays a straight character in the show.

He wrote: “As the shifty glee captain from another school who steals Rachel’s heart, there’s something about his performance that feels off. In half his scenes, he scowls- is that a substitute for being straight? When he smiles or giggles, he seems more like your average theater queen, a better romantic match for Kurt than Rachel.”

Murphy added: “This article is as misguided as it is shocking and hurtful. It shocks me because Mr. Setoodeh is himself gay.”

Kristin Chenoweth, Hayes’ co-star in the play Promises, Promises, attacked Mr Setoodeh’s article, calling it “horrendously homophobic”.

Meanwhile, actor Cheyenne Jackson said: “It was very veiled self-loathing. Really upsetting. Every time we go forward, some asshole like this takes us back a bit.”

Mr Setoodeh defended his column, saying he had simply been trying to start a debate.

In another article, he said: “My article became a straw man for homophobia and hurt in the world. . . But I was hoping to start a dialogue that would be thoughtful- not to become a target for people who twisted my words.

“I’m not a conservative writer with an anti-gay agenda. I don’t hate gay people or myself.”

Comments (0)

MyPinkNews members are invited to comment on articles to discuss the content we publish, or debate issues more generally. Please familiarise yourself with our community guidelines to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive space for all.

Loading Comments