Wilson Cruz to homophobic Star Trek viewers: “I’m not here for your comfort”
Cruz wrote: "If my love offends you then you should take a look at that"
Wilson Cruz has shut down those who complained about Star Trek: Discovery featuring gay characters.
Cruz currently stars in the latest Trek show as medical officer Dr. Hugh Culber, who is dating Science Officer Paul Stamets, portrayed by Anthony Rapp. They are the first openly gay characters in any Star Trek series.
But that hasn’t stopped some from complaining about their inclusion. Earlier this month, the head of an anti-gay organization said Discovery‘s creators should balance Cruz and Rapp’s characters with an “ex-gay” character who had renounced their sexuality.
Unsurprisingly, Cruz isn’t having it. In a lengthy Facebook post, he said that he was “not here for your comfort” and that “LGBTQ people arenāt going to just disappear because you put your head in the sand.”
“If my love offends you then you should take a look at that,” Cruz wrote. “Love is never wrong. It is the answer. We need MORE of it along with more curiosity and wonder at the diversity within our very own species.”
Read his full post below:
“Iām not here for your comfort. Thatās not why we are here. Weāre here to grow. Star Trek is and has always been here to challenge you to look outside of yourself and to see other people and other experiences in yourself. There is no division between you and me. I am just another human giving and receiving love, just like you. That is all.
You can turn your TV off, sure, but youāll only be cheating yourself. LGBTQ people arenāt going to just disappear because you put your head in the sand. We share the planet with you. We have always been here and we will always be here. You just donāt want to see us. Iām happy to tell you we wonāt be invisible anymore. Not for your comfort. We are living and loving out loud the way our creator intended us to because LOVE is nothing to hide.
If my love offends you then you should take a look at that. Love is never wrong. It is the answer. We need MORE of it along with more curiosity and wonder at the diversity within our very own species. Thatās no accident. We were all made differently for a reason. How much easier would it be if we were all the same? Perhaps, we arenāt exactly the same so we could do the great work of seeing, appreciating and LOVING those beautiful and quirky differences that make us human.
Willful ignorance has only brought us pain and anger and death. I know thatās not what you want.
I humbly suggest you learn the lesson. Star Trek could be a great start. Itās been my experience that if you donāt learn it, the universe, in the end, will find a more personal way to teach it to you. Thatās harder. So, learn it with us and open your mind and heart. Itās easier that way.
Good luck.
“
We spoke to Anthony Rapp earlier this year about his role as Science Officer Paul Stamets in Discovery. Rapp said that he was āhonoredā to be playing one of the franchiseās first openly gay characters.
āIām also honored to be a part of a piece of work thatās part of the cultural pantheon,ā he said. āItās kind of crazy that I get to be a part of something that means so much to so many people. It meant a lot to me, too. Iām thrilled and Iām honored to be the vehicle for this aspect of the story thatās being told.ā
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