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$\"Gravatar\"$ Big fat \"I told you so\" eh? Certainly justifies the comments that were posted in your previous entry.

P.S Tom Shales censors his comments. I posted some criticism (family friendly) of him and griffin and the only posts they had listed were the 5 that were basically \"how dare they speak ill of the dead\" and \"kudos tom\". So much for healthy discourse.
Brandon H | 08.17.07 - 3:59 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ OT: In another bizarre twist, Matt Sanchez just created a poll on his site asking about DADT. It is on the left side: read it a couple of times and see if you notice the incredible freudian slip. Notice the poll is not an ad but was worded by Sanchez. Now this is a guy who writes for The Weekly Standard and is this blatantly sloppy:

Sanchez's Poll: \"\"leading Democratic candidates for the presidency support the repeal of the military Don't Ask Don't Tell policy on homosexuals openly serving in the military. Would open homosexual conduct in the military strengthen or harm the military?\"

What a complete weasel. Notice how he so casually inserts a total lie in there. First he talks about DADT which is about \"homosexuals openly serving\" but when he actually gets to the question he says \"open homosexual conduct\". One has absolutely nothing to do with the other. You can be completely celibate and be discharged under DADT for just being identified as gay. Sexual conduct is a totally and completely different subject. In fact in a debate on Liveleak Sanchez accidentally divulged that he knew the specifics of UCMJ 125-a which prohibits heterosexual oral sex just as it does homosexual (they both fall under the term 'sodomy' in the military code). DADT has absolutely nothing to do with sexual conduct. There are only two explanations for Sanchez blatant error. He is incredibly sloppy and ignorant of DADT, a basic policy that has been in the news for years and recently in the Presidential debates (besides the point that Sanchez most certainly is aware of its details due to his gay porn past). Or the other option is that this writer for The Weekly Standard just intentionally lied to stir up more hatred towards gays. And he had the gall to demonize Scott Beauchamp for supposedly unprofessional writing.

http://www.matt-sanchez.com/
Leon | 08.17.07 - 6:04 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Mike, thanks so much for being unafraid of speaking the truth (I hate to call it 'outing'). This proves once again that when people like you and Mike Rogers speak out, it creates ripples that make a big difference. It's sad that after 20 years, most of the media still perpetuates the closet. But thank God for people like you to have at least advanced the discussion a little.
Sid | 08.17.07 - 6:12 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Another current example is the show \"So You Think You Can Dance\". The second place finisher was openly gay Danny Tidwell. He has a long time boyfriend and they live together, publish a magazine together, and have websites featuring their relationship. Despite that, if you go to the FOX TV website where they are discussing Danny, you will get violently screamed at for daring to mention this. People were literally ranting and raving at me: \"How dare you try to spread such a malicous rumor about Danny\". People still go nuts when you simply acknowledge that someone is gay.
Sid | 08.17.07 - 6:17 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Interesting comments by Rush Limbaugh's good friend Pat Sajak about Merv in an interview one year ago:

DV: The gay community would probably love to claim “Wheel of Fortune” as one of America’s most successful gay-created game shows because Merv Griffin is the executive producer.

Sajak: I wasn’t aware of that.

DV: You’re not aware that Merv Griffin might be gay?

Sajak: No, I have heard that. But I care very little whether he is or not. I guess the question is “Are you only gay if you live the ‘gay lifestyle?’”

I may or may not be heterosexual. I’ve never made that announcement, and I don’t expect to.

http://www.dallasvoice.com/artma...iew.cgi/53/3171
Dean | 08.17.07 - 6:29 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ People are already posting hateful homophobic comments in reaction to Ray Richmond's article. Let's show him some support: http://www.pastdeadline.com/
TTY | 08.17.07 - 6:43 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ I am glad to see this article in main stream Hollywood press. I have already favorable posted a comment on the article.
Jim Siegle | 08.17.07 - 8:56 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Great article and good writer. Thanks for posting it.
Fruit Rat | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 9:38 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ What a complete lack of decency many of you seem to display here. That's what we are talking about...common respect and decency.

I'm gay. I am not in the closet.I am appalled that people think it is so courageous when guys like this out personalities. Can you remember when you were not out and proud? Did someone show up and say \"either you come out today or I am telling\"? No, you had a choice to live your life in whatever way you wished.

Being a celebrity doesn't negate that right. If he wanted to live his life in private or, for whatever reason, he felt better served by being closeted--WHO THE HELL ARE WE TO SAY DIFFERENTLY.

Watch what you say folks -- you are not a \"cause\" and you don't get to screw with people's lives because you deem it better for gays around the world!

At the end of the day, its all about common respect and decency. From my perspective, sitting here supporting the Hollywood reporter is tantamount to being a really heartless son of a bitch.
Jon from MD | 08.17.07 - 10:04 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ BRAVO Jon!
Tina | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 10:16 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Great article.

After all your hard work (and that of so many others like Mike Rogers) the dam is finally bursting.

Fascinating to see this in The Hollywood Reporter, which back in the studio era was the home of the deeply closeted and extremely viscious Mike Connelly (Hollywood's own Roy Cohn) who took great delight in destroying people's careers for being leftists -- and was instrumental in getting Elia Kazan to turn on his former friends and colleagues.

\"Jon from MD,\" you have my express permission to crawl back into your pathetic closet and fucking DIE!
David Ehrenstein | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 10:37 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Way is it some controversial and shameful to say that an obviously gay man in Hollywood (yes, even in that rough, tough macho town) is gay? I just don't get why this is so controversial. You would have to be blind, death, and very dumb not to have got Merv was gay. I am glad the media waking up to the fact that being gay neither shameful nor something to hide.
Tori Adams | 08.17.07 - 10:39 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ The problem with Richmond's column is that it ignores the fact (brought up in your \"Dangerous Closet\" piece) that Merv discriminated against those who were openly gay. For me, that's the data point that changes everything.

For if Griffin's closet only affected his life, then I'd be an apologist, too. But it didn't -- it significantly screwed up the lives of others, necessarily. In this regard, Griffin was no better than a straight homophobe who fires gay people because he thinks we're icky. The results are the same, anyway.
Red Seven | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 11:44 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Funny...some are so quick to point out the supposedly uncontrollable urges of homosexuals when the subject of the discussion is, let's say, a pedophile priest.

It's not a problem for Christian zealots to smear non-heteros if a crime can be attached to the identity. But if a homo is not a perpetrator - or in the case of Mervy, is an obedient Uncle Tom that keeps his identity to himself - then it is a terrible connection to make.

It seems to come back to deciding what is more important: judging people based on who they are or on what they do.

Mervy could have done better. How many more billions of dollars of personal security would have to amass in order prevent him from ending up the same we all do: dead?

What would he have lost by being open and sharing his experience, strength and hope with people that might not have access to the opportunities he had in his long life?

Selfishness should not be rewarded or ignored. All the charitable cash contributions in the world would be enhanced by the courage and honesty he could have shown by being open about himself.
patrick | 08.17.07 - 11:52 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ I've been listening to Deney Terrio all week on The Strobe (Sirius 37) as he's been recalling memories of Merv Griffin. As I expected, they've mostly been positive. However, he just said \"since it's Merv Griffin tribute week I'm not going to say anything about this next song - Diana Ross, I'm Coming Out. It's a great song. Lots of people like it.\"
Claude | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 1:10 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ David Ehrenstein writes:

\"\"Jon from MD,\" you have my express permission to crawl back into your pathetic closet and fucking DIE!\"

Yes, cause the best retort is a \"fabulous string of hostility\" is to assume you know one thing about me and then throw in a few words to make you sound tough and belligerent.

David,read a bit closer - I am not in a closet at all.

As for pathetic - hmmm, it would be so easy to go to your level - but really, the derogative words must help support your opinion - right? Debate is about considering opinions. I guess you thought you just had to be \"right\" (as opposed to being righteous).
Jon from MD | 08.17.07 - 1:11 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Is David Ehrenstein missing part of his frontal lobes? Or maybe a poster boy for Narcissistic Personality Disorder?
thomas tucker | 08.17.07 - 1:32 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Interesting that Richmond, in his articel,states that Griffin was gay but also admits that \"we knew nothing of his personal relationships...\"
Anybody else see a disconnect there?
thomas tucker | 08.17.07 - 1:38 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ You'll be happy to know, Jon from MD and Thomas the Brain Surgeon, that Lisa DeMoraes of the \"Washington Post\" is all for keeping Merv in the closet
David Ehrenstein | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 1:50 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ \"Yes, cause the best retort is a \"fabulous string of hostility\" is to assume you know one thing about me and then throw in a few words to make you sound tough and belligerent.\"

Rather than the \"mincing prisspot\" that I actually am?
David Ehrenstein | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 1:52 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ This is amazing. The article has apparently been scrubbed for the Hollywood Reporter site. On that site there was no comments section to the article. But Ray Richmond had the article also posted on his own site. There you could comment. Guess what ... Ray has now removed the article from his site too. Apparently the Hollywood closeted mafia came down with some kind of directive and ordered all the reports be removed. What the hell is happening?
Gino | 08.17.07 - 3:37 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Mike should get Ray Richmond on the air. Apparently something drastic happened because Ray's article has been completely removed from the Hollywood Reporter site and also his blog. People were commenting on his article and then suddenly the whole thing disappeared.
Gino | 08.17.07 - 3:51 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ You can still find it HERE!
David Ehrenstein | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 4:31 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Michael you have done great things for the cause, but your jobs have been behind a desk writing on gay or personality issues. Maybe if you had been born as a plumber on Long Island in the 60's you would not be so \"insensed\" that he did not come out to the public.

I am gay, once married and there is a factor of protecting the people who didn't do anyting to deserve public ridicule. Mere was married and has a son. It is thing called respect of others; a quality that has all but disappeared in todays world.

I can easily forgive him for not coming out. I can't forgive him for being a friend of Ronald Regan much higher on the hierarcy of contemptable offenses way above not coming out.

Mike
mike gill | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 4:44 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Check Update III of the post, I've just written something about this odd disappearance of the column.
Signorile | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 4:45 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Oh poor Merv Griffin's son, only an heir to a billion dollar fortune. Oh the agony of grotesque wealth! How will he ever survive the trauma of people saying his gay father was gay. Gay! The worst thing you could call someone, a filthy homosexual!
Johnny | 08.17.07 - 4:54 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Here is the number: 323-525-2000

I wish I could call right now but all I have is Skype and it's been down for two days.
Gino | 08.17.07 - 5:00 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Skype is back online now. I am calling but they won't answer the phone. It just keeps ringing and ringing. Is there an alternate number?
Gino | 08.17.07 - 5:06 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ We just received confirmation from Hollywood Reporter. The article was pulled \"at the request of the editor. no further information.\"

Outrageous!

I will post a new post at the top of the blog.
Signorile | Homepage | 08.17.07 - 5:07 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ The article is still linked on JMG's blog and it goes to the Hollywood Reporter website. If it's still viewable, does that mean it is back on from being yanked offline?
Malibu Boy | 08.17.07 - 5:09 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Correction: JMG's link was to a previous article about mourners, not the actual article. I searched the website and didn't find it.

Maybe his son Tony asked to have the column removed?
Malibu Boy | 08.17.07 - 5:17 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Perez just posted the Hollywood Reporter article. I thought he would, in typical Perez style he filed Merv's obituary under \"gay, gay, gay\" which had the straights freaking out in the comments section. A few days later he also posted a Globe magazine, I think, cover outing him. People say Perez only outs to get attention, but I disagree, it's a matter of principle to him. And hopefully he's changing the world (at least a little), it needs it. Well he's doing his part anyway.
Johnny | 08.17.07 - 5:43 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ As I have asked elsewhere, where is the proof that Merv was gay? Where are the eyewitnesses with proof? Two lawsuits were thrown out, not even taken to trial, which typically means that there is no evidence. Remember- everyone \"knew\" Tony Randall was gay and Rock Hudson was straight. Only they weren't.
thomas tucker | 08.17.07 - 6:25 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Dear Jon from MD, speaking of debate...you haven't commented on claims that Merv discriminated against gays who were open about their sexuality. Clearly this conflicts with any \"rights\" to remain closeted. What are your comments about this?
Antidote to Jon from MD | 08.18.07 - 2:52 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ \" As I have asked elsewhere, where is the proof that Merv was gay?\"

Do you have any idea whose blog you're posting on?

Have you read Michelangelo's Queer in America -- which was first published in 1993?

DO YOU HAVE A FUCKING CLUE?????!!!!!

I knew Rock Hudson was gay before I knew that I was, dumbass!
David Ehrenstein | Homepage | 08.19.07 - 10:27 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ Rock Hudson was gay?

Next you will say Liberace was gay.

Thank God there is straight men left, like Tom Shales.
Mary | 08.19.07 - 11:44 pm | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ FYI, there's a real asshole named Steve Shyte (or so he says) who just wrote the most crass, juvenile, hateful, malicious attack of Ray \"Bitchmond\" over at his sorry-ass excuse for a blog. It seriously almost made me lose my lunch. What a goon. And if you find it (I hesitate to include a direct link as I don't want to invite too much traffic to this MF's site), please do share with him in the comments section what a major-league prickbastard he is.
babyphat | 08.20.07 - 3:18 am | #

$\"Gravatar\"$ David- all I am saying is that stories about actor A and actor B, and on and on all down the alphabet are always circulating around thru the gay community. You know that, and a lot of it is just wishful thinking. So, apparently it is true that Merv was gay or bi or whatever; I've read enough from people who knew him to accept that. But, before all of the discussion, it was just a rumor or \"fairy tale\" to those of us outside Hollywood, like so many other rumors. I wonder why Signorile didn't name the name in his book, if there was irrefutable evidence? Wouldn't that have helped the LGBT community, as Signorile suggested that Merv himself should have done?
thomas tucker | 08.20.07 - 10:00 am | #

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