George Takei says he was outraged by Arnold Schwarzenegger’s veto on gay marriage legislation
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George Takei recently revealed that he came out as gay in response to former California Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger’s decision to veto the bill that legalized same-sex marriage in the state almost two decades ago.
Interview with British weekly newspaper The Stage, the 85-year-old “Star Trek” actor explained that he had to remain closeted while working in the movie industry as it was difficult to find employment for an openly gay and Asian American man at that time.
I learned at a young age that you couldn’t be an openly gay actor and hope to be employed. Because I was an Asian-American actor, I was already restricted. There are still big Hollywood actors who do not want to risk their careers.
Takei came out as gay Frontiers magazine, which covers news about the gay and lesbian community in Los Angeles, published an issue in 2005.
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Schwarzenegger was the 38th governor in California from 2003 to 2011. Takei made this announcement after Schwarzenegger. vetoed a bill A bill that would have legalized gay marital in the state was created by Mark Leno, Democratic Assemblyman.
Why did I come out as gay? Schwarzenegger presented his self as a movie star who was friends with gays. I was so upset that I, a gay man aged 68, spoke to the media for the first time.
In a statement at that time, Schwarzenegger said Leno’s bill contradicted Proposition 22, approved in 2000, which stated that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid.
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“This bill simply adds confusion to a constitutional issue,” he said.
Five years later, Schwarzenegger retracted his statement. In August 2010, he urged a federal judge California will allow gay and bisexual couples to resume their marriages immediately.
“The Administration believes the public interest is best served by permitting the court’s judgment to go into effect, thereby restoring the right of same-sex couples to marry in California,” Schwarzenegger’s lawyers said on his behalf. “Doing so is consistent with California’s long history of treating all people and their relationships with equal dignity and respect.”
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