Friday, October 28, 2005 at 12:53 JST
LOS ANGELES - George Takei, known to "Strak Fans" as helmsman Mr Sulu, has
revealed that he is a homosexual in the current issue of Frontiers, a
biweekly Los Angeles magazine covering the gay and lesbian community.
Takei said that his new onstage role as psychologist Martin Dysart in
"Equus," helped inspire him to publicly discuss his sexuality. The current
social and political climate also motivated Takei's disclosure, he said.
"The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for
being gay," Takei told the Assocuated Press on Thursday. "The issue of gay
marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I
was young."
The 68-year-old actor said he and his partner, Brad Altman, have been
together for 18 years.
Takei, a Japanese-American who lived in a U.S. internment camp from age 4
to
8, said he grew up feeling ashamed of his ethnicity and sexuality. He
likened prejudice against gays to racial segregation.
"It's against basic decency and what American values stand for," he said.
Takei joined the "Star Trek" cast in 1966 as Hikaru Sulu, a character he
played for three seasons on television and in six subsequent films. He
received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986. (Wire reports)
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