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Newsweek Done Messed With the Wrong "Queens"

By Dustin Rowles | Posted Under Trade News | Comments (22)



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I think — given the way that homophobic gay journalist, Ramin Setoodeh, characterized gay actors in his Newsweek piece — that all he expected was a few limp-wristed bitch slaps for his blatant idiocy. What he’s getting, however, is a verbal beat down. That narrow-minded bigoted asshole is about to feel the wrath of thousands of “queens” raining down on him with their “beefy bravado.”

The latest ass-kicking comes from Ryan Murphy, in an open letter to Newsweek, in which he asks for an immediate boycott of Newsweek until an apology is issued (people still read Newsweek?).

The letter, in full, below:

I would like to join my good friend Kristin Chenoweth on her condemnation of a recent Newsweek article written by Mr. Ramin Setoodeh, in which Setoodeh basically says that out gay actors should go back into the closet and never attempt to play straight characters. This article is as misguided as it is shocking and hurtful. It shocks me because Mr. Setoodeh is himself gay. But what is the most shocking of all is that Newsweek went ahead and published such a blatantly homophobic article in the first place…and has remained silent in the face of ongoing (and justified) criticism. Would the magazine have published an article where the author makes a thesis statement that minority actors should only be allowed and encouraged to play domestics? I think not.

Today, I have asked GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios to stand with me and others and ask for an immediate boycott of Newsweek magazine until an apology is issued to Sean Hayes and other brave out actors who were cruelly singled out in this damaging, needlessly cruel, and mind-blowingly bigoted piece. An apology should also be issued to all gay readers of the magazine…steelworkers, parents, accountants, doctors, etc…proud hardworking Americans who, if this article is to be believed, should only identify themselves as “queeny” people (a word used by Setoodeh in the article) who stand at the back of the bus and embrace an outdated decades old stereotype.

Mr. Setoodeh has recently Twittered that he is a fan of Glee, the show I co-created with Ian Brennan and Brad Falchuk…the show on which Mr. Groff plays the straight love interest to Lea Michele, a casting choice embraced by fans and critics alike which Mr. Setoodeh has taken issue with.

I extend an open invitation to Mr. Setoodeh to come to the writers room of our show, and perhaps pay a set visit. Hopefully then he can see how we take care to do a show about inclusiveness…a show that encourages all viewers no matter what their sexual orientation to go after their hopes and dreams and not be pigeonholed by dated and harmful rhetoric…rhetoric he sadly spews and believes in. Hopefully, some of the love we attempt to spread will rub off on Mr. Setoodeh — a gay man deeply in need of some education — and he not only apologizes to those he has deeply offended but pauses before he picks up his poison pen again to work through the issues of his own self loathing. Give me a call, Ramin…I’d love to hear from you. I’ll even give you a free copy of our Madonna CD, on which we cover “Open Your Heart,” a song you should play in your house and car on repeat.

Ryan

(Source: Movlieline)









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Comments

wow
He's pissed.

Posted by: James at May 12, 2010 11:28 AM

*snaps*

Posted by: Patty O'Green at May 12, 2010 11:29 AM

Yep, I know a Boom Stick when I see it.

Posted by: Kballs at May 12, 2010 11:30 AM

This is like that episode of The West Wing where Josh argues with that gay Congressman who supports the "Marriage Recognition Act" banning gay marriage! And the Congressman gives this phenomenal speech about how he believes in what most of the Republican Party stands for and how his constituents support the Act. But it's way more interesting and less bigoted than the Newsweek article. And at the end there's that awesome scene where he goes out to meet the people who compared gayness to kleptomania and says "get your hand off my back, Congressman!" I think that anybody seeking to write an opinion piece on anything should watch The West Wing first and then really think about what they're saying. Because unless they're as eloquent/thoughtful as Aaron Sorkin, they're just gonna sound like a douche. Yes, I'm lookin' at you, Ramin Setoodouche.

Posted by: esme at May 12, 2010 11:46 AM

*boom*

I do believe that was a smackdown. Good on Chenoweth and Murphy. I'm all for the readers expressing their feelings via their subscription dollars. I hope the sales for Newsweek drop enough that Setoodeh and his editors realize what a gigantic, sucking asshole he really is.

Posted by: stardust at May 12, 2010 11:58 AM

Holy crap, this Newsweek nonsense almost escaped me. Probably because I haven't read a single issue of Newsweek since 1997.

[has a momentary panic attack ... Hot Tub Time Machine!!]

[checks date & time in the right hand corner of the screen] ... it says Wednesday, 12 May 2010. Phew.

Posted by: SB at May 12, 2010 12:03 PM

Between this and the bizarre anti-technology (and hypocritical) rant Obama went on this week it's been a fun time for foot-in-the-mouth statements.

This guy is a douchebag.

Posted by: TylerDFC at May 12, 2010 12:09 PM

You know, openly homosexual writers should really only write about gay things. Flower arranging, the Imperial Court of NY's annual gala, and the club scene in Boystown, Chicago. You should leave real reporting to the straight reporters, Ramin Setoodeh. Dickhead.

Posted by: JenVegas at May 12, 2010 12:21 PM

Uh-oh. Ramin Setoodeh has responded to his critics. It's...special. It includes the claims that he can't be homophobic because he's gay, everyone on the Internet is misreading his article, and he was only trying to open a dialog. He was successful on the third claim, but not in the way he expected, so now he's on the defensive and possibly digging himself into a bigger hole.

Also, Cheyenne Jackson--an out stage actor who has almost exclusively been cast as macho straight males and done it with gusto--and Michael Urie--another great out stage actor--responded to the article, as well. While not as eloquent as Chenoweth or Murphy, their points are equally valid. Jackson goes after the personal attack element, while Urie focuses on how all actors are pretending to be someone they're not angle.

Posted by: Robert at May 12, 2010 12:30 PM

It seems like self-hatred has always been the cause of the most destructive actions.

Posted by: Lindsay at May 12, 2010 12:31 PM

Wow Robert, Setoodeh actually tries to play his arguments off as "sharing my honest impression about a play that I saw". Hmm, were you writing a play review? NO, I don't think so. I think you were writing about "the gays" and where they belong...

And I love Urie's point about famous straight actors playing gay, citing Milk and Philadelphia, saying "when straight actors play gay, they're so 'brave.' Why is it so f*cking 'brave'? It's a part and he's a good actor. I hope we can get to the day where the best actor gets the part. End of story."

Thanks for those links, Robert.

Posted by: Patty O'Green at May 12, 2010 12:42 PM

@ Robert: this is brilliant!

"You can disagree with me if you like, but when was the last time you saw a movie starring a gay actor?" - Well, I don't know, because as it happens most people don't really care about the relationship status, sexual orientation, and dietary preferences of the actors who star in the films they see.

Ha ha, when was the last time you saw a movie starring a vegetarian actor, Mr. Setoodeh? AHA! So, we should make sure vegetarian actors don't take roles in films unless the character .... you know.

Posted by: SB at May 12, 2010 1:02 PM

On next week's Newsweek: Why actresses should try to be more like Megan Fox and stop being such cockteases!

This is Newsweek from 1956, right?

Posted by: Fredo at May 12, 2010 1:04 PM

Yeah, the Newsweek article is dumb. Dude should have just said "Sean Hayes wasn't very convincing in his part" and left it at that.

If we acknowledge that a straight actor can successfully play gay (a la Sean Penn, Tom Hanks, Heath Ledger...), then we must also acknowledge that a gay actor can play straight. If the performance is unsuccessful, then maybe the actor just needs to go back to acting school.

Also, Rock Hudson played a pretty convincing straight man.

Posted by: MM at May 12, 2010 1:15 PM

This guy is a total jackass.

That's not a question, that's a statement of fact. But I was initially a little nervous when this came out that it seemed like Newsweek manufactured the controversy in order to garner some press. I mean, the timing fits (Newsweek is neither relevant or talked about and Time just had it's big 100 celebration) and certainly jackassery would garner rubber necking to the highest degree and cause people to start buying the weekly in order to figure out what was going on. I almost wished the people who were responding to this ass (who doesn't deserve acknowledgement with a response) would say, "The article? Bullshit. The writer? He can go to Hell. Actors are actors and it's their job to pretend." (And in my mind Alan Ball would also snap, "Now if you'd excuse me, I've got to go film pretty people fucking.") But then I read his rebuttal, or the parts that I could get through, anyway and I've reached a painful realization.

This guy is not just a jackass. This guy is an idiot. Usually if it's manufactured press, the Newsweek Rep would state how sorry the company was and how they were unaware of the impact of his writing and blahblahbullshitblahblah. But now that I realize that not only does this guy have latent self-loathing issues, this guy thinks he's justified. He believes that his opinion that gay people can not act straight is so fucking right, that it makes me gag.

Generally, something like a boycott would only garner more press and cause a different group of people to buy extra in order to voice their opinion. But with the general populous more grounded when it comes to things like "sense and reason" and have no problem with the concept of actors, well, acting (and the Social Conservatives are too busy spending their money on guns, tea bags and hats to staple them to), it could work. But the idea of Mr. Murphy and Mr. Setoodeh sitting down and having a chat, a playdate that would garner a lot of press, to be sure, seems like we'd be encouraging this numbskull with more media coverage. Our country has a bad habit of rewarding bad behavior (I'm looking at you, "stars" of The Hills), so let's not continue encouraging asinine acts. This guy doesn't deserve any more of the attention he so desperately craves for his ignorant opinions.

Posted by: Kayanne at May 12, 2010 1:24 PM

How in all this has no one brought up Ian McKellen? I would think the whole "can't play straight" thing would evaporate there. Of course, we don't know for sure that Gandalf wasn't dating Pippin on the side. Perhaps that will come out in the upcoming 24 disc Blu Ray set "The Complete Lord of the Rings and this Time We Really Mean It", but I kinda doubt it.

Posted by: TylerDFC at May 12, 2010 1:49 PM

i hope they succeed in getting the 3% of the population that actually read newsweek to boycott it. (that is an actual statistic, by the way.)

seriously though, i don't get it?! are we sure the Ramin guy is gay? the world has gone mad, mad i say!

Posted by: kristin at May 12, 2010 2:00 PM

Setoodeh is sidestepping the issue so fast, it's amazing he doesn't trip on himself. The problem is that some of the points he makes in his second article are valid, but that's not what he conveyed in his first article.

This is the focal point of the first article, after he waxes about Hayes' poor performance;

While it's OK for straight actors to play gay (as Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger did in Brokeback Mountain), it's rare for someone to pull off the trick in reverse.

This is what he says in the second:

when was the last time you saw a movie starring a gay actor?...if an actor of the stature of George Clooney came out of the closet today, would we still accept him as a heterosexual leading man?

Not the same thing and knows it. Hollywood still having issues about accepting the gay community is one thing, but Sedooteh's first article is stating that Hollywood isn't the problem, it's that gay actors aren't talented or convincing enough to play straight characters.

On the obvious level, it's bullshit. That's what actors do is play someone else. When Richard Chamberlain played Father Ralph de Bricassart in the Thorn Birds, women were dropping their panties left and right to be near him. His coming out later on doesn't make his performance any less outstanding.

And Sean Hayes can play it straight. He was pretty damn good as Jerry Lewis, and while he was all over the place, I had no doubt that he was going after the women.

Posted by: Brie at May 12, 2010 2:33 PM

It's SO spooky. I was just last week wondering if the whole 'Kurt Gay' thing was going to be explored more fully and they DID and I'm overjoyed and will now have to get back in to Glee.

As for this douche bag right here?
He can suck my fat one.
And all those gorgeous queens fat ones, and all those gorgeous lesbo fat ones.

What amuses me most is that he pointedly insulted the most fantasically bitchy crowd out there. Did he really think for a second he would escape without every gay out there ripping him a new one?

Posted by: Nadine at May 12, 2010 3:25 PM

I am trying to figure out Newsweek's business angle on this. The Washington Post, Newsweek's parent, announced this month they are selling the rag. Is this some misguided attempt to generate interest in the failing periodical and drive up sales so that they can try to get a better price for it? I can't rule it out. But either way it confirms how poorly run the place is if they think prospective buyers won't recognize the source of the increased interest (sales, web site hits). Or maybe they were just incompetent when they ran the original piece. Either way, ya know?

Posted by: ed newman at May 12, 2010 3:32 PM

Posted by: icecreammang at May 12, 2010 3:34 PM

[Insert "Oh Snap" Flowchart Here]

Posted by: icecreammang at May 12, 2010 3:35 PM