Kirk Cameron hasn’t arrived on the Jersey Shore yet for his lecture on biblical marriage in the religious retreat town of Ocean Grove tomorrow, but he’s already got an offer for a lunch date: Corey Bernstein, an openly gay 17-year-old, has offered to sit down and talk with the Growing Pains star about the pain his “negative judgments” have caused.
“In a kind, respectful and constructive way, we’d like to talk to you about the pain your words about being LGBT have personally caused me and other LGBT youth,” wrote Bernstein, co-chair of Garden State Equality’s youth caucus, in a letter to Cameron and his manager. “Words casting negative judgments about LGBT people not only perpetuate prejudice in our wider society, but also hurt LGBT youth in particular. Some of your public comments about being LGBT have devastated us LGBT youth. We yearn to grow up in a world that provides us dignity and safety. That is our simple, most heartfelt dream.”
It’s worth noting that Bernstein, at 17, is more articulate than 41-year-old Cameron, who told CNN’s Piers Morgan that traditional marriage is “almost as old as dirt.”
Well, sure, if you believe the Earth is less than 6,000 years old.
How about we take this to the next level?
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Colin
He’s stated he already has “gay friends” and I’m sure he’s heard these pitiful sob stories from gays before. Why are these people so focused on what this one person says? Makes no sense. If he has his personal views then leave him alone.
anton
I don’t know who’s listening to Cameron, but they need to stop. Most closet homosexuals condemn homosexuality because they can’t come out themselves. There’s nothing worse than a person that’s stopped smoking.
Chris-MI
Cameron has created a whole industry around pretending to convert sinners of a prominent type, with atheists and gays being the favored prey and the gay atheist being the right-wing Christian stand-in for the seven-point buck. His arguments are absurd to real atheists and gays, pretty much being “You broke the ten commandments when you were a little kid, therefore you need to listen to me to stay out of hell.” They certainly fall far short of what the pope comes up with, and the old guy with the hat is not exactly winning this game. Cameron’s real goal is to reaffirm the validity of the prejudices of his small but generous core audience. “If only they would be just like us, they would be so much better!”
Daez
To be honest…
Cameron is a talentless has been who was not even worthy of acting in Growing Pains. There is no way this fame whore would have continued to advance as an actor, so he decided to take the easy way out and rose to fame by becoming a complete phony. He needs to come across as a homophobic asshat and religious figure because he is desperately in need of attention. In reality, he probably likes it up the ass more than most cum whores.
Dionte
Lol @ the earth being less than 6,000 years old.
Jerry6
Why are so many people concerned with how other people satisfy their biological urges for sexual satisfaction? Frankly, it is none of their business. What any individual or one, or two, or three other people do for sexual satisfaction is no one else’s business. So long as all parties are fully agreeable and satisfied with whatever is done, and no one is physically harmed, in such situations, and are of legal age to do so, is no one else’s business.
Soupy
It is a concern when a public figure (deservedly or not) speaks out and people read and hear it. He should take the cock out of his mouth and speak the truth.
B
No. 5 · Dionte wrote, “Lol @ the earth being less than 6,000 years old.”
Oh, it gets even funnier. Some worthy named Bishop Ussher decreed, after an exhaustive Biblical analysis that defies the imagination, that the world was created in 4004 B.C., with this date first appearing in a Bible printed in 1701 and first published in 1658 (citation: http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/ussher.htm ). Several hundred years later, some wise-ass working at Intel named the first single-chip microprocessor the Intel 4004, the implication being that it was the start of the world. Presumably upper management was not aware of the literary/religious reference, which might have been an issue not so much out of fear of Biblical fire and brimstone but out of fear of irate letters to the editor that the PR department would have to deal with.
Belize
@Colin: Why would you think anyone would take your stupid opinions seriously? Answer that and perhaps you can answer your previous question.
Belize
“Well, sure, if you believe the Earth is less than 6,000 years old.”
First time Dan Avery made me laugh… like… EVER.
Dirty Ole Man
Re: Kirk its all about money, ladies. He gets paid the big bucks for preachin to the holiness crowd
Anthony
Why are people — gay people, in particular — giving Kirk Cameron this much power? He’s a former child actor, who has fallen completely out of mainstream Hollywood, and is now a stark raving conservative and bible thumper and is only on TV whenever a conservative counterpoint is needed during a CNN roundtable discussion. So what? It isn’t like he’s a politician or law maker. Aside from other staunch conservatives, he doesn’t even have a fan base anymore and isn’t socially influential. He’s not Pitt or Pattinson.
That letter that this kid supposedly penned to him was melodramatic as hell. Think about how silly it sounds that Kirk Cameron’s POV is actually causing someone pain. Seriously?! In the grand scheme of things, Cameron’s unfriendly attitude and activity isn’t handicapping anyone’s life; other than maybe any of his own kids who might be gay.
You know what I think? I think that if Kirk were 20 years old, 40 lbs. heavier and not as good looking, he wouldn’t be inspiring as much bitterness. People would much easily dismiss him. But because he’s still a relatively young Gen-Xer whose good looks haven’t totally deteriorated, and because it seemingly wasn’t THAT long ago that he was on TV playing an everyday teen/young person, people gasp a little harder that he could actually feel the way he does. Too many have allowed themselves to be brainwashed into thinking that, on the surface, someone like him would/should be “hip” enough to be a liberal whose an ally to the gay community.
Whenever young, or relatively young, men (particularly if he’s moderately attractive) isn’t gay-friendly, I notice an extra bit of vitriol levied at them. Almost as if people feel betrayed that someone cute enough to talk to at a club isn’t on their side. The media hasn’t conned people into thinking that good looking white guys who’re 40-ish and under are generally okay with the gay. Types like Kirk Cameron and Caiden Cowger are, I guess, cold reminders that that isn’t necessarily true, and some folks seem to *hate* that…
Anthony
@Anthony: The media *has conned people into thinking
Jake the libertarian
Lest anyone think this guy should go to lunch with our idealistic and unrealistic youth… I’d like to see if he had the balls to go to lunch and debate me. I’m 32, very well educated, gay, a war vet, not hostile to Christianity, and I know the arguments he’s going to use. Come in Kirk! God helped David slay Goliath… Maybe he’ll help you beat me… Or maybe you should stick with debating children…
skeloric
@Colin: The only “gay friend” Kirk Cameron has is the one he sees in the mirror everyday. And I’m pretty sure it isn’t much of a friendship anymore, either.