Jonathan D. Lovitz tells MSNBC he’s “just a young gay man who saw some inequality in the state and the country” when he told a New York court that he couldn’t serve as an impartial juror in a state that discriminates against his kind. That Lovitz has a new LOGO reality show to promote is just a coincidence!
oh dire
Jury Quitter Jonathan D. Lovitz Never Set Out To Do Anything Activist-y
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Justin Luke
Believe it or not, it actually is a coincidence 🙂
Hell, the fact he WILL be on TV soon probably just helped him get the coverage in the first place!
Xtincta
Has anyone ever done Jury Duty before, because I have and everyone there tries to come up with an excuse to get the judge to dismiss him. I hardly see thus as a news worthy story. He’s just another American trying to get out of his civic duty.
Andy
Yes, we need more heterosexual, all-white, male juries.
Enron
All I can say is, he is one heck of a hotty!
fredo777
@Enron: “All I can say is, he is one heck of a hotty!”
And I thought I was going to be the first to mention it. Damn you.
Cam
@Xtincta: said…”
Has anyone ever done Jury Duty before, because I have and everyone there tries to come up with an excuse to get the judge to dismiss him. I hardly see thus as a news worthy story. He’s just another American trying to get out of his civic duty.”
___________________________
NO, he accurately pointed out that as somebody without complete civil rights, he has overiding feelings about the fairness of the system and didn’t feel that he could be impartial.
Sorry that his feelings about his life are inconvienient.
George W. Tush
There is no prohibition against gays adopting in New York, so that part of his statement is completely wrong. New York recognizes same-sex marriages validly made in other jurisdictions, so his statement on marriage is partially wrong.
I think this boy just likes a LOT of attention.
Finding Ryan
Apparently this became known when he posted on facebook that he had done it, has anyone actually backed him up on his story?
As they said, a struggling actor in NYC just “happens” to be in the news right before his show comes on?
Running Tide
From what I’ve read, the only statement that he actually did this came from his facebook posting, no one else has confirmed it.
He’s a struggling actor in NYC with a show about to come out, and this just happens to happen?
justiceontherocks
@Running Tide: Well, if it’s on Facebook it must be true.
Sorry, no sale here. Just because you don’t have all the rights of someone else has nothing to do with you being an impartial juror.
The Artist
I think it’s very easy to criticize this guy, but if you THINK for a moment he has a point. Change has to start somewhere. PEACELUVNBWILD!
GoodboyPA
No group of people eat their own quite as ferociously as us queens.
Hate me for saying it, but the main reason I hate dating guys over 35 is that our community has such a tendency to become jaded as we “mature”.
Perhaps, though, I am just unable to set aside my prejudices against the snippiness of the gay community and give everyone here a fair and unbiased reading of their comments.
Oprah
Well good for him. I, however cross my fingers and hope i am never called for a jury duty. I am too busy.
McMike
Yeah, what is it with more than half of the Queer(ty) community pouncing on other gay people or our allies whenever they can?
This guy, first of all, is super cute. All I can say is thank God He made all the pretty boys gay. 2ndly, it’s great he’s getting publicity about this because we are made out to be second class citizens.
It’s just getting really annoying hearing all the bitchy comments people are making throughout the entire website.
GayGOP
Were I the judge here, I would not have dismissed him. To be honest, I would have ensured he was on the jury after such a preposterous excuse. Does anger at the system excuse non-white or female jurors? I would think not. So why are we letting this idiot off so easily?
whatever
@Xtincta: This is true. He’s a shirker. He’s getting plaudits from gays because he is allegedly cute (I don’t see it, but to each his own), and he did something very lame–avoiding jury duty. To me, he did the functional equivalent of tossing his jury summons in the trash.
I was a juror in a rape trial. And during voir dire, one perspective juror flat out said he does not believe anything a woman says. He was excused. I respect that guy more than I do Lovitz. At least the reason for his excuse was related to the subject matter of the trial. And the judge here is kind of a dillweed for buying Lovitz’ silly reasons for not wanting to serve.
Save your shit about gays eating their own. This guy ain’t a hero. He’s just a publicity hound.
Richard Lewis
This was an honest and “true-to-beliefs” action. HOWEVER… There is a battle raging in our world about freedom of some over others. SO… Here is my Plan…
[note: I am a straight guy from Arkansas and born in Mississippi raised to consider anyone outside of the norm (WASPS) are evil and lessor-classed animals]
First… Do not tell the government that you are gay unless specifically required by law to do so. Second… Allow ‘their’ way run its course until it is your time to enable your ideas and thoughts – voicing Not your ideology – but rather your opinion. Do so without the hint of ideology and allow (in this case) accept your verdict to stand as a citizen. In other words… Let them eat Their Own Cake while the rest of us are eating the Roast & Steak.
To force an idea or a theory or a philosophy or ideology is more harmful to those ‘forcing’ than those that bide their time and let nature take its course. One day the Majority of the U.S. will no longer be White/Anglo-Saxon/Protestants. They will be the oppressed that finally out number the WASPs. Give it time, relax as the Chinese have been doing for centuries, and the time will come.
trev
he fine. unf!