I don't believe any of H'wood those douch bags. Probably just another case of a closeted actor afraid of a character who is too close to home and a network afraid of gay teen characters. Either way, this Dekker kid is so femme, he makes Liberace look butch. I'll give him a pass because he's a femme twink and because he did such a fine job on that Seinfeld episode.

He also did a great job as a gay fan on Grosse Pointe when he was a wee twelve-year-old.

in the hollywood world, you have to understand that these young actors are all cogs in a massive machine, and the actor has the LAST word in the issues like this – until their name actually holds some weight (or they get an agent that supports them). there are soooooooo many levels of 'seedy' that are layered on top of the actor… and not in a sexy Paul Morris way. why do you think so many actors start thier own production companies??

the agents, managers, casting agents, producers and studio execs all treat actors like common commodities or livestock, shuffling them here and there, and sometimes using threats and manipulation to corner them into certain areas. the LAST person i would EVER believe is the producer or manager.

meanwhile, the actor has to go around with a cloud of over his head with the general public thinking this is all him… and still smile like everything is just peachy while still having everyone bitch "oh, he's too fem", "he's not fem enough", "he's not out", "he's out but not gay enough", "he's too gay", "he's a closet case"….

with heard mentality, there is no winning. in this case… it's a minor upset, no big deal (really)… wait until (or if) this guy becomes a big star with the ability to call his own shots before attacking him. this is a common "upset" with all young actors in hollywood. whatever.

the gay community looses out because, according to hollywood… acting gay in a role is fantastic… being gay in life is the kiss of death….

Shorter:
Thomas Dekker: Whom are you going to believe your lying eyes or me? I’m still on the show because “I, nor my management have ever had any kind of problem with creating a gay character”.

The story never really was convincing. Actors have bailed before and a switch never caused a serious hiatus. Jack Coleman (Bennett) is one such example. He stepped in as Steven Carrington when Al Corley left Dynasty. QED – the Zack character could have continued had the studio wished. Now, leave the kid alone. In any case, he disappeared with all of Claire's past life; her mother, brother and her little doggie too.

I watched teh Gross Point episode on Youtube – and after that have a hard time believing he would have a problem playing gay. If he can do it that well at 12, he's probably fine with it.