On the same night that LOGO premiered A-List: New York, it was Larry King who managed to have the gayest show on television.
Lance Bass, Wanda Sykes, Kathy Griffin, Tim Gunn, Nate Berkus, and Chely Wright all dropped in to CNN to discuss their experiences growing up and what kids, parents, and officials can do to prevent further tragedies. Chely says she’s a victim of bullying even today, in the months since coming out in May. Also on the program: Tammy Aaberg, mother to to the late Justin, who hanged himself after enduring torment from classmates.
alan brickman
It’s really just self promotion….these were probably the same people who bullied gays when they were younger….
Enron
I think it can make a difference. Seeing successful people who also faced similar experiences during their childhood. It can be an empowering example to try persevere, seek help and access a community with open arms. The problem for a lot of Gay Youth who are suffering from bullying is that, sometimes they are located in rural areas which is often times cut off from the urban societies because of distance. There are no outlets to go to, no proper Internet access where they can even meet like minded individuals discuss their feelings online.
I personally live in a rural area, in a very backward country on this planet. I am on a slow connection, but thank goodness, although I don’t have anyone really to relate and share my experiences with growing up, I can turn to the web, there are so many sites out there that share my view, persons who are just like me. Queerty is one of them, Rod Online is one of them and so many more.
Kieran
Larry King Live deserves a lot of praise for devoting an entire show to this topic. If you want to end homophobia you’ve got to SMASH the negative stereotypes of who and what gay people are for Middle America. By having a Nate Berkus or a Chely Wright come on national TV and matter-of-factly say, “I’m a gay person”, you can quickly obliterate many people’s warped perceptions of what “those people” are like.
wompman
I think it helps at least get the message out there. These people all made it out alive and its good for kids to see there is hope. I’m glad to see so many gay and lesbian celebrities doing their part, so many gay kids live in hostile families in very hateful areas. We have to take care of our own, nobody else is going to do it.
WE GIVE A DAMN
Ricky Martin, Elton John, Idina Menzel, Rachael Harris and Wanda Sykes speak out about why they give a damn about hate crimes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBaaDL12bCk
edgyguy1426
Larry King is such a terrible interviewer. I don’t know how he’s been so popular for so long. His interview of Tammy Aaberg was so excruciatingly painful to watch. I’d have thought a little pre-interview prep work would have come in handy.
Rob
@edgyguy1426: I wouldn’t call him terrible, but it certainly was awkward to see him ask questions like “How did you find your dead son?”.
Kev C
@Kieran: How is Lance Bass, an admitted bully, and Chely Wright, a woman who spent most of her life in the closet hating herself, going to smash negative stereotypes of gays? Having straight people decide who represents gays is wrong.
Once, while driving through Bel Aire, my chauffeur drove thru a poor neighborhood and some ruffians shouted out the F*** word. I don’t know if they shouted it at me, but it was so traumatic, I cancelled my luncheon at Nobu!
CONVERSATION CHAMBER
Not to distract from the topic, but Larry King is wretched to listen to. He cuts people off, and half the time sounds as if he isn’t really mentally piecing together the story or what he’s saying himself.