'Glee' Creator Ryan Murphy Calls for Newsweek Boycott After 'Homophobic' Article

By PopEater Staff Posted May 11th 2010 08:05PM

Actress Kristin Chenoweth isn't the only one upset with Newsweek for their recent article about gay actors playing straight characters. 'Glee' creator Ryan Murphy has also expressed his deep disappointment with the magazine in an open letter--and is pushing fans for a boycott of Newsweek, EW.com reports.

Murphy begins his letter, "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."

Murphy has strong ties to several of the actors cited in the Newsweek article: Jonathan Groff is currently guest starring on his show 'Glee' and Sean Hayes is starring in 'Promises, Promises' on Broadway with former 'Glee' guest star Chenoweth.

One of Murphy's biggest issues with the article and the backlash that immediately followed is the overall silence from Newsweek. "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."

Later in his open letter, Murphy requests an apology be issued to the actors named in the article as well as to all the gay readers of the magazine. Until that is done, he alongside GLAAD president Jarrett Barrios, has asked for an immediate boycott of Newsweek.

To see Murphy's letter in its entirety, visit EW.com.

Tags: Glee, Kristin Chenoweth, newsweek, Ryan Murphy

Comments

(29)

Tuesday 11 May

By chuck brouillette

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what about the irony of Kurt's blue-collared papa being played by an actor who's a closet same-sexer?

By skitch

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and he plays it damn well, doesn't he.

By cheyl schmidt

the actor who plays kurts father is married with 2 children. he played on a show (Yes Dear) that had an openly gay in the lead part as greg but he himself is straight

By Wendy

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Actors portray characters not themselves. The Newsweek article was ridiculous and insulting.

By mike

Tired of hearing about peoples sex life. If you want to be a part of the movies industry then do so leave the sex out of it. Do straights bring up their sexuality every two minutes.. very BORING. Get a life

B

By scotch43

you are right mike...so how about writing Newsweek and telling them so...since they were the ones who made a point to talk about the actors sexuality rather than his acting ability...STRAIGHTS never talk about their sexuality, nor does anyone else...but it is STRAIGHTS that talk about others sex lives, and sexuality...we don't want you to marry because of your sexuality...we don't want to give you this job, because of your sex life...you can't go into the emergency room with your love one because of your sex life...getting the picture mike...if straights stopped talking about others sex lives, this crap wouldn't go down...

Wednesday 12 May

By Wanda

No,straights don't constantly bring up their sex lives,because the media does it for them! How many "Who is she dating now?" articles have there been about Jennifer Anniston since she and Brad split up? Rough estimate--at least 1000! All the media does is butt into stright actors sex lives.

By Jazz

Am I excited FOR Sex & The City or excited ABOUT it? Who writes this dribble? No, I don't really care about the movie one way or the other, but I do care about grammar.

By Wendell

"Homophobia" as it is popularly called is a made up word for a made up "disorder". People who have actual phobia's suffer a lack of ability to function. A phobia is more than finding something objectionable, or being critical of some aspect of something. A person who does not like rainy days, is not hydrophobic. Not every opinion about something done or not done by a gay person represents "homophobia". Try finding references to the "phobia" much earlier than 1976.

By Steven

Spoken like a true homophobe.

By Mark

Absolutely correct Wendell. I do think though, that gays are heterophobic.

By JUDY

It's really "much ado about nothing". Who cares what Newsweek says or does? No one! This call for a boycott is probably what the magazine was hoping would happen so that now, people will run out and get one just to see what all the brouhaha is about. No one reads paper print anymore, you have just sold some magazines for them!

By Dave

Does anyone still read Newsweek?

By Sue

Newsweek sucks. Always did.

By bill

That's funny. A lefty, boycotting a left-wing magazine.

By BRiTNEY

Nature didn't intend for two men to sleep together.

Thursday 13 May

By Elizabeth

I think some homosexuals suffer from extreme heterophobia....
I somehow feel if the tables were turned and an outrageously heterosexual man played a homosexual man, there would be panties in a bunch. The more I observe of this tempest, the more obvious it seems that political correctness is attempting to badger heterosexuals into accepting homosexuality as if it were just the same as male and female together. Sorry, but after 57 years of life, I have found that it is most definitely not the same!This in no way denigrates the humanity of same-sex attracted men and women, but allows me to respectfully disagree with homosexuality. I had many gay friends in my youth ( almost all no longer with us) and I did not observe that they had any way better than male/female together. You can do as you please behind closed doors and before God, and He will let you roam down any path you demand, and you will reap what you sow. I just do not believe that same gender relationships are all that great. I have tried it....and I did not like it.Friendships,yes, sisterhood, brotherhood, yes; lovers, no. Boys and girls together...that is how we were made and despite the challenges of getting along, the parts fit, the functions fit, and that is the best way. Be homosexual if you want, but with all due respect to your fellow humans, just leave the rest of us alone, ok?

By Star

I am glad that you say that people can be who they are and do as they please but you are also saying that just because the parts fit one way then that's a better way? That can not be the way we make our decisions on who we love and sometimes people can not help who they fall in love with and want to be with!

By Bill Wenham

There haven't been too many realistic portrayals of homosexuals played by heterosexual men. There's Queer as Folk which was played for raciness, and Will & Grace which was played for laughs. Doug Savant of Melrose Place never even got a screen kiss, Billy Crystal started off as wanting a sex change in Soap even though he was supposed to be a gay man - the list goes on. Until sexuality isn't the focus of the character, or the censorship of the character (meaning have a character and all of their crazy plots and have their sexuality just exist) it isn't the same on the flip side. At all.

Watch The Celluloid Closet for a good examination of gays and lesbians being portrayed on film (mostly by heterosexual men and women) and then watch Big Eden (what should have been what people were talking about instead of Brokeback Mountain's mainstream success).

By the way, I'm not a fan of gay bars as I think self-segregation defeats the purpose. I'm also not a fan of gay pride parades. I'm not proud to be gay. I just am who I am. I'm proud to be me, but gay is not who I am anymore than being left-handed doesn't define me as a human being. I don't have gay friends - I just happen to have friends who are heterosexual and homosexual - I don't claim ownership to their friendship by their sexuality.

Interestingly, homosexuals don't think about heterosexuals having sex remotely as often as heterosexuals talk about homosexuals having sex.

And we live in a world dominated by heterosexual sexuality. You just don't recognize it because you're of the majority. Doesn't mean the minority shouldn't get a represented voice of respect.

By Ninerswn04

Glee is a fleeting show. They're "15 minutes."

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