Why Neil Patrick Harris is So Important to the Gay Community

By John Mitchell Posted Aug 16th 2010 03:25PM

Over the weekend, Neil Patrick Harris and his partner of six years, actor David Burtka, announced that they will welcome twins into their family this fall. "So, get this: David and I are expecting twins this fall. We're super excited/nervous/thrilled. Hoping the press can respect our privacy..." Harris tweeted shortly after E! Online broke the news.

When the twins arrive, Harris and Burtka will become the highest-profile gay parents in the country. For the gay community, this is a very good thing. Harris has defied the odds since coming out of the closet; his career has never been better, and by all accounts he is arguably among the more universally-beloved actors working today. People love NPH. He and Burtka exude a normalcy uncommon in media representations of gay men, and with their committed relationship and career successes, they continue to tear down the stereotypes that haunt the gay community and keep GLBT persons from enjoying the same rights and freedoms as their straight allies.

"For over two decades, Americans have followed Neil Patrick Harris' journey from child star to popular leading man. Now, many will look on as he and his partner build a family together," Jarrett Barrios, president of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance of Defamation (GLAAD) tells PopEater. "As more and more loving and committed gay and lesbian couples start families together, it is important to see stories like Neil's that reflect what most fair-minded Americans already know: gay people and our families are no different than them. For many, Neil is the first gay person they've seen come out, fall in love and become a dad, and his story is helping Americans understand that gay people deserve the same opportunity to take care of our families and loved ones."

Harris has said often that he strives to be an example of normalcy; that while he may not be out marching in gay pride parades or participating in political rallies, he hopes that by living his life openly he can be an advocate by example. "I love Neil Patrick Harris and think the confidence with which he conducts himself has challenged prejudices and helped pave the way for other gay entertainers, including Jesse Tyler Fergusson and Cheyenne Jackson," says Aaron Hicklin, editor-in-chief of OUT magazine.

He is aware of his celebrity and its impact, and rather than make his sexuality central to his public persona, Harris has keenly made it just another part of who he is. He isn't "Neil Patrick Harris: Gay Actor," he's "Neil Patrick Harris: An actor who happens to be gay among many other things."

There is a vast difference between the two, and in so doing, Harris has made being gay palatable to people who might otherwise see it as something so foreign it should be feared. "I found a guy that I'm head over heels for and we have similar interests and we spend our time together," the actor told OUT magazine in 2008. "I'm a big proponent of monogamous relationships regardless of sexuality, and I'm proud of how the nation is steering toward that. Then you can look around and say, 'I really deeply feel like I'm in love with this person, there are people who feel the same thing, and those models are normal.'"

Finding someone to love, a soul mate to spend the rest of your life with, and wanting to start a family with that person is something everyone can relate to.

According to the Pew Research Center, simply knowing a gay person makes an individual more than twice as likely to support gay rights causes. After decades in the spotlight, we all know and love NPH. Now, as he embarks on this latest journey in his private life, we're about to be introduced to yet another side of him. And at this time, with battles over gay marriage and Don't Ask, Don't Tell raging, GLBT advocates couldn't ask for a better person to come forward as the face of the modern American gay family.

Because if NPH the father is even half as awesome as NPH the person, those will be two of the luckiest children in the world.

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Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris, left, and David Burtka pose at Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010.

Getty Images

Getty Images North America

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

In this photo provided by Disneyland, Neil Patrick Harris, left, and David Burtka pose at Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Disneyland, Paul Hiffmeyer)

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 14: In this handout image provided by Disney, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka pose at Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure on August 14, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer/Disney via Getty Images)

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

ANAHEIM, CA - AUGUST 14: In this handout image provided by Disney, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka pose with Mickey Mouse at Paradise Pier, site of the hit nighttime spectacular, �World of Color,� in Disney California Adventure on August 14, 2010 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Paul Hiffmeyer/Disney via Getty Images)

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

In this photo provided by Disneyland, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka pose at Paradise Pier in Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Disneyland, Paul Hiffmeyer)

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

In this photo provided by Disneyland, Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka pose with Mickey Mouse at Paradise Pier, site of the hit nighttime spectacular, 'World of Color,' in Disney California Adventure in Anaheim, Calif., on Saturday, Aug. 14, 2010. (AP Photo/Disneyland, Paul Hiffmeyer)

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

FILE - In this May 19, 2010 file photo, actor Neil Patrick Harris attends the CBS Upfront presentation in New York. Harris was nominated for an Emmy for best supporting actor Thursday, July 8, 2010 for his role in "How I Met Your Mother." The 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on Sunday, Aug. 29, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Peter Kramer, file)

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

FILE - In this June 7, 2009 file photo, actor Neil Patrick Harris hosts the 63rd Annual Tony Awards in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, file)

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

Neil Patrick Harris visits "Good Day New York" at FOX Studios on June 9, 2010 in New York City. Rita Cosby And Neil Patrick Harris Visit "Good Day New York" FOX Studios New York, NY United States June 9, 2010 Photo by Soul Brother/FilmMagic.com To license this image (60688802), contact FilmMagic.com

Neil Patrick Harris Snapshots

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Comments

(58)

Monday 16 August

By diplobrat

Low Ranked Vote down Vote up Report this

Off topic moment. The so-called 'Golden Rule' doesn't work. Perhaps a masochist wanted to invoke this- you can imagine the results. A foot fetishist? A B&D fan? What if I like hot fudge dripped in scalding fashion across my privates? Is it okay to do the same to another individual? Just sayin'...

By Kookie

Lowest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

Not a Fan. Goes to prove - it takes a man AND woman to have a child.

By christi

I like Neil on Doogie Howser but I think it is fundamentally wrong for two men to raise two babies in that environment. I just feel really sad for those babies.

By Janeyre

You are right. I see, most of those who don't agree with this perverted life style, have negative points. It won't change reality though. Not natural and is perverted...

By Walter

Highest Rank Vote down Vote up Report this

LET HE OR SHE WHO IS WITHOUT SIN CAST THE FIRST STONE!!

By mikio067

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So you're saying that it's a sin for them to have a baby?

By john

Jesus told that to the crowd that was going to stone a prostitute, but the story continues. He then told the prostitute to "go, and sin no more". The Bible has lessons for everyone.

By boricuarojo

Oh really! what does it say in the bible, man lies with man is an abomination in the eyes of God. Oh, but your an atheist, and you don't believe in God. My bad.

NPH shares a status with the general public much like Martina Navratilova did, i.e., people just like him for who he is as a person without thinking too much about his being gay. And that's a good thing. Most people don't care about someone's gay status - it's the loud-mouth gay activists they despise.

Tuesday 17 August

By Judy

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It's just sad that so many religious people don't like anyone who's not like them. What is religion for? I thought it was to help us forgive, love, and understand people and life. NOT that gay people need forgiving! I just lose my patience when "bible thumpers" think everything has to be their way or the highway! I wish Neil and his partner every happiness!

By gobluespartyon

A very good article I have always liked NPH he's a pretty good actor. Once again congrats on having twins NPH.

he's not having twins goof ball, and neither is his "wife", they're adopting, and more than likely those kids will be growing up confused as all he*l. But that is excatly what you want to promote.

By Michelle

I am totally against this. Children should be rised in a "normal" home with a male father and female mother... This is why children today are screwed up and confused... If GOD wanted this he would have made Adam and John

Tuesday 23 November

By Stormwalker03

Not John....

it was a typo.

It really reads "Adam and Steve"

Saturday 25 June

By Sam

If GOD didn't want homosexuals then why are they here on Earth? If he really didn't want them, then he wouldn't have made them. So don't go ranting on about what GOD wants when YOU don't even know!!

By Ron3853

The Bible, while it can be considered the greatest book ever written, is still a product of a time when human beings did not number the billions who are in the world today. They did not have the scientific knowledge that we have today when they wrote the texts which make up the Bible as we know it. Today what we call mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia they called being possessed with demons. If approximately 4% of the world's population is GLBT, then the other 96% have about as much of a clue as to what homosexuality is and what it feels like as a male does regarding menstruation and pregnancy. Straight people need to shut up, mind their own marriages which have a failure rate of over 50%, and get their own lives in order. Gay marriage will never be a threat to traditional marriage - those 96% who are still heterosexual will still get married just as they always have.

By cutie6foot

and still get divorced just as they always have...lets look at the ratio of homosexual divorce versus heterosexual divorce in about 10 years and see what group holds the "sanctity" of marriage higher...well said Ron3853

By nherent

I've known friends who were raised by gay & lesbian parents, who turend out better than kids od straight parents. In fact, most of them are straight and married.

By bsti

If you don't approve of the gay agenda of which I don't approve. Boycott anything either of these dilweeds are in. i.e. how I met your mother etc.

By LISA

IT TAKES A MOTHER AND FATHER TO BRING UP A CHILD

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