George Comes Out

To me, this is joyful news. In a past life, I worked for a company that put on Star Trek conventions across the country. I had the pleasure of touring the country with the Fab Four of the original series, the late Jimmy Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, and of course George Takei. Between sitting in airport lounges and dinner out in places like Eugene, OR, Boise, ID, or Valley Forge, PA, we had the opportunity to talk at length with the actors, especially George and Nichelle. I have even had the pleasure of meeting Brad, his manager and partner. They are a lovely couple.

I met a lot of actors during that period. Without casting aspersions on any of the rest, I found George to be the most grounded, intelligent, warm, and humble of the lot. George being gay was something we always knew but never talked about. To us, it was the smallest element of who he was and is to us. At the same time, the few times I did see him with his partner, he seemed to be the one person who was the picture of a stable relationship. That stuck with me. I have long hoped that he would be able to come out and be able to share in some small way what I was fortunate enough to see in him with the world. I am overjoyed for both him and Brad and hope they continue to be happy.