Kathy Griffin is “immensely proud” of her dear friend Anderson Cooper for finally deciding to publicly come out of the closet.
However, she is completely aware of a sad reality that the LGBT community still faces in this day and age. In an article for the Daily Beast, the same publication in which Anderson declared he was gay, the comedian wrote:
“The reality is that despite the very real, the very necessary, and the very life-changing progress we have made in this country in treating people across the sexual orientation spectrum with dignity and respect, America├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥the world├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥is not fully represented by Chelsea in New York City. It├óΓé¼Γäós not fully represented by DuPont Circle in Washington, D.C.; the Castro; or West Hollywood … America is, in large part, small towns like Oxnard, Calif. It├óΓé¼Γäós Sevierville, Tenn. It├óΓé¼Γäós Laramie, Wyo. And it├óΓé¼Γäós Wichita, Kan., where I was eating recently at a local diner and a patron asked me, ├óΓé¼┼ôKathy, how do you deal with so many goddamned fags?├óΓé¼┬¥
Ugh! To which we respond, “How do you deal with so many ignorant fans?”
It’s a terrible anecdote, but it’s true and we totally understand her fears. She continues to explain that being gay “remains, in many places, very dangerous.”
The dangerous places Mz. Griffin is talking about aren’t necessarily in America either. Yes, we have our fair share of haters and small-minded citizens who are deeply troubled by any kind of social progress, but her concern lies internationally.
Since Anderson is a journalist who fearlessly reports from around the world and often behind enemy lines, she explained:
“Many of my young gays don├óΓé¼Γäót know about Uganda├óΓé¼Γäós ├óΓé¼┼ôKill the Gays├óΓé¼┬¥ initiative, which was developed with the help of some extremist American evangelicals. Many don├óΓé¼Γäót know about Stonewall or, more recently, the importance of Lawrence v. Texas. They don├óΓé¼Γäót know about Cuba├óΓé¼Γäós jailing of HIV patients or even that Iran has sentenced gay teenagers to death by hanging. They don├óΓé¼Γäót know that in large portions of Baghdad, honest LGBT folks are hunted and summarily executed by roving bands of so-called morality police, who kill with impunity both the ‘out’ and those simply perceived to be gay.”
It’s sickening to most of us, but it’s downright frightening to someone who has an out and proud friend visiting all of these countries on the job.
Kathy certainly doesn’t want Anderson to live in fear, but she does want him “to be careful.” However, she adds, “he wouldn├óΓé¼Γäót be doing his job if he really were being careful. And he wouldn├óΓé¼Γäót be who he is.”
Good luck out there, Anderson! We sincerely hope that your big announcement does not affect your personal or professional life in any way other than a POSITIVE one!
[Image via WENN.]