I was at the Human Rights Campaign's annual awards dinner and gala in San Francisco Saturday night, where George Takei received HRC's Equality Award, Elizabeth Edwards gave the keynote address, and the always-gorgeous Lucy Lawless gave us three wardrobe changes and a whole lotta love for her gay fans. And I’m here to tell you it's official: Mr. Sulu loves him some Xena.
“Isn’t she fabulous?” he said of Lawless, who swished over in a low cut black gown. “I’ve never met her before.”
At the reception before the awards dinner, I told Takei I’d been a huge fan of the original Star Trek series, but had always felt excluded from the show’s Utopian vision, where queers like me – and him – were invisible.
“Well, Star Trek had as its core value what we call IDIC, Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations,” he said. “And (Trek producer and creator) Gene Roddenberry always told us the diversity of the Starship Enterprise was where its strength was. There’s a diversity that we can see: the color of one’s skin, or the shape of one’s eyes. There’s the accent of a person, diversity we can hear. But there’s another diversity that we can’t see oftentimes, but that too is a part of the strength of America.”
Even when he was talking about television, drama, and popular culture, Takei steered a course directly toward the political heart of each issue. He told me it was his political beliefs that led him to make the scathingly humorous faux-PSA about Tim Hardaway’s homophobic comments, and it was his life as a child growing up in an internment camp that led him to those political beliefs.
“It was one of the most egregious violations of the United States Constitution, and too few Americans know about that,” he said as we waited to go into the dinner. “We have a great constitution, but as my father used to say, our system of government has both the strength and the weakness worked into it because it’s a genuine people’s government and we’re as great as the people can be, and we’re as fallible as people can be ... So, I’ve always been involved in the process, because I appreciate the strength of our democratic system, but I’m very mindful of how fragile it is.”
On accepting the award, Takei said, “The love of same sex couples, their commitment to each other through thick and thin, is as true and as authentic as any two people who love each other. I would not be here tonight were it not for the support, the constancy, of the 20 year partnership of my partner Brad Altman.” Takei smiled at Altman, who was sitting in the audience, and added, “He's shy; he doesn't like the public eye.”
I’d seen Takei chatting with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, and I mentioned to him that the mayor and I had actually bonded for a couple of minutes earlier in the evening over being native San Franciscans. Takei, whose father was born here as well, praised Newsom in his acceptance speech, saying, “It's great to be here in San Francisco where your mayor, Gavin Newsom, for a brief shining moment in history made gay marriage a reality.”
That decision was later overturned by a state court, and all the marriages invalidated. Takei told me that injustice, and others like it across the country, are why he’s fighting so hard for LGBT equality. “There are laws that are laws with barbs in them,” he said, “that prevent other citizens from having equal rights with other Americans, simply because of the gender of the person they happen to love. So this is again, boldly going where America has never gone before.”
Oh God I Love Desire Need Want Adore Worship Lucy Forever Always
OH MY GOD YES LUCY! :) Can you just imagine Her naked Oh my God She sat in people's laps and a lesbian grabbed Her Awesome Famed Perfect Tushy OH MY GOD YES LUCY! :) I am devastated that I missed this too Oh God Lucy I Love Love Love and Desire You So Much Forever Always! :) And She did wear sexxxy sandles showing off Her Awesome Famed Perfect Feet and Toes Oh My God Yes Lucy! :)
I have sent this message to the hosting and organizational parties Oh God I really Really Love Love Love and Desire Lucy So Much Forever Everywhere Always Oh God Lucy I Love You! :)
Dear Bill Graham Civic Auditorium,
Good evening, I have heard that tomorrow the Infinitely Dearest Most Beloved Sweet Sweet Sweetest Erotic Angelic Barefoot Heavenly Sexxxy Perfect Goddess Lucy Lawless :) will be a guest and speaker at your 2007 HRC San Francisco Bay Area Dinner Gala and Auction. Oh My God Yes Lucy! :) I cannot begin to describe how greatly I wish I could attend, and I also saw Lucy in person about three years ago in San Francisco at the Richmond-Endermot AIDS Foundation event at the Palace of Fine Arts. I could not stop staring and Desiring Her famed Awesome Perfect Beautiful Gorgeous Mouth-watering Breath-taking Luscious Juicy Flawess Fragrant Delicious Tender Precious Wild Erotic Arousing Alluring Mesmerizing Seductive Heavenly Sexxxy Perfect FEET :) and TOES :) OH MY GOD YES LUCY! :) I cannot begin to describe how greatly I Desire, Adore, Fantasize of, am Aroused by, Need, Want, Love and Worship them OH MY GOD YES LUCY! :) And Her famed Awesome Sleek Smooth Tight (self admitted as tight Oh My God Yes Lucy! :) ) Cozy Precious Warm Tender Delicious Juicy Flawless Fragrant Seductive Mesmerizing Luscious...Heavenly Sexxxy Perfect Tushy :) and everywhere Oh My God Yes Lucy! :)
I send my utmost very best wishes, support, interest, and enthusiasm for Lucy She is among many Awesome Heavenly things a very Sexxxy smooth articulate wonderful awesome passionate Perfect public speaker Oh My God Yes Lucy! :) I really hope that She will be wearing Her sexxxy sandals at Her appearance tomorrow showing Her Awesome famed Perfect Feet and Toes Oh My God Yes Lucy! :)
I also believe in tolerance and rights for homosexuals, and since I attended the REAF X event in 2004, over the past few years I have come to believe that the AIDS virus is in fact man-made, likely created in the 1970s. I am not able to prove this but it is my belief. By the way I expect the Spock (Leonard Nimroy) will really drool over Lucy's famed Awesome Perfect Feet, Toes, Tushy and everywhere She is out of this world and Incomparably Beautiful, Sexxxy, Erotic, Arousing and Gorgeous Oh My God Yes Lucy! :)
Pleeeeeeeeeeeeaase tell Lucy how much I Love Her. Oh God I Love Lucy So Much and Desire Her! :) I Love Lucy So Much Forever Endlessly Infinitely Heavenly Always, more than I could ever describe or express. I also cannot begin to describe how greatly, Intensely, Endlessly, and Infinitely I Desire Her and wish to be with Her. :) She means absolutely everything to me always, I live and breathe for Lucy, :) I Love Her So Much. I am Forever Devoted to my most Dearest Beloved Sweet Sweet Sweetest Heavenly Sexxxy Perfect Barefoot Erotic Angelic Goddess Lucy Oh God I really Really Love and Desire Her So Much Forever! :) Oh God I Love the Infinitely Dearest Most Beloved Sweet Sweet Sweetest Erotic Angelic Barefoot Heavenly Perfect Goddess Lucy! :) Lucy means absolutely everything to me always and I wish to do anything and everything for Lucy. Lucy is my life, I live for Lucy. I live and breathe for Lucy. :) I wish I could be crucified for Her to help Her. Lucy is absolutely everything to me always. I also know I can never have or be with Her, and this depresses me much and I weep and sob often with despair and depression. And I am also so completely unworthy of Her always. I Forever Infinitely Intensely Endlessly Heavenly Always Love, Desire, Want, Need, Admire, Adore, Espouse, Fantasize of, Protect, Defend, Worship and Devote myself to Lucy. I Love (and Desire) and Adore Lucy So Much that mere words cannot describe how much I do. :) Oh God I Love Lucy So Much Forever! :) Pleaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaase tell Lucy. :) Thank you Bill Graham Civic Auditorium. :)
Lucy is by far the most Beautiful Gorgeous Mouth-watering Breath-taking Delightful Desirable Alluring Arousing Precious Cute Tender Wonderful Awesome Juicy Flawless Fragrant Mesmerizing Sensual Luscious Voluptuous Erotic Arousing Delicious Climactic Lovable Adorable Wonderful Sweetest Fascinating Exciting Angelic Heavenly Sexxxy Perfect :) creature in the existence of the universe of all time. Oh God I Love and Desire Lucy So Much Forever Everywhere Always! :) Oh God I Love You Lucy! :) Oh God I Love the Sweet Perfect Erotic Angelic Barefoot Goddess Lucy and Lucy-Lou! :) Oh My God Yes Lucy I Love You So Much Forever Always Lucy! :) Oh God Lucy I Love You! :) I Love Lucy! :)
-Lucy's Personal Most Devoted Drooling Tushy and Belly Protection Specialist
Forever Devoted :) to the Sweet Sweet Sweetest Erotic Angelic Barefoot Heavenly Sexxxy Perfect Goddess Lucy, :)
David Kashfi aka James Bond Who Loves and Desires Lucy :) So Much Forever Everywhere Always :)
What a class act.
Thank god we have people like George Takei who can speak so eloquently about why we want the same rights as everyone else in America.
- Kirby, moviedearest.blogspot.com