As I am writing this article, it is morning on Martin Luther King Day in the United States. This seems appropriate. I’m thinking now of Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech, and of how far we as a civilized species have come in fulfilling that dream, and how far, sadly, we still have to go, holding to his assurance that we will get there, someday. I hope the reader will forgive me if I daresay that Dr. King’s dream could also be applied to the subject addressed in this article. I long to see a day where prejudice of all kinds has disappeared. A day wherein no one will feel the need to publicly “come out” as homosexual—because such a thing would be considered not to matter at all. A day where black, white, gay, straight, whatever people are viewed with equality.
We aren’t there yet. Thus I understand why Charlie Carver, who stars as the character Ethan on the MTV series, TEEN WOLF, felt the need to make an official proclamation concerning his sexuality. On Instagram, Carver stated: “”I now believe that by omitting this part of myself from the record, I am complicit in perpetuating the suffering, fear, and shame cast upon so many in the world.” It’s understandable, yet sad that there are still such things to consider. Of course the struggles of a gay actor living today in Hollywood do not in any way compare to those faced by black men and women in the segregated South. But there is still much discrimination to go around, and Carver’s statement is meant to offer encouragement to those experiencing it. Kudos, Charlie.
