"If you want to be free, there is but one way; it is to guarantee an equally full measure of liberty to all your neighbors. There is no other." - Carl Schurz

"The saddest epitaph which can be carved in memory of a vanished liberty is that it was lost because its possessors failed to stretch forth a saving hand while yet there was time." - George Sutherland
"Whenever a separation is made between liberty and justice, neither, in my opinion, is safe." - Edmund Burke

Friday, November 03, 2006

Neil Patrick Harris to People Magazine: "As a three-dollar bill, Mary!"

Oh, Doogie! Tonight the prayers of millions of 30-something gay men have been answered in the form of Neil Patrick Harris coming out! (Though, Michael has long insisted on this fact, so it's hardly a People exclusive.)

Seriously, though, not that it should really matter to anyone (except Neil and whomever he sleeps with) whether he smokes the pickle. Our culture tends to objectify celebrities, particularly entertainers, in such a way that we almost feel like we own them. Nobody owns Neil Patrick Harris and he owes the public nothing. We don't need to know anything about his personal life.

I salute Mr. Harris for having the integrity to not live a lie to satisfy the public's urge to own him. This can be a scary decision for a high-profile entertainer (and the low-profile ones, too). Especially for the star of a highly-rated sitcom, whose career in network television could be derailed as a result. Even if that does happen, Broadway and independent film will always love you, Neil.

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