During his interview, Piers asked Cameron for his views on gay marriage, which were unsurprisingly negative. Cameron expanded upon his disagreement by also stating that homosexuals are unnatural, and that if one of his six children were to come out as gay, he would not be supportive.
“I wouldn’t say ‘That’s great, son, as long as you’re happy.’ I’m going to say, ‘There are all sorts of issues we need to wrestle through in our life. Just because you feel one way doesn’t mean we should act on everything we feel.”
(Heh. He said wrestle.)
AND MUCH OUTRAGE ENSUED! Not about the fact that he said wrestle while talking about his hypothetically gay son, or that my puerile mind finds that fact endlessly amusing. No, just that he said he’s against gay marriage and thinks homosexuality is a struggle one should strive to overcome. And, while I vehemently disagree with Cameron’s views on gays, my general reaction here is “*shrug* Wait, why was Kirk Cameron even being interviewed? Did Alan Thicke die? Please don’t tell me they’re doing another Growing Pains reunion.”
The fact is, Kirk Cameron is no longer nearly as famous for being curly-mulleted Tiger Beat centerfold Mike Seaver as he is for being a “Bible-believing Christian” who prefers to channel his “talents” into “entertainment” that centers around his faith, such as Left Behind and Fireproof. And, please, let me state for the record that I am not bashing evangelical Christians when I pull out the air quotes here; I make fun of Fireproof not for its themes, but for its poor writing, acting, and overall execution. Much like Kirk.
I digress. The point is that Kirk Cameron has made his personal beliefs on morality well known for over a decade. Therefore, what I find shocking isn’t a headline such as “Kirk Cameron Calls Homosexuality ‘Unnatural’,” but rather that such an occurrence evokes any sort of media response. Frankly, the only thing that would have made his interview newsworthy would be if he’d expressed a Yay Gay! viewpoint. Because, while I know of many, many people of faith who are supportive of gays and lesbians (or are gay and lesbian people of faith themselves), I also know that Kirk Cameron does not share their supportive views.
And, to be fair, he didn’t even go so far as to suggest that one chooses to be homosexual—it’s pretty clear, in fact, that he is suggesting that you can’t always act upon your urges. And that’s certainly true, to an extent. For example, my urge, when I hear someone say, “homosexuality is unnatural,” is to punch them in the face, but I don’t act on everything I feel.
I also know that there is a difference between a fleeting urge like the violent one I just mentioned and something, like sexuality, that is not so much an urge as it is an intricate part of oneself, and that— while it is not immutable, per se, like eye color—I can “overcome” my sexuality about as easily as I could overcome my cucumber aversion. Or, you know, my religious beliefs. The fact is that it’s very likely Cameron has never had to struggle with overcoming an “urge” that is in any way similar to possessing a sexuality or core belief that runs counter to what his family and peers expect or demand of him, nor has someone as close to him as his own child ever come to him with a similar crisis. But what do I know? Maybe Kirk Cameron has first-hand experience with successfully praying away homosexual urges. Ahem.
Cameron’s views on same sex relationships and parenting a gay child are becoming increasingly unpopular, but they’re still the views of around half the population of the United States. The only thing that makes his expression of those views even marginally newsworthy is that he’s a celebrity and he said them on television. You certainly don’t have to agree with Cameron’s views on sexuality, spirituality, parenting, or suspenders any more than he has to agree with yours. Besides, if you believe in a higher power with a healthy sense of irony, then you can take comfort in the possibility that one day Kirk Cameron will have to eat his words.
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