Don Lemon: Johnny Weir Doesn’t ‘Have to Be a Gay Activist’ in Sochi Just Because He’s Gay
Figure skater Johnny Weir is at the Sochi Olympics, even if he isn’t competing this year, and he’s been getting quite a bit of flak for not being that vocal about the treatment of LGBT people in Russia. Weir also spoke out against the idea of boycotting the Olympics, and on CNN Friday morning, Don Lemon stood up for Weir and argued that just because he’s gay doesn’t automatically mean he has to be vocal about gay rights all the time.
John Becker took a decidedly different position, saying that just because someone is gay “doesn’t automatically make you an expert on LGBT rights,” and slammed Weir’s “ludicrously offensive” downplaying of just how bad the situation is for gays in Russia. Nicholas Benton, a friend of Weir’s, defended him and said he’s making an “important statement” not by speaking out, but through his behavior and his flamboyant attire.
Lemon said Weir shouldn’t have to speak out. He argued, “It doesn’t make him a gay activist, nor should he have to be a gay activist because he’s gay.” That being said, Lemon did opine a bit about the idea of a “gay minstrel show” that doesn’t exactly help the cause either.
Becker shot back that this isn’t about Weir’s duty as a gay man, it’s about his moral obligation to speak out against wrongdoing. Lemon fired back, “Would you put that pressure on the heterosexual athletes who are over there?”
Watch the video below, via CNN:
[photo via screengrab]
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