Seven Times George Takei Brilliantly Destroyed LGBT Haters
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Actor and activist George Takei is a strong proponent of LGBT rights, and he's made his opinion known in a variety of contexts over the years.
In particular, Takei uses social media in his advocacy efforts, highlighting LGBT issues, and exposing hypocrisy.
Whether it's Kim Davis or Arizona lawmakers, Takei doesn't hold back when it comes to holding those in power accountable for discriminating against the LGBT community.
Here are seven times Takei has taken down LGBT haters.
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1. He recalled a conversation about "traditional marriage" with Donald Trump.
After Trump told Takei that he had attended a "beautiful" same-sex wedding in July, the actor pressed him on his views on LGBT rights. Trump said that he believe in "traditional marriage," and Takei had a powerful response.
"I think Donald Trump's interpretation of marriage is something that he himself doesn't really believe in," Takei told MSNBC. "'Traditional marriage' is where two people love each other, commit to each other, care for each other over the years. It is a meaningful ceremony, and his interpretation of that is not recognizing what real marriage is."
2. Takei's blistering takedown of Kim Davis on Facebook.
After the Kentucky clerk was arrested for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in Rowan County, Takei took to Facebook and delivered this brilliant response, on the responsibility of government officials to uphold the constitution following the Supreme Court's June ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide.
RELATED: George Takei Issued a Blistering Response to the Celebration of Kim Davis
"Well this is a bit of a circus," Takei said. "So let us be clear: This woman is no hero to be celebrated. She broke her oath to uphold the Constitution and defied a court order so she could deny government services to couples who are legally entitled to be married."
"She is entitled to hold her religious beliefs, but not to impose those beliefs on others. If she had denied marriage certificates to an interracial couple, would people cheer her? Would presidential candidates flock to her side? In our society, we obey civil laws, not religious ones. To suggest otherwise is, simply put, entirely un-American."
3. His response to an anti-LGBT Arizona law.
Last year, Arizona lawmakers passed a bill that allowed business owners to deny LGBT customers as long as they asserted their religious beliefs. Takei wrote an open-letter to the state on a blog, and the post went viral.
"Dear Arizona, Congratulations," Takei wrote. "You are now the first state actually to pass a bill permitting businesses—even those open to the public—to refuse to provide service to LGBT people based on an individual's 'sincerely held religious belief.'"
"This 'turn away the gay' bill enshrines discrimination into the law. Your taxi drivers can refuse to carry us. Your hotels can refuse to house us. And your restaurants can refuse to serve us... When I was younger, people used 'God's Will' as a reason to keep the races separate, too. Make no mistake, this is the new segregation, yours is a Jim Crow law, and you are about to make yourself ground zero."
4. When the same thing happened in Indiana, Takei took to Facebook.
"The Governor of Indiana has indicated that he will sign SB101—a law that allows businesses to discriminate against customers based on the proprietors’ religious beliefs," Takei wrote. "This bill is strikingly similar to one proposed—and vetoed due to public outcry—in Arizona. Such laws harken back to a time where our society was divided, and people of color were banned from white establishments. That is not our nation any longer, and those are not our values."
"To the governor and to the legislators in Indiana who support this backward-looking and divisive bill, I say to you this: If it goes into effect, Indiana will be marked as a state where certain people are not welcome, and so we will not visit," Takei contnued. "We will not spend. And we will not attend events, including GenCon, the world's largest gaming convention, held in Indianapolis each year. Many fans here are gamers, Governor Pence, and we will demand the convention move out of your state."
5. That time Takei gave "the finger" to Alabama.
Takei had a message for Alabama lawmakers after the state attempted to deny same-sex couples the right to marry, posting a photo of himself with his husband, Brad Takei, on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
"Alabama just gave SCOTUS the finger by halting marriage equality there despite federal orders," Takei wrote on Instagram. "Couples, let's respond! Whether gay or straight, post a photo on FB or Twitter giving AL the "wedding finger" and tagging #LuvUAlabama. Tag your state (e.g. #NY) to join our nationwide map!"
6. Takei narrated a satirical "public service announcement" for Funny or Die.
The actor warned of dangerous people who oppose LGBT rights in a video titled "Gays Beware."
7. The actor's response to protestors opposing same-sex marriage in 2013 was priceless.
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