I was reading a number of different message boards on the Internet today and found one where a discussion of the Perry Mason TV show was taking place. I love this show and can watch it over and over again. Most of the people in the discussion were in agreement with me. Then I read this comment about Raymond Burr being gay and how the poster could detect a hint of attraction between Mason and Paul Drake.
I found out a few years back that Burr was gay and it made no difference to me. Mason was written as a straight character by Erle Stanley Gardner and as far as I could tell Burr played him straight. Why people seem to think a gay actor cannot play a straight character is beyond my understanding? Jennifer Beals played a gay character on the L Word as did several other straight actresses. It is called acting people, your sexual orientation does not limit your ability to play a role. Hell, men used to play the female characters in Shakespeare's plays, does not mean they were gay.
I have a lot of respect for Raymond Burr as an actor, I have sought out his films and other TV appearances as I enjoy his work. Discovering that his was gay, makes no difference to me, I am happy that he was in a long term relationship and had the happiness in that relationship, that lots of people seek. And watching Perry Mason is the same regardless of his sexual orientation.
It is like the Dumbledore is gay bit. Where in the books would someone say hey Dumbledore is gay? If Rowlings had not announced that he was gay, we never would have known. And his sexual orientation never came into play anywhere in the books. You could say that most of the faculty was gay, Snape is the only one that we had any information about, he was in love with Lily Potter. The rest of them could all be gay as for as I would know.
And you know what, it does not matter if they are or not, the books and the movies are as enjoyable as ever.
Oh well.
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