He has boldly gone where no man has gone before, as Lt. Sulu on board the Starship Enterprise. In 2005, he boldly went where few actors have gone before, by publicly coming out. On Sunday, he will boldly go down Market Street in a convertible, as a Celebrity Grand Marshal of SF Pride 2007.
Although he's worked steadily in the 40 years since Star Trek hit the airwaves, the 70-year-old George Takei has enjoyed a resurgence of public attention since coming out. While the recent coming out of TV stars such as Neal Patrick Harris and T.R. Knight has been triggered by blog reports and controversy, Takei came out to protest Gov. Schwarzenegger's veto of the gay marriage bill that the California state legislature passed in 2005.
"I had been out for decades with family and friends," says Takei, who celebrates 20 years with his life partner Brad Altman this year. "Our names appear together on theatre seats and are carved together on donor walls. But I had to talk to the press because I wanted to comment on Schwarzenegger's veto."
The announcement led not only to a bonanza for late-night talk-show hosts, but an ongoing gig for Takei as guest announcer on the Howard Stern Show and a month-long speaking tour for the Human Rights Campaign. "I spoke on college campuses, and there has been a sea change since I was in college myself. Many students today are out, proud and activists."
At first glance, the erudite Takei, who intones each word with actorly diction, might seem like a strange bedfellow for the crass, stripper-loving Howard Stern. But Takei has high praise for the shock jock: "He's an important part of our democracy, our freedom of speech. He's one of the few people who has the guts to go against this Administration. His show is also a hoot of a party.
"He gives me access to a part of America that I wouldn't ordinarily have access to. We don't make change by talking to ourselves. You've got to reach the majority of fair-minded people who don't normally think about GLBT issues. The e-mails I've gotten from the speaking tour and being on Howard Stern have been very unexpected. Many have been from straight, white, married guys from places like Oklahoma and South Carolina who said they had never thought about these issues, but they'd support them now."
Monster mash
Takei began his career in 1955, dubbing English voices for the Japanese monster movies Godzilla Raids Again and Rodan. Next year, he'll celebrate 50 years as a member of the Screen Actors Guild, but he notes that things have changed dramatically for gay actors since he first started out.
"It was a whole different universe. Being an actor is a high-risk business; there's all this competition, and economic survival is a big challenge. You want to be as castable as possible, so you don't want to do anything to raise an eyebrow. Then I had this other life with gay friends, I was in Front Runners, where I met Brad. He was the best marathon runner, and he trained me.
"When I got serious with Brad, I wanted him to be part of my social life. Theatre, TV and show people are very sophisticated, so we socialized with work colleagues, and they were cool. It happened in a very natural, organic way."
Takei regularly attends the many Star Trek events around the country, including upcoming conventions in Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Orlando. "The fans have been devoted and loyal to the show for over 40 years. In the 60s, they were science- and math-oriented people who were very studious. Many of them have become very successful."
Among the die-hard Star Trek fans are Microsoft's Bill Gates and Paul Allen (who built a science-fiction museum) and US Senator Patrick Leahy. Takei notes that fans refuse to let Star Trek go away.
"Some version or spin-off has been on for four decades. When the last one ended, the fans didn't want to go cold turkey, so some of them negotiated with Paramount and got permission to do their own version. They pooled their money and put on New Voyages, which is filmed in Port Henry, New York, and webcast by Google. The actor who plays Dr. McCoy is a real doctor, the one who plays Lt. Sulu is a hot-shot Washington attorney, and the one who plays Capt. Kirk is an Elvis impersonator."
Takei is looking forward to returning to San Francisco, where his father grew up. "We lived in Los Angeles, but he always considered himself a San Franciscan. My mother was from Sacramento. I just claim the whole state as my own."
The actor has had some practice for his role as a Pride Grand Marshal. "I was the Grand Marshal in the Pride Parade in Chicago last year," he says. "And I'm sure it's going to be even gayer in San Francisco."