"Star Trek" actor George Takei is mincing few words when it comes to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert's controversial decision not to recognize the more than 1,300 same-sex marriages which had taken place before the U.S. Supreme Court put the state's marriage equality law on hold.
"Gov. Herbert is consciously bringing harm to 2,600 citizens of Utah," Takei, an outspoken advocate of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights, is quoted by The Salt Lake Tribune as saying. "That’s mean-spirited. He didn’t have to do that. Your governor is trying to put toothpaste back in the tube."
The 76-year-old actor, who married longtime partner, Brad Altman, in 2008, didn't stop at that. "I’m stunned by his stupidity," he told Deadline. "Apparently he believes in governing by hysteria — that’s the only way it can interpreted.”
Takei was in Salt Lake City preparing for the Jan. 18 premiere of "To Be Takei" at the Sundance Film Festival and told Deadline that he'd been particularly looking forward to debuting the film in Utah during the short time frame when same-sex marriage was legal in the state, "and then things started happening."
This isn't the first time that Takei has spoken out in defense of same-sex marriage. In March 2012, Takei vowed to talk to Donald Trump about gay marriage rights in America, the New York Daily News reported. Earlier that same month, while speaking to the Des Moines Register, Trump had said he did not support gay marriage or civil benefits.
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