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James Franco Says Homosexuality Should Be Defined By How People Act, Not Who They Sleep With

By Stacey Cole
Published on: 17:47 PST, May 4, 2016

James Franco has made quite a stir by saying he is “a little gay,” according to Pink News. And the director of his recent movie, Justin Kelly, took it upon himself to defend the 38-year-old actor.

The director of adult drama King Cobra said in his interview with Daily Beast that James Franco is “wildly progressive,” adding that he had heard about a rather negative and skeptical attitude toward the actor from within the LGBTQ community before he met him.

The main reason why the gay community doesn’t like James Franco is that the actor is taking roles from gay actors even though he has not come out as gay, according to Kelly. However, in his recent interview, Franco said that he was only “a little gay” and a “c**k tease.” These comments weren’t received well by the LBGTQ community.

King Cobra starring James Franco is based on the true story of a murdered gay porn baron Bryan Kocis. The film debuted at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

But Kelly thinks the LGBTQ community shouldn’t throw mud at James Franco, and instead they should thank him for taking gay roles.

“For an actor of his caliber to say that he picks roles based on character and story, and sexuality is secondary, is a good thing. It’s wildly progressive.”

James Franco has always expressed his interest in portraying gay characters and telling LGBTQ stories in films. And stories about gay men have been the main focus of the actor’s history with LGBTQ film stories.

James Franco also played gay activist Michael Glatze in Kelly’s 2015 biopic I am Michael. According to the film’s description, Michael is “saved” from his homosexuality after becoming a Christian pastor.

In 2015, James Franco also released a book titled Straight James / Gay James, in which the actor-turned-writer featured an interview between Gay James and Straight James. In the book, the actor writes about his life as an actor, sexuality, as well as covers such questions as gender, identity, Hollywood, family and even Lana Del Rey.

Pink News reports that, in his interview with New York Magazine in April, James Franco said people care way too much about his sexuality. Both the straight and gay press tend to focus too much on the matter, the actor said, adding that it’s because he is a celebrity and because they care who he is having sex with.

“But if your definition of gay and straight is who I sleep with, then I guess you could say I’m a gay c**k tease.”

James Franco also added that he is “a little gay,” and that there is a gay James within him. A month earlier, Franco told Rolling Stone that rumors about him being gay serve as a “shield.” He said that one of the best things about rumors is that they act as a “smokescreen,” according to Mashable.

Mashable reported that, in March 2015, James Franco promoted his book Straight James / Gay James by featuring a dialogue between Gay James and Straight James in FourTwoNine magazine. Gay James then said that he believes he is gay in his art and straight in his life.

“Although, I’m also gay in my life up to the point of intercourse, and then you could say I’m straight. So I guess it depends on how you define gay.”

James Franco also added that if sexuality is defined by who you have sex with, then “I guess I’m straight.” He continued, saying that, in the ’20s and ’30s, homosexuality was defined by how people acted and not whom they slept with.

“Sailors would f*** guys all the time, but as long as they behaved in masculine ways, they weren’t considered gay.”

[Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival]

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