Rose McGowan Says Gay Men Don’t Help Women, Later Explains Away Controversy With ‘Golden Girls’ Metaphor
Rose McGowan might still have some angry Shannen Doherty fans on her back after unseating her from Charmed more than a decade a go, but apparently Rose isn’t content with just one group of haters. The actress recently called out misogyny in the gay community during a recent interview with famously controversial LGBT author Bret Easton Ellis, writer of modern American classics like American Psycho and The Rules of Attraction.
On the program, McGowan addressed recent backlash that she faced for hosting a party at the Beverly Hills Hotel despite the fact that the owner is the sultan of Brunei — where the death penalty is still carried out for citizens accused of having gay sex.
While local LGBT groups carried out a boycott of the organization, Rose herself decided to host a party featuring a cast of people who would most likely be stoned to death in Brunei. A friend of McGowan’s who is a lesbian, Amanda Goodwin, attended the party and offered her support for the “love-in” protest, reported the Huffington Post.
“Listen. I’m gay. I’m married to a woman. I hate what the sultan is doing to people in Brunei. But I don’t think that responding to what he’s doing with more hate is the answer. I really feel that way. I think it’s great that we’re here, being gay, sitting on his sofa. I really want to gay this place up.”
In the interview with Ellis, Rose expressed similar statements, but she also attacked rampant misogyny that she says exists within the gay community. McGowan also accused gay men of being apathetic to the women’s rights movement.
“[I have] heard nobody in the gay community, no gay males, standing up for women on any level… I see now people who have basically fought for the right to stand on top of a float wearing an orange speedo and take molly. [Gay misogyny] is a huge problem.”
Rose responded to widespread anger for her comment in an op-ed for gay magazine The Advocate, where she explained that her comments were meant to inspire introspection about the disconnect she sees between gay and women’s rights.
“Here’s a small example of being the change you want to see: I was with a gay man the other night who was talking about the sexually liberated Blanche Devereaux of ‘The Golden Girls.’ He was going on about what a slut she was. I asked why he’d say that so thoughtlessly. If I’m not supposed to say (and I don’t) ‘that’s so gay,’ surely this man can start thinking about why it’s [not] acceptable to slut-shame. He thanked me for opening his eyes. This is how we do this, one on one. Catch it when it’s happening, and challenge it.”
What do you think about Rose McGowan’s statements that there’s a problem with feminism among gay men?
[Image via Empire Wallpapers]
