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DEL.ICIO.USSonny gave us Lt. Col. Gandalf the Gay? Zell, no.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The measure of a good election-year story is this: Even if it’s not true, it’s still good.
In a New York Daily News gossip column, published this week, Sir Ian McKellen claimed that Sonny Perdue had made the out-of-the-closet actor an honorary lieutenant colonel in the Georgia National Guard - a symbolic violation of the country’s military policy toward gays.
You probably know the formidable Sir Ian from either the “Lord of the Rings” or the “X-Men” series.
Said McKellen: “I was in Atlanta doing press for the ‘Da Vinci Code’ - and they wanted to honor me. The governor made me a lieutenant colonel in the gubernatorial force,” he said. “So the ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ rule obviously didn’t apply to me. I have a lovely certificate hanging in my office. So inadvertently, they made me the poster child for having openly gay people in the military.”
E-mails churned. Gay blogs were delighted at the hypocrisy. Republicans sweated. Oh, Sonny Perdue, why did you do it?
As it turned out, Sonny didn’t.
First thing Wednesday morning, Perdue spokesman Dan McLagan set his staff to work. First, they found out that McKellen hasn’t been to Atlanta this year. Then a plucky intern turned up this McKellen quote from 1995:
“Last year I was visiting Atlanta for the opening there of my film of ‘Richard III.’ The governor was not abashed and in compensation he declared me an ‘aide de camp’ in his gubernatorial militia, with the status thenceforward of Lieutenant Colonel - which must make me the only openly-gay senior officer currently serving in the armed forces of the USA. This appointment is for life - I think it’s time someone designed me a uniform!”
McKellen’s militia certificate is real — it’s just 11 years old. The fellow who signed it was Zell Miller, the former U.S. Marine, ex-Democratic governor, and current backer of Perdue, a Republican.
Which is perhaps why McLagan treated the 71-year-old actor’s memory lapse with such kindness.
“This guy is Gandalf and Magneto rolled into one, and if he wants to join forces with Georgia when we must battle evil, we welcome him,” McLagan said.
Comments
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By holdingAJC"accountable"
July 27, 2006 2:35 AM | Link to this
Since he is a English actor, perhaps we should reference Shakespeare: Much ado about nothing…
But then again, that sums up (sadly) much of the political discourse these days.
Oh well, off to check up on the latest with Cynthia McKinney’s hairdo. After all the runoff is just around the corner, and I want to be an “informed” voter…
By holdingAJC"accountable"
July 27, 2006 2:36 AM | Link to this
Oops…”an” English actor
By GayVoter
July 27, 2006 8:58 AM | Link to this
Thanks for the reminder about why gay Georgians will be voting for Democrats…
By liberalandproud
July 27, 2006 11:49 AM | Link to this
Maybe Sir Ian was the voice behind all those “Orland Jones” robo-calls regarding the Martin campaign.
By John C. Fremont
July 27, 2006 8:48 PM | Link to this
Surely Governor Miller did not know in 2000 that Ian McKellen was openly gay when he appointed him under his military command!
By UGA
July 27, 2006 9:10 PM | Link to this
It was not 2000 as the McKellen blog says—Miller was not governor then—it can be clearly read on the blog as ninety five—the year of Richard III’s release although I think it was already “no ask, no tell” as Clinton was president and Miller was really on board the Clinton ship of state—but to flagrantly violate orders knowing that McKellen was openly gay! Wow!
By John C. Fremont
July 27, 2006 9:30 PM | Link to this
Stupid UGA I just read the commission and it was the Inauguration Day of Governor Zell Miller in 1991 some two years before Bill Cliton was sworn in as President. George Herbert walker Bush did not have a “no ask, no tell” policy like Cliton. Governor Miller knew what he was doing with this open gay in the military! Don’t try and blame my Republicans for Cliton’s crew!