UPDATE: Kirk Cameron's Growing Pains co-stars no longer showing him that smile after anti-gay comments, even though his "gay friends" are cool with it
Suggesting that Kirk Cameron’s next birthday party will be even more sparsely attended—but on the bright side, require an equally modest sandwich budget—the actor’s Growing Pains co-stars have joined the many who have come forth to criticize Cameron for his recent statements regarding homosexuals. The controversy that no one who has never listened to the opinions of the Christian right could have expected began after Cameron’s appearance on Piers Morgan Tonight, when Morgan finally justified untold minutes of pretending to be interested in Cameron’s plan for fixing America by getting him to opine that homosexuality is “unnatural” as well as “detrimental, and ultimately destructive to so many of the foundations of civilization”—specifically, the foundations and other structures that Cameron had recently stared at so meaningfully while filming his new sort-of-documentary, Monumental. And although Cameron’s thesis is backed up by the fact that he certainly didn’t witness any homosexual homo-sex in the Pilgrim historical reenactment villages he’d visited and also the Bible, naturally his comments have drawn the ire of organizations like GLAAD, who called them “even more dated than his 1980s TV character”—which, actually, counts as a fairly witty burn by GLAAD statement standards.
But even closer to home, Cameron was set upon by his TV family, who no doubt can’t believe that a guy who spent all his time palling around with a Boner would grow up to harbor such deep homophobia. Cameron’s erstwhile TV sister Tracey Gold was, unlike her Growing Pains character, less confrontational and screechy with her anger, tweeting only, “I am a strong supporter of the #LGBT community, and I believe in equal rights for all. #NOH8 #LOVE.” That meant it was up to former dad Alan Thicke to once again don the sweater vest of tough love, first comparing Cameron’s comments to the ongoing fallout over Rush Limbaugh, then saying, “I’m getting him some new books. The Old Testament simply can’t be expected to explain everything.” Thicke later added, “I love Kirk but I may have to spank him…’tho not in a gay way!” to let him know in no uncertain terms that he wasn’t mad, just disappointed.
But while Cameron’s own pretend-family has all but disowned him (joining a chorus of other TV-people protesters that so far includes Martha Plimpton, Roseanne Barr, Josh Charles, Neil Patrick Harris, Craig Ferguson, Debra Messing, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson), Cameron will be heartened to know that at least someone is still willing to show him a smile—namely fellow born-again and Internet-restored actor Stephen Baldwin, who tweeted, “GREAT JOB Kirk!!! Let's pray one day Piers Morgan finds true Salvation, God Bless!” And as long as they’ve got each other, they’ve got the world spinnin’ right in their hands, baby. Kirk and Steve, they’ve gotta be the luckiest dreamers who never quit dreamin’ of a world without homosexuals. [via Entertainment Weekly]
UPDATE: Cameron has now responded via an interview with ABC News, saying, "I spoke as honestly as I could, but some people believe my responses were not loving toward those in the gay community. That is not true. I can assuredly say that it’s my life’s mission to love all people." Indeed, he loves even those who are destroying the very civilization he holds dear, so long as they address him using the exact same respect that he believes that statement embodies.
"I should be able to express moral views on social issues," Cameron continued, "especially those that have been the underpinning of Western civilization for 2,000 years— without being slandered, accused of hate speech, and told from those who preach ‘tolerance’ that I need to either bend my beliefs to their moral standards or be silent when I’m in the public square." And by the way, other people besides Stephen Baldwin agree with him: "I’ve been encouraged by the support of many friends (including gay friends, incidentally),” he concluded. "Hey Kirk, we may be slowly unraveling society with our unnatural existence, but hey, that doesn't mean we can't still be friends," these people said, presumably.