Martha Plimpton On 'The Real O'Neals,' Beg A Gay In And More [INTERVIEW] - Towleroad Gay News

Contents:

• MARTHA PLIMPTON ON ‘THE REAL O’NEALS,’ BEG A GAY IN AND MORE [INTERVIEW]
• BIG GAY FOLLOWG: MARTHA PLIMPTON
• IS MARTHA PLIMPTON GAY
• THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985
• ‘GENERA+N’S’ MARTHA PLIMPTON: THE HOMOPHOBIC TV MOM GETS A COMPLEX MAKEOVERCHARACTER STUDYHBO MAXON “GENERA+N,” HBO MAX’S REVOLUTNARY SERI ABOUT QUEER TEENS, MARTHA PLIMPTN IS GIVG ONE OF THE MOST FASCATG PERFORMANC ON TV AS A NFLICTED NSERVATIVE MOM.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED JUN. 30, 2021 2:17PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 30, 2021 4:49AM EDT IN TV AND MOVI THAT FEATURE A TEEN G OUT STORY, WE’VE GOTTEN ED TO SEEG CERTA KDS OF MOMS.THERE ARE THE ON WHO, LIKE, JENNIFER GARNER’S CHARACTER LOVE, SIMON, ARE THE PLATONIC IAL, WHO KNOW THE EXACT RIGHT THG TO SAY ABOUT ACCEPTANCE, LIVERG A BETIFUL MONOLOGUE THAT ANY GAY TEENAGER WOULD HOPE TO HEAR OM AFTER G OUT. THE PHRASE “YOU GET TO EXHALE NOW” HAS BEE A THARTIC TRIGGER THANKS TO GARNER’S PASSNATE LIVERY THAT FILM’S SCENE—STANT TEARS.THEN THERE ARE THE TYP OF MOTHERS AND PARENTS THAT MAY BE EVEN MORE MON, PECIALLY GIVEN THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY’S PREOCCUPATN WH CENTERG QUEER TEEN AND G OUT STORI AROUND PA AND OSTRACIZATN. THE ARE THE PARENTS WHO REFE TO ACCEPT THEIR CHILDREN, WHO DISOWN THEM. THE ON WHO VOKE RELIGN, BIBLE, AND LIFETIM OF GRAED MORALY LSONS WHILE REFG TO VALIDATE THEIR CHILDREN FOR WHO THEY ARE AND WHO THEY LOVE. NEWSLETTERSTHE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSEDEVERYTHG WE N’T STOP LOVG, HATG, AND THKG ABOUT THIS WEEK POP CULTURE.SUBSCRIBEBY CLICKG "SUBSCRIBE" YOU AGREE TO HAVE READ THE TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY BUT AS MORE NTENT ABOUT THE LIV OF LGBT+ PEOPLE AND G OUT IS BEG PRODUCED OM MORE DIVERSE VOIC, THE REALY OF THAT JOURNEY IS BEG TOLD ON A MORE NUANCED AND PLITED SPECTM. NO LONGER DO WE HAVE TO ASSIGN ONE CHARACTER’S NARRATIVE TO AN ENTIRE MUNY’S VARIED EXPERIENC. AND THERE’S BEEN AN TERTG, MAYBE EVEN UNEXPECTED BYPRODUCT OF THIS BREADTH OF STORYTELLG: THOSE “MOTHER” CHARACTERS HAVE BEE MORE PLITED, TOO. ON HBO MAX’S GENERA+N, EMMY-WNER MARTHA PLIMPTON PLAYS MEGAN, MOTHER TO TW TEENS. ONE OF THEM, ULY SCHLGER’S NATHAN, VERY PUBLICLY (AND, FOR MEGAN, HUIATGLY) OUT AS BISEXUAL.MEGAN IS A FAIAR TYPE. SHE’S TIGHTLY WOUND, A SPRG THAT ULD BURST AT ANY MOMENT AS SHE CIRCL HER CALIFORNIA SUBURB MCMANSN’S EXPANSIVE KCHEN ISLAND, FILLG OUT THE FAY’S LENDAR OF ACTIVI AND BARKG OUT A STEADY STREAM OF PLANS AND LOGISTICS. HER BLOWN-OUT HAIR, RDIGAN, AND PEARLS MOVE FORTABLY OM CHURCH SERVIC TO BACKYARD MARGARAS WH THE GAY UPLE SHE’S BEEN IENDS WH SCE HIGH SCHOOL, PLEASED THAT THEIR NNECTN SIGNALS PUBLICLY THAT SHE’S, PERHAPS, A “OL” NSERVATIVE. WHEN ’S HER OWN SON THAT NEEDS THAT EMBRACE, HOWEVER, ’S ANOTHER STORY.THAT GENERA+N FEATUR A GROUNDBREAKG ARRAY OF YOUNG QUEER TEENS IS OWED TO THE FACT THAT ZELDA BARNZ, WHO -CREATED THE SHOW WH HER FATHER, DANIEL, WAS ONLY 17 WHEN SHE WROTE THE PILOT SCRIPT. THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF FASCATG CHARACTERS. IN A RECENT TERVIEW WH THE DAILY BEAST, PLIMPTON LED THAT JTICE SMH’S CROP TOP-WEARG, LOUD-AND-PROUD, BLEEDG-HEART CHTER IS NOT JT HER FAVORE CHARACTER ON THE SERI, “BUT LIFE,” ADDG, “I LOVE HOW FLAMBOYANT AND FLIP HE IS, BUT ALSO HOW SERLY HE TAK EVERYTHG. IT REALLY MOV ME.” PEOPLE TUNG TO THE QUEER-POSIVE SHOW MAY NOT HAVE EXPECTED FOR PLIMPTON’S MEGAN—WHOSE STGGLE TO ACCEPT NATHAN IS ONE OF THE SERI’ RECURRG THREADS—TO BE A FAVORE CHARACTER. BUT THE PLITED LAYERS WOVEN TO EACH EXCHANGE MOTHER AND SON HAVE—OR, MORE ACCURATELY, ENDURE—END UP PRODUCG SOME OF THE SERI’ MOST GRATIFYG AND FASCATG MOMENTS.A CLIMAX OF THAT ARC ME THE MOST RECENT EPISO, TLED “THERE’S SOMETHG ABOUT HAMBURGER MARY’S.” THE EPISO ENDS WH MEGAN BEGDGGLY ATTENDG A LGBT FUNDRAISER ON WHAT SEEMS TO BE NATHAN’S DARE. THEN SHE IS TRICKED TO SGG A KARAOKE PERFORMANCE OF D’REE’S ’90S H “YOU GOTTA BE” THAT ENDS WH HER TEARS. ADVERTISEMENT “I THOUGHT WAS REALLY SAD AND I THOUGHT WAS REALLY SORT OF CRGEY,” PLIMPTON SAYS WHEN WE NNECT TO TALK ABOUT THE EPISO. “I THOUGHT WAS ALL THE THGS THAT YOU LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PLAY THAT MAKE A CHARACTER LIKE MEGAN PLEX AND TERTG.”THE HEARTBREAKG KARAOKE BACLE CLOS OUT THE EPISO, WH PLIMPTON’S VOICE CRACKG WH EACH NEW LYRIC AS THE SCENE FAS TO END CREDS. BUT ALL STARTS WH NATHAN LEVELG UP HIS ARMS RACE WH MEGAN OVER HIS SEXUALY. SHE’S CERTA THAT ’S A CHOICE, THAT HE N BE TALKED OUT OF , AND THAT HE’S JT ACTG OUT AND TTG HER. TO SOME EXTENT, SHE’S RRECT. HE KEEPS ORCHTRATG STUNTS TO SHOVE HIS SEXUALY HER FACE TO SHOCK AND SHAME HER. BUT IS HIS SEXUALY, AND ’S G TRMA THAT SHE’S NOT ACCEPTG .HER LAST NERVE PRACTILLY EXPLOS ALL OVER THAT KCHEN ISLAND WHEN NATHAN NCELS THEIR MOTHER-SON DATE NIGHT BEE OF THE LGBT FUNDRAISER. WHEN SHE’S PISSED, HE CHALLENG HER TO E, ASSUMG THAT SHE’D NEVER DO . IT’S MEGAN’S HBAND, MARK, WHO NVC HER TO ATTEND, ACHG HER, “IF YOU WANT TO STEER THE BOAT, YOU HAVE TO BE .”“THAT’S A VERY, VERY SMART WAY OF GETTG THROUGH TO MEGAN,” PLIMPTON SAYS. “BEE HE'S NOT SAYG, ‘YOU HAVE TO BE THE BOAT TO ENJOY THE BOAT.’ HE'S SAYG, ‘IN ORR TO NTROL THGS, YOU HAVE TO BE THERE. YOU N’T NTROL IF YOU’RE NOT THERE.’ THAT’S KD OF WHERE MEGAN IS AT. AND SHE VERY QUICKLY DISVERS SHE’S NOT NTROL OF ANYTHG. ANYTHG.”WHEN THE FUNDRAISER AT DRAG QUEEN BAR HAMBURGER MARY’S BE A LOVE-FT APPRECIATN FOR ALL THE PARENTS WHO SUPPORT THEIR QUEER CHILDREN, MEGAN REALIZ SHE N’T BE THERE, EVEN BEGDGGLY. “IT IS NOT GOOD PARENTG TO WALK YOUR CHILD TO A VOLNO, AND HERE WE ARE LGHG AND HOLDG HIS HAND AND WALKG HIM STRAIGHT TO HELL,” SHE HISS AT MARK AS SHE TRI TO STORM OUT.BUT NATHAN’S DARE DIDN’T JT END WH THE VE. HE ALSO SIGNED MEGAN UP FOR KARAOKE, UNBEKNOWNST HER. TORTURED PANIC FLICKERS ACROSS HER FACE AS SHE MAK HER WAY TO THE STAGE. MOTHER AND SON ARE ENGAGED A T-AND-MOE GAME WHICH THERE ARE NO WNERS, BUT MEGAN IS NOT GOG TO GIVE NATHAN THE SATISFACTN OF WALKG AWAY. ADVERTISEMENT “THERE'S A PART OF EVERY PARENT THAT GO, 'OH REALLY, YOU THK YOU KNOW ME, KID? YOU KNOW, I'M A LOT MORE TERTG THAN YOU REALIZE,’” PLIMPTON SAYS. “I THK THAT'S WHAT SHE'S SAYG. SHE'S ACCEPTG THE DARE.”THERE’S A MOMENT DURG THE KARAOKE PERFORMANCE WHERE YOU MAY EXPECT THGS TO TURN AROUND, LIKE THEY DO OTHER, MORE UPLIFTG PORTRAYALS OF G OUT STORI. YOU MAY EXPECT MEGAN’S NERV AND DISGT TO TRANSFORM TO A TRIUMPHANT PERFORMANCE THAT SIGNALS HER ACCEPTANCE. INSTEAD, QUICKLY MORPHS TO AN UNFORTABLE MELTDOWN, THE KD OF WHICH EVEN NATHAN IS PAED TO WATCH OM THE DIENCE.“LIFE IS SO MSY AND RELATNSHIPS BETWEEN PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN ARE MSY ANYWAY, AND TEENAGERS ARE CRAZY ANYWAY,” PLIMPTON SAYS. “TEENAGERS ARE CRAZY AND NOW ALSO SMARTER THAN .”“I THK THERE'S VERY LTLE THE SHOW THAT IS THE SIMPLE KD OF HALLMARK OR S VERSN OF EVENTS,” SHE NTU. “THE S VERSN OF MY ANSWER FOR THIS WOULD BE THAT SHE'S GETTG UP THERE TO PROVE TO NATHAN THAT SHE LOV HIM AND SHE ACCEPTS HIM. BUT NO, THAT A'T HAPPENG. AND THERE'S A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE THAT HAPPENS. BUT THAT DON'T MEAN THAT SHE DON'T REALLY, REALLY LOVE HIM AND REALLY, REALLY WANT TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS.” “I THK THERE'S VERY LTLE THE SHOW THAT IS THE SIMPLE KD OF HALLMARK OR S VERSN OF EVENTS.” THAT’S WHAT MAK THIS RELATNSHIP SO DIFFERENT OM WHAT WE’RE ED TO SEEG, EVEN ON A S LIKE THE REAL O’NEALS, ON WHICH PLIMPTON PLAYED THE CATHOLIC MOTHER OF A TEENAGE GAY SON. SHE’S NOT ACCEPTG OF NATHAN’S SEXUALY. BUT SHE’S NOT STG HIM OUT EHER. IN FACT, SHE REF TO LET HIM GO. FOR ALL OF HER NEGATIVY AND SUFFOTN, ’S VERY CLEAR THAT SHE STILL LOV HIM AND WILL NTUE TO LOVE HIM, SOMEHOW. ON A SPECTM OM SWEET TO TOXIC, SHE FALLS MUCH CLOSER TO THE LATTER. BUT THE SWEETNS IS THERE. ADVERTISEMENT “I THK ’S SOMETHG A LOT OF QUEER KIDS UNRSTAND AND HAVE EXPERIENCED, WHICH IS A PARENT WHO JT DON'T LIKE CHAOS,” PLIMPTON SAYS. “SHE JT DON’T LIKE THAT THERE IS A WORLD WHICH THERE’S SOME UNKNOWN. THERE’S NOTHG UNKNOWN THIS WORLD THAT N’T BE EXPLAED BY RELIGN, WHICH SETS UP A VERY CLEAR SYSTEM OF L AND PARAMETERS. AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY TERRIFIED.”THAT MEGAN N ACCEPT HER GAY IENDS AND NATHAN’S QUEER CLASSMAT BUT NOT HER OWN SON ISN’T HYPOCRISY, AT LEAST NOT HER EY. “LOVE THE SNER, NOT THE S. WHEN APPLI TO YOUR IENDS, YOU KNOW THAT YOUR IEND IS GOG TO HELL BUT THERE’S NOTHG YOU N DO ABOUT . SO YOU'VE GOT TO, IF NOT RPECT THEIR CHOICE, ACCEPT AS YOU SEE : THEIR CHOICE. BUT WH YOUR SON? NO. THAT’S A BRIDGE TOO FAR. THAT’S YOUR FAY AND YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHG ABOUT .”WORKG ON GENERA+N AND, MORE, JT WATCHG THE SHOW AS AN AVID VIEWER, PLIMPTON SAYS SHE’S VELOPED “JT AN ENORMO AMOUNT OF LOVE FOR THE KIDS FOR THEIR OPENNS AND THEIR HONTY WH ONE ANOTHER AND THEIR YOUTHFUL, SPERATE ATTEMPTS AT NNECTN.”AND, A WELE TURN OF EVENTS GIVEN THE TRAJECTORY WE’VE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN ON THE LAST FEW YEARS, THEY ALSO GIVE HER HOPE. “THEY MAKE ME NOT FEEL AS AAID FOR HUMANY AS I AM WHEN I'M LOOKG AT THE LUNATIC, OLR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KEEP THEM OUT OF SPORTS AND KEEP THEM OUT OF THE WORLD AND HI THEM AWAY,” SHE SAYS. “I’M VERY MOVED BY THEIR SISTENCE ON NOT BEG IGNORED AND NOT BEG ISOLATED LIKE THAT.”AS FOR MEGAN, SHE UTNS NOT TO LOOK AT THE BIG KARAOKE MOMENT AS A SEISMIC SHIFT HER RELATNSHIP WH NATHAN, OR AS A PROFOUND MOMENT OF REALIZATN. IT CERTALY IS VERSNS OF THOSE THGS, WAYS THAT MEGAN IS PROBABLY STILL PROCSG. BUT LIKE SO MANY THGS GENERA+N, THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS OR NEAT PUNCTUATN PUT ON THGS.“IT’S MORE LIKE SHE’S ON A TRA THAT’S GOG,” SHE SAYS. “SHE’S ON A NAWAY TRA. AND THIS IS THE NEXT STOP THAT SHE’S GONNA MISS.” KEV FALLON
• KIRK CAMERON FAC BACKLASH OVER ANTI-GAY REMARKS

MARTHA PLIMPTON ON ‘THE REAL O’NEALS,’ BEG A GAY IN AND MORE [INTERVIEW]

The Seventi saw many women's rights, gay rights, and environmental movements.

As the reigng matriarch on ABC's The Real O'Neals, Plimpton might not be the mom every young gay boy wants, but she is certaly close to the mom a lot of  had.

BIG GAY FOLLOWG: MARTHA PLIMPTON

One of the thgs that's really movg me and touchg me week after week is hearg particularly om young gay men on Twter and out the world who say how much this relatnship between Eileen and Kenny remds them of their own relatnships wh their moms, and how much means to them to see that relatnship on televisn and to see those negotiatns and those fights and those moments of reckong played out as normal reali of life. I've also found movg when I've heard om some moms of gay sons who really relate to Eileen and feel like some bizarre way we're sort of strangely offerg a mol and helpg them feel like they're not alone too this stggle, this readjtment, this realizatn that perfectn is not what you thk is all the time.

As much as our show is foced on tellg the very normal g-of-age story of a young, gay man, I thk our wrers are also not jt wrg for gay kids out there. Bee many of them are gay themselv, I thk, some ways, they're wrg for their parents too. You're a b of a gay in and have had a large gay followg through a lot of your work.

What do you thk is about you that speaks to the gay muny? Hontly, I haven't seen that movie a really long time, so I don't remember if I ma e of that at all, but I don't rell that I did any really heavy thkg about that film you played a lbian terrorist, oppose Rupert Everett, who outs closeted gays the entertament dtry. Do you know any closeted homosexuals the dtry?

IS MARTHA PLIMPTON GAY

[Lghs] No one's ever asked me if I was gay or e on to me that way.

" I'm very nerdy and role do gay fans rpond to the most? I'm like, "So, you have sex wh gay men, but you're not gay...

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

My circle of gay iends also enjoys your harried party hosts 1999's 200 know, at some pot the '80s, a gay man me up to me and said, "Oh, honey, the gays love you. [Lghs]Growg up on Manhattan's Upper Wt Si, what was your troductn to the gay muny?

It's like, the sky is blue, and there are gay people everywhere. Have you ever fallen for a gay man? There was a guy , a dancer, who was super-duper, uld not be gayer -- obvly 100-percent gay.

‘GENERA+N’S’ MARTHA PLIMPTON: THE HOMOPHOBIC TV MOM GETS A COMPLEX MAKEOVERCHARACTER STUDYHBO MAXON “GENERA+N,” HBO MAX’S REVOLUTNARY SERI ABOUT QUEER TEENS, MARTHA PLIMPTN IS GIVG ONE OF THE MOST FASCATG PERFORMANC ON TV AS A NFLICTED NSERVATIVE MOM.KEV FALLONSENR EDOR, OBSSEDUPDATED JUN. 30, 2021 2:17PM EDT / PUBLISHED JUN. 30, 2021 4:49AM EDT IN TV AND MOVI THAT FEATURE A TEEN G OUT STORY, WE’VE GOTTEN ED TO SEEG CERTA KDS OF MOMS.THERE ARE THE ON WHO, LIKE, JENNIFER GARNER’S CHARACTER LOVE, SIMON, ARE THE PLATONIC IAL, WHO KNOW THE EXACT RIGHT THG TO SAY ABOUT ACCEPTANCE, LIVERG A BETIFUL MONOLOGUE THAT ANY GAY TEENAGER WOULD HOPE TO HEAR OM AFTER G OUT. THE PHRASE “YOU GET TO EXHALE NOW” HAS BEE A THARTIC TRIGGER THANKS TO GARNER’S PASSNATE LIVERY THAT FILM’S SCENE—STANT TEARS.THEN THERE ARE THE TYP OF MOTHERS AND PARENTS THAT MAY BE EVEN MORE MON, PECIALLY GIVEN THE ENTERTAMENT DTRY’S PREOCCUPATN WH CENTERG QUEER TEEN AND G OUT STORI AROUND PA AND OSTRACIZATN. THE ARE THE PARENTS WHO REFE TO ACCEPT THEIR CHILDREN, WHO DISOWN THEM. THE ON WHO VOKE RELIGN, BIBLE, AND LIFETIM OF GRAED MORALY LSONS WHILE REFG TO VALIDATE THEIR CHILDREN FOR WHO THEY ARE AND WHO THEY LOVE. NEWSLETTERSTHE DAILY BEAST’S OBSSEDEVERYTHG WE N’T STOP LOVG, HATG, AND THKG ABOUT THIS WEEK POP CULTURE.SUBSCRIBEBY CLICKG "SUBSCRIBE" YOU AGREE TO HAVE READ THE TERMS OF USE AND PRIVACY POLICY BUT AS MORE NTENT ABOUT THE LIV OF LGBT+ PEOPLE AND G OUT IS BEG PRODUCED OM MORE DIVERSE VOIC, THE REALY OF THAT JOURNEY IS BEG TOLD ON A MORE NUANCED AND PLITED SPECTM. NO LONGER DO WE HAVE TO ASSIGN ONE CHARACTER’S NARRATIVE TO AN ENTIRE MUNY’S VARIED EXPERIENC. AND THERE’S BEEN AN TERTG, MAYBE EVEN UNEXPECTED BYPRODUCT OF THIS BREADTH OF STORYTELLG: THOSE “MOTHER” CHARACTERS HAVE BEE MORE PLITED, TOO. ON HBO MAX’S GENERA+N, EMMY-WNER MARTHA PLIMPTON PLAYS MEGAN, MOTHER TO TW TEENS. ONE OF THEM, ULY SCHLGER’S NATHAN, VERY PUBLICLY (AND, FOR MEGAN, HUIATGLY) OUT AS BISEXUAL.MEGAN IS A FAIAR TYPE. SHE’S TIGHTLY WOUND, A SPRG THAT ULD BURST AT ANY MOMENT AS SHE CIRCL HER CALIFORNIA SUBURB MCMANSN’S EXPANSIVE KCHEN ISLAND, FILLG OUT THE FAY’S LENDAR OF ACTIVI AND BARKG OUT A STEADY STREAM OF PLANS AND LOGISTICS. HER BLOWN-OUT HAIR, RDIGAN, AND PEARLS MOVE FORTABLY OM CHURCH SERVIC TO BACKYARD MARGARAS WH THE GAY UPLE SHE’S BEEN IENDS WH SCE HIGH SCHOOL, PLEASED THAT THEIR NNECTN SIGNALS PUBLICLY THAT SHE’S, PERHAPS, A “OL” NSERVATIVE. WHEN ’S HER OWN SON THAT NEEDS THAT EMBRACE, HOWEVER, ’S ANOTHER STORY.THAT GENERA+N FEATUR A GROUNDBREAKG ARRAY OF YOUNG QUEER TEENS IS OWED TO THE FACT THAT ZELDA BARNZ, WHO -CREATED THE SHOW WH HER FATHER, DANIEL, WAS ONLY 17 WHEN SHE WROTE THE PILOT SCRIPT. THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF FASCATG CHARACTERS. IN A RECENT TERVIEW WH THE DAILY BEAST, PLIMPTON LED THAT JTICE SMH’S CROP TOP-WEARG, LOUD-AND-PROUD, BLEEDG-HEART CHTER IS NOT JT HER FAVORE CHARACTER ON THE SERI, “BUT LIFE,” ADDG, “I LOVE HOW FLAMBOYANT AND FLIP HE IS, BUT ALSO HOW SERLY HE TAK EVERYTHG. IT REALLY MOV ME.” PEOPLE TUNG TO THE QUEER-POSIVE SHOW MAY NOT HAVE EXPECTED FOR PLIMPTON’S MEGAN—WHOSE STGGLE TO ACCEPT NATHAN IS ONE OF THE SERI’ RECURRG THREADS—TO BE A FAVORE CHARACTER. BUT THE PLITED LAYERS WOVEN TO EACH EXCHANGE MOTHER AND SON HAVE—OR, MORE ACCURATELY, ENDURE—END UP PRODUCG SOME OF THE SERI’ MOST GRATIFYG AND FASCATG MOMENTS.A CLIMAX OF THAT ARC ME THE MOST RECENT EPISO, TLED “THERE’S SOMETHG ABOUT HAMBURGER MARY’S.” THE EPISO ENDS WH MEGAN BEGDGGLY ATTENDG A LGBT FUNDRAISER ON WHAT SEEMS TO BE NATHAN’S DARE. THEN SHE IS TRICKED TO SGG A KARAOKE PERFORMANCE OF D’REE’S ’90S H “YOU GOTTA BE” THAT ENDS WH HER TEARS. ADVERTISEMENT “I THOUGHT WAS REALLY SAD AND I THOUGHT WAS REALLY SORT OF CRGEY,” PLIMPTON SAYS WHEN WE NNECT TO TALK ABOUT THE EPISO. “I THOUGHT WAS ALL THE THGS THAT YOU LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PLAY THAT MAKE A CHARACTER LIKE MEGAN PLEX AND TERTG.”THE HEARTBREAKG KARAOKE BACLE CLOS OUT THE EPISO, WH PLIMPTON’S VOICE CRACKG WH EACH NEW LYRIC AS THE SCENE FAS TO END CREDS. BUT ALL STARTS WH NATHAN LEVELG UP HIS ARMS RACE WH MEGAN OVER HIS SEXUALY. SHE’S CERTA THAT ’S A CHOICE, THAT HE N BE TALKED OUT OF , AND THAT HE’S JT ACTG OUT AND TTG HER. TO SOME EXTENT, SHE’S RRECT. HE KEEPS ORCHTRATG STUNTS TO SHOVE HIS SEXUALY HER FACE TO SHOCK AND SHAME HER. BUT IS HIS SEXUALY, AND ’S G TRMA THAT SHE’S NOT ACCEPTG .HER LAST NERVE PRACTILLY EXPLOS ALL OVER THAT KCHEN ISLAND WHEN NATHAN NCELS THEIR MOTHER-SON DATE NIGHT BEE OF THE LGBT FUNDRAISER. WHEN SHE’S PISSED, HE CHALLENG HER TO E, ASSUMG THAT SHE’D NEVER DO . IT’S MEGAN’S HBAND, MARK, WHO NVC HER TO ATTEND, ACHG HER, “IF YOU WANT TO STEER THE BOAT, YOU HAVE TO BE .”“THAT’S A VERY, VERY SMART WAY OF GETTG THROUGH TO MEGAN,” PLIMPTON SAYS. “BEE HE'S NOT SAYG, ‘YOU HAVE TO BE THE BOAT TO ENJOY THE BOAT.’ HE'S SAYG, ‘IN ORR TO NTROL THGS, YOU HAVE TO BE THERE. YOU N’T NTROL IF YOU’RE NOT THERE.’ THAT’S KD OF WHERE MEGAN IS AT. AND SHE VERY QUICKLY DISVERS SHE’S NOT NTROL OF ANYTHG. ANYTHG.”WHEN THE FUNDRAISER AT DRAG QUEEN BAR HAMBURGER MARY’S BE A LOVE-FT APPRECIATN FOR ALL THE PARENTS WHO SUPPORT THEIR QUEER CHILDREN, MEGAN REALIZ SHE N’T BE THERE, EVEN BEGDGGLY. “IT IS NOT GOOD PARENTG TO WALK YOUR CHILD TO A VOLNO, AND HERE WE ARE LGHG AND HOLDG HIS HAND AND WALKG HIM STRAIGHT TO HELL,” SHE HISS AT MARK AS SHE TRI TO STORM OUT.BUT NATHAN’S DARE DIDN’T JT END WH THE VE. HE ALSO SIGNED MEGAN UP FOR KARAOKE, UNBEKNOWNST HER. TORTURED PANIC FLICKERS ACROSS HER FACE AS SHE MAK HER WAY TO THE STAGE. MOTHER AND SON ARE ENGAGED A T-AND-MOE GAME WHICH THERE ARE NO WNERS, BUT MEGAN IS NOT GOG TO GIVE NATHAN THE SATISFACTN OF WALKG AWAY. ADVERTISEMENT “THERE'S A PART OF EVERY PARENT THAT GO, 'OH REALLY, YOU THK YOU KNOW ME, KID? YOU KNOW, I'M A LOT MORE TERTG THAN YOU REALIZE,’” PLIMPTON SAYS. “I THK THAT'S WHAT SHE'S SAYG. SHE'S ACCEPTG THE DARE.”THERE’S A MOMENT DURG THE KARAOKE PERFORMANCE WHERE YOU MAY EXPECT THGS TO TURN AROUND, LIKE THEY DO OTHER, MORE UPLIFTG PORTRAYALS OF G OUT STORI. YOU MAY EXPECT MEGAN’S NERV AND DISGT TO TRANSFORM TO A TRIUMPHANT PERFORMANCE THAT SIGNALS HER ACCEPTANCE. INSTEAD, QUICKLY MORPHS TO AN UNFORTABLE MELTDOWN, THE KD OF WHICH EVEN NATHAN IS PAED TO WATCH OM THE DIENCE.“LIFE IS SO MSY AND RELATNSHIPS BETWEEN PARENTS AND THEIR CHILDREN ARE MSY ANYWAY, AND TEENAGERS ARE CRAZY ANYWAY,” PLIMPTON SAYS. “TEENAGERS ARE CRAZY AND NOW ALSO SMARTER THAN .”“I THK THERE'S VERY LTLE THE SHOW THAT IS THE SIMPLE KD OF HALLMARK OR S VERSN OF EVENTS,” SHE NTU. “THE S VERSN OF MY ANSWER FOR THIS WOULD BE THAT SHE'S GETTG UP THERE TO PROVE TO NATHAN THAT SHE LOV HIM AND SHE ACCEPTS HIM. BUT NO, THAT A'T HAPPENG. AND THERE'S A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE THAT HAPPENS. BUT THAT DON'T MEAN THAT SHE DON'T REALLY, REALLY LOVE HIM AND REALLY, REALLY WANT TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS.” “I THK THERE'S VERY LTLE THE SHOW THAT IS THE SIMPLE KD OF HALLMARK OR S VERSN OF EVENTS.” THAT’S WHAT MAK THIS RELATNSHIP SO DIFFERENT OM WHAT WE’RE ED TO SEEG, EVEN ON A S LIKE THE REAL O’NEALS, ON WHICH PLIMPTON PLAYED THE CATHOLIC MOTHER OF A TEENAGE GAY SON. SHE’S NOT ACCEPTG OF NATHAN’S SEXUALY. BUT SHE’S NOT STG HIM OUT EHER. IN FACT, SHE REF TO LET HIM GO. FOR ALL OF HER NEGATIVY AND SUFFOTN, ’S VERY CLEAR THAT SHE STILL LOV HIM AND WILL NTUE TO LOVE HIM, SOMEHOW. ON A SPECTM OM SWEET TO TOXIC, SHE FALLS MUCH CLOSER TO THE LATTER. BUT THE SWEETNS IS THERE. ADVERTISEMENT “I THK ’S SOMETHG A LOT OF QUEER KIDS UNRSTAND AND HAVE EXPERIENCED, WHICH IS A PARENT WHO JT DON'T LIKE CHAOS,” PLIMPTON SAYS. “SHE JT DON’T LIKE THAT THERE IS A WORLD WHICH THERE’S SOME UNKNOWN. THERE’S NOTHG UNKNOWN THIS WORLD THAT N’T BE EXPLAED BY RELIGN, WHICH SETS UP A VERY CLEAR SYSTEM OF L AND PARAMETERS. AND THOSE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY TERRIFIED.”THAT MEGAN N ACCEPT HER GAY IENDS AND NATHAN’S QUEER CLASSMAT BUT NOT HER OWN SON ISN’T HYPOCRISY, AT LEAST NOT HER EY. “LOVE THE SNER, NOT THE S. WHEN APPLI TO YOUR IENDS, YOU KNOW THAT YOUR IEND IS GOG TO HELL BUT THERE’S NOTHG YOU N DO ABOUT . SO YOU'VE GOT TO, IF NOT RPECT THEIR CHOICE, ACCEPT AS YOU SEE : THEIR CHOICE. BUT WH YOUR SON? NO. THAT’S A BRIDGE TOO FAR. THAT’S YOUR FAY AND YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHG ABOUT .”WORKG ON GENERA+N AND, MORE, JT WATCHG THE SHOW AS AN AVID VIEWER, PLIMPTON SAYS SHE’S VELOPED “JT AN ENORMO AMOUNT OF LOVE FOR THE KIDS FOR THEIR OPENNS AND THEIR HONTY WH ONE ANOTHER AND THEIR YOUTHFUL, SPERATE ATTEMPTS AT NNECTN.”AND, A WELE TURN OF EVENTS GIVEN THE TRAJECTORY WE’VE SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN ON THE LAST FEW YEARS, THEY ALSO GIVE HER HOPE. “THEY MAKE ME NOT FEEL AS AAID FOR HUMANY AS I AM WHEN I'M LOOKG AT THE LUNATIC, OLR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KEEP THEM OUT OF SPORTS AND KEEP THEM OUT OF THE WORLD AND HI THEM AWAY,” SHE SAYS. “I’M VERY MOVED BY THEIR SISTENCE ON NOT BEG IGNORED AND NOT BEG ISOLATED LIKE THAT.”AS FOR MEGAN, SHE UTNS NOT TO LOOK AT THE BIG KARAOKE MOMENT AS A SEISMIC SHIFT HER RELATNSHIP WH NATHAN, OR AS A PROFOUND MOMENT OF REALIZATN. IT CERTALY IS VERSNS OF THOSE THGS, WAYS THAT MEGAN IS PROBABLY STILL PROCSG. BUT LIKE SO MANY THGS GENERA+N, THERE ARE NO EASY ANSWERS OR NEAT PUNCTUATN PUT ON THGS.“IT’S MORE LIKE SHE’S ON A TRA THAT’S GOG,” SHE SAYS. “SHE’S ON A NAWAY TRA. AND THIS IS THE NEXT STOP THAT SHE’S GONNA MISS.” KEV FALLON

"Raisg Hope's enarg crazy-fay antics shun ntroversy; not so Plimpton, who has promently spoken out agast antigay remarks ma by Kirk Cameron, '80s s star and Christian fundamentalist. "First of all, this is a person who has primarily ma his livg an dtry that is full of gay people, " she says.

In one recent week, she tweeted lks to a Gore Vidal piece on gays and relign and an op-ed on gays and gay issu particularly on her md? "I thk there are some tertg parallels gog on the untry right now, " she says, " terms of the backlash and hysteril fear about the advanc of the gay rights movement and the extreme efforts to curtail women's rights. In TV and movi that feature a teen g out story, we’ve gotten ed to seeg certa kds of are the on who, like, Jennifer Garner’s character Love, Simon, are the platonic ial, who know the exact right thg to say about acceptance, liverg a betiful monologue that any gay teenager would hope to hear om after g out.

KIRK CAMERON FAC BACKLASH OVER ANTI-GAY REMARKS

Her blown-out hair, rdigan, and pearls move fortably om church servic to backyard margaras wh the gay uple she’s been iends wh sce high school, pleased that their nnectn signals publicly that she’s, perhaps, a “ol” nservative.