Mister Rogers’s Gay, Black Friend François Clemmons Wears Tiaras Now | Vany Fair

Contents:

• MISTER ROGERS' SURPRISG RELATNSHIP WH HIS GAY COSTAR OFFICER CLEMMONS
• MISTER ROGERS TOLD CO-STAR DON'T COME OUT AS GAY, AND MARRY A WOMAN
• MISTER ROGERS ENURAGED GAY COSTAR OFFICER CLEMMONS TO STAY THE CLOSET AND MARRY A WOMAN
• THE GAY ‘GHETTO BOY’ WHO BOND WH MISTER ROGERS AND CHANGED THE NEIGHBORHOOD
• MISTER ROGERS TOLD -STAR OFFICER CLEMMONS TO NOT E OUT AS GAY AND TO MARRY A WOMAN
• MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD' STAR FRANçOIS CLEMMONS CAME OUT AS GAY AFTER SHOW END
• FRED ROGERS URGED GAY COSTAR FRANIS CLEMMONS TO HI HIS SEXUALY AND MARRY A WOMAN
• MISTER ROGERS’S GAY, BLACK FRIEND FRANçOIS CLEMMONS WEARS TIARAS NOW

MISTER ROGERS' SURPRISG RELATNSHIP WH HIS GAY COSTAR OFFICER CLEMMONS

And the relatnship between the two men — one black, the other whe; one gay and sgle, one straight, married, and a father to two children; one trovert, one extrovert — would bee somewhat of “a marriage.

But Not if You're Gay. "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" was no place for gay people... Franis Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons om 1968 - 1995, says his new memoir, Fred Rogers got wd of the fact Clemmons was gay, pulled him asi and said, "Franc, you have talents and gifts that set you apart and above the crowd.

Someone has rmed that you were seen at the lol gay bar downtown. Now, I want you to know, Franc, that if you're gay, don't matter to me at all. "Whatever you say and do is fe wh me, but if you're gog to be on the show as an important member of the 'Neighborhood, ' you n't be out as gay.

MISTER ROGERS TOLD CO-STAR DON'T COME OUT AS GAY, AND MARRY A WOMAN

“Someone has rmed that you were seen at the lol gay bar downtown.

Now, I want you to know, Franc, that if you’re gay, don’t matter to me at all. Whatever you say and do is fe wh me, but if you’re gog to be on the show as an important member of the Neighborhood, you n’t be out as gay. He and Sheridan would amibly divorce 1974 and he would beg livg life as an openly gay man.

MISTER ROGERS ENURAGED GAY COSTAR OFFICER CLEMMONS TO STAY THE CLOSET AND MARRY A WOMAN

Throughout our nversatn, Clemmons, 73, reunted his 25 years on the PBS program, his experience as the first Ain-Amerin actor wh a recurrg role on a children’s TV seri, the credible bond he formed wh the late Rogers and his stggle to e out as a gay black actor the a soon-to-be mom, “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” ma me feel all kds of thgs. ” As we talked and as I shared wh him that I felt I had to be some personal areas a gay man, but there were other thgs about my life that I was gog to get on wh, he said, “Fe.

THE GAY ‘GHETTO BOY’ WHO BOND WH MISTER ROGERS AND CHANGED THE NEIGHBORHOOD

You n’t go on newspaper terviews, rad terviews, televisn or whatever and discs tail that you are a gay man. “Had I been an openly gay person on 'Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, ' that would have been the end of the program before began... The Bible Belt people really, as much as they talk about love and the life of Christ, they don’t love gay people.

MISTER ROGERS TOLD -STAR OFFICER CLEMMONS TO NOT E OUT AS GAY AND TO MARRY A WOMAN

So I unrstood that if a gay person was on televisn, they were not gog to watch that program.

They were gog to do everythg they uld to shut I been an openly gay person on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, ” that would have been the end of the program before began, pecially Oh, Indiana, Illois, Kentucky, Tennsee, all the way down to Geia, Mississippi, Alabama. That swath of Ameri would never tolerate an openly gay man, pecially on a children’s televisn program.

PBS those days probably would have whdrawn their support for a children’s televisn program that had an openly gay person on . I keep strsg that bee was particularly more difficult to be openly gay on a children’s televisn program than an adult program, which happened much later on several you thk Fred would have reacted differently, say, if the show was still on 2018?

MISTER ROGERS’ NEIGHBORHOOD' STAR FRANçOIS CLEMMONS CAME OUT AS GAY AFTER SHOW END

It certaly has been proven that havg a gay person on a televisn program do not mean that’s the end of the program. Particularly wh the shows that are on ble that al very openly, very telligently, very sensibly, very creatively wh gay people all kds of rol. And actors and actrs are g out all the time and sayg, “I’m a gay person.

FRED ROGERS URGED GAY COSTAR FRANIS CLEMMONS TO HI HIS SEXUALY AND MARRY A WOMAN

We have sat and we have talked for hours and hours and hours bee, for some Christians, prents que a challenge that Fred performed a very symbolic act, a physil act, wh a black gay man.

The implitn that a black gay man had some of the characteristics of Peter, is very difficult for some Christians, particularly for whe Christians, to accept. ”In a separate terview wh the outlet about the harrowg oral, Clemmons rells breakg down tears as his role on the televisn show relied upon keepg his homosexualy a secret.

MISTER ROGERS’S GAY, BLACK FRIEND FRANçOIS CLEMMONS WEARS TIARAS NOW

”Followg his directn to not e out as gay, Rogers also enuraged Clemmons to marry a woman. In realy, however, the actor/opera sger had to keep his sexual orientatn unr wraps and only me out as gay after the show’s n.

”Clemmons scribed the close bond between himself and the late Rogers, potg out that the cisn to keep his homosexualy secret had more to do wh the survival of the talented opera sger relled a time 1968 when Rogers was genuely ncerned for his safety and how he knew at that pot that the olr man was someone he uld nfi . ”THE SAD TRUTHIn a separate terview wh HuffPost, Clemmons revealed that his gay stat would have spelled doom for “Mister Rogers. “Had I been an openly gay person on 'Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, ' that would have been the end of the program before began, pecially Oh, Indiana, Illois, Kentucky, Tennsee, all the way down to Geia, Mississippi, Alabama.