Television legend, social media guru and LGBT icon George Takei came to the Sun Dome at the University of South Florida in Tampa April 18.
He was speaking as part of the Frontier Forum lecture series where the scholarly and intellectuals talk about understanding, diversity and acceptance in American society.
Look, Mr. Sulu wants you to tweet your questions for Mr. Takei so they can ask him what you really want to know.
@USFCollege, @GeorgeTakei will be at #MegaCon in Orlando at the end of May with @WilliamShatner. Is everyone gonna play nice? #AskTakei
— Jeremy Williams (@jwilliams1979) April 18, 2016
I beamed a question to Twitter about George Takei and William Shatner appearing together at MegaCon in Orlando. Legend has it that they did not get along during those Star Trek years. I hope they ask him about it!
8:00pm rolls around, no George Takei, but the podium he will be standing behind is very fancy.
Shortly after 8:00 and a brief introduction by a dean, or the dean. I’m not sure how the dean thing works, but after a man talked, THE man came out.
During his lecture he spoke about being five years old and being taken to a Japanese internment camp during World War II right here in America and placed behind physical fences, wrapped in barbed wire.
He also spoke about being a closeted gay man and the shame he felt living behind the political and social fences covered in barbed wire during the AIDS crisis of the 80s and the fight for marriage equality in California in the early 2000s.
He spoke with rage about then California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and how he promised to respect and honor the LGBT community if elected and then turned on them and vetoed a same-sex marriage bill passed by both the state House and Senate.
He finished his lecture with the Q&A, where the dean guy asked the Twitter questions. He didn’t ask mine :’(.
After the questions the dean remind us all that George was born on April 20 and then brought a rainbow cake out and we sang Happy Birthday to George Takei.
He left the stage and I went back to the media room to return my press pass. I waited with the students who volunteered to work the event. One of the student’s names was Jeremy too. We shared a laugh.
USF Event Planner Christina Goldstein came in and said that George and his husband Brad were not going to be able to eat that whole cake and would like to invite the student volunteers to enjoy an impromptu birthday party.
“Come on guys!” I joined the student volunteers and we dashed for the green room.
We were welcomed by George and Brad and got a chance for some selfies.
Smile for the camera birthday boy!
Nom, nom, nom. Thanks for inviting me to USF, Christina!
The cake was 6 layers, each one a color in the rainbow. It was a lot of cake and very sweet. I was on a GEORGE TAKEI SUGAR HIGH!
We all chatted and mingled.
He even got presents.
Live long and prosper Mr. Sulu and we’ll see you in Orlando at MegaCon.
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