Wentworth: Always and forever

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Wentworth Miller officially “came out” last week, in a letter declining an invitation to attend a Russian film festival:

“As a gay man, I must decline,” Miller wrote in his letter. “I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.”

But it was no surprise to anyone who’s been a fan of him and his career. The only reason I bring it up is that I am wholly amused by the women who get online and post things like “what a waste!” or “we lost another one…” whenever a handsome celebrity comes out as gay. As if that’s the reason he and she will never end up together — like Anderson Cooper’s gayness is why they’ll never marry a Vanderbilt. The only way that reaction is even remotely rational is if you’re talking about someone you actually know that you either used to date, or (believed you) had a chance to date.

Wentworth Miller will always be one of my favorites. He’s a great actor and maybe an even better writer and producer. He stood up for what he believed in; rather than just not go, he chose to make a statement. And I love that unlike other multiracial celebs, he proudly acknowledges his black ancestry — ahem, Vin Diesel.

Little Mark Vincent aka Vin Diesel

Little Vin Diesel #TheAfroNeverLies

Plus, he is beautiful. So beautiful, in fact, that I am currently re-watching the entire Prison Break series just to bask in his beautiful-ness.

You were never gonna have him anyway. So please, let the man live.

Can I Live

From the Blog to the Stage: The only Black thing in Abercrombie & Fitch

Hey there y’all! I’m back with the second installment of my “From the Blog to the Stage” series. The post this bit is based on goes back a little further than the last one… Before you watch the clip, check out this post from January 20 (MLK Day, incidentally) about my visit to a local Abercrombie & Fitch. Good times.

Lemme know what you think? Is it a keeper? You get to decide. My act is in your hands.

We don’t carry purple either

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I was in Georgetown on Friday afternoon looking for a long-sleeved black cotton t-shirt. I stopped by Urban Outfitters and couldnt find what I was looking for. Then I went to the Gap — still no luck, so as I was walking back, I walked by Abercrombie and Fitch. I’d never been in that store before, but I know it’s casual clothing, so I decided to go in. When I walked in there was a girl standing by the door and she asked if she could help me. Since I didn’t have a lot of time, I was like sure… I’m looking for a long-sleeved black cotton t-shirt. And she said, “Oh, I’m sorry. We don’t sell anything black.”

For real? At first I thought she was kidding. I was like wait, so nothing in this store is black? And she looked at me as if to say, “Well nothing but YOU.” Of course she didn’t actually say that, but if this whole encounter had been a scene in a sitcom (Scrubs, for example) there would have been a dream sequence where she totally would have said that, then I would have punched her in the face, and then it’d be back to reality.

I was in the store for a total of about 8 seconds. When I left I was upset, but I wasn’t sure if I had the right to be. I mean she didn’t say we don’t sell TO anyone black, but it bothered me so much I had to investigate further. Was it just the buyer for that store who didn’t like black so that location didn’t carry black clothing or was it a company-wide policy?

So on my way to my show on Friday nite, I called another Abercrombie store and asked to speak with a manager. And I asked him 1) if it was true they didn’t carry black and 2) what was the reason. He told me that since Abercrombie was an “outfitter”, by definition they carry casual clothes. Black was a more formal, grown-up color and they carry black in their sister store, Ruehl. (Apparently Ruehl is to Abercrombie as Banana Republic is to Gap). He told me that American Eagle, which is also an “outfitter” didn’t carry black either. So okay… I was about to give him the benefit of the doubt. I think it’s a stupid policy/reason not to carry such a basic color in their stores, but it’s their right. I was like hey, Erin, you’re turning into Martin Lawrence’s character in Boomerang… Everything’s not racial. So I said well, thanks for the explanation. And then he said “No problem, and in case it makes you feel better, we don’t carry purple either.”

Alright, pump the brakes.

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