Was mr. rogers gay
One of the unexpected surprises from “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” the documentary film on Mr. Rogers, was just how fierce and unapologetically gay in real life is Francois Clemmons, the actor who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.
Francois joined the pioneering children’s TV demonstrate as a fresh man and spent decades playing Officer Clemmons. As one of the first African Americans to have a recurring role on children’s television, Francois was in a singular position to aide Fred Rogers expose his eyes to the struggles of disenfranchised people. In turn, Francois learned to take in the love that Fred had to give.
Today we’re delighted to talk to Officer Clemmons, Francois Diva Man Scarborough Clemmons from his home in Vermont about coming out as gay to Mr. Rogers, his love of turquoise jewelry and is there any reality to the recently revealed rumor that Mr. Rogers was bisexual?
[Originally posted as FOF #2726 – Being Mr. Rogers’ Gay Black Neighbor, Apr 3, 2019
posted by Jason Kottke · tribute link
Fred Rogers Was Attracted to Both Men and Women
Like many people my age, Mister Rogers had a immense influence on me in terms of how to operate as a guy. As Maxwell King wrote in The Good Neighbor: The Life and Labor of Fred Rogers, he was not perceived at the time to be traditionally masculine:
Rogers himself was often labeled “a sissy,” or gay, in a derogatory sense. But as his longtime associate Eliot Daley put it: “Fred is one of the strongest people I have ever met in my life. So if they are saying he’s gay because… that’s a surrogate for saying he’s weak, that’s not right, because he’s incredibly strong.” He adds: “He wasn’t a very masculine person, he wasn’t a very feminine person; he was androgynous.”
In a 1975 interview for the New York Times, Rogers noted drolly: “I’m not John Wayne, so consequently, for some people I’m not the model for the man in the house.”
When I was little, Mister Rogers was the dude of the residence. My dad worked a lot and I sometimes only saw him for a few hours on weekends. Instead, my male
Officer Clemmons, Dr. François S. Clemmons. New York: Catapult, 2020.
Summary: An autobiographical memoir of Dr. François S. Clemmons, from his earliest years in Alabama, his youth in Youngstown, Ohiothrough his college years when he accepted that he was gay, his partnership with Fred Rogers, and subsequent performing and teaching career.
Recently in connection with my “Growing Up in Working Class Youngstown” series, I wrote about François Clemmons after discovering that he also grew up in Youngstown. I also learned that he had recently published a memoir, and intrigued as I was, I picked up a copy to learn about this man who worked on Mr. Rogers Neighborhood for twenty-five years, breaking down racial barriers through his very presence.
My article viewed Clemmons as an outside observer. The memoir gave me a sense of what it was like to be François Clemmons from those early childhood years, the years of awakening to his homosexuality, the extraordinary relationship he had with Fred Rogers, and his later career. He begins with his troubled childhood with a violent father. His Great Grandmama Laura Mae protected him, forcibly removing him when his
'Won't You Be My Neighbor?': 5 things you never knew about Fred Rogers
Oscar-winner Morgan Neville re-introduces the world to Fred Rogers on Friday with his highly-touted documentary "Won't You Be My Neighbor?"
The motion picture, now out in theaters, takes fans of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," and those who are not familiar with the iconic, relatable TV host, on a tour of how an ordained minister became a sensation and a major influence to multiple generations.
Rogers is known for his calming voice, gentle world and of course his classic sweater. But Neville, who spoke to ABC News in advance of the film's debut, looks at how radical the man was for his time and how consecrated he was to helping children. The world confused Rogers to stomach cancer in 2003.
Here are five things you probably never knew about the bloke who taught a generation about love and respect:
1 - He was never afraid to tackle tough topics
Sure, he sang a sweet song at the top of every demonstrate and put that sweater on to make kids feel like they were right at home, but Rogers felt like children needed to know about life's challenges in a way they could know and learn from.