Out actor Daniel Newman says Hollywood
should focus on positive LGBT portrayals.
In April, Newman, who plays Kingdom
member Daniel on AMC's The Walking Dead, came out bisexual in
a video that went viral.
In an interview with The Advocate,
Newman was asked about how Hollywood portrays the LGBT community.
“What I would encourage Hollywood to
do now is to lay off of the sob stories and the hardship stories
[relating to LGBT folks], and move forward into incredibly positive,
interactive stories where a gay character, a bisexual character, a
trans character is just part of that reality, as opposed to
highlighting so much anguish and struggle of the past,” he argued.
“The world needs to see the seamless integration of the LGBTQ
[person] now in society, because that’s the way it is. When I visit
colleges, high schools, and groups, it’s like a different world
now.”
Newman added that while he “loves” and “celebrates” the “really funny, goofy,
flamboyant gay character,” “that does not represent hundreds of
millions of LGBTQ people around the world. And what needs to really
be highlighted now, I think, is all the diversity. Show the masculine
football player guys; show the guys that are running these huge
industries … the incredible out leaders.”