03/31/2009
Real World: Brooklyn's Mormon Chet: 'Mormon Church Isn't Anti-Gay'
Choire Sicha recently interviewed Real World: Brooklyn cast members for a piece he did on the new biopic of the late Real World: San Francisco castmember and AIDS activist Pedro Zamora.
Sicha interviewed the Mormon fashionista Chet Cannon:
"Cannon, 24, was having pork and rice down at Cafe Habana in downtown Manhattan. He is the Mormon one this season. He said he hadn't even really heard of Zamora before he went on the show...You might think there would be a conflict between 'the Mormon one' and a celebration of Zamora, who had a commitment ceremony with his partner, Sean Sasser, on the show. (This was, of course, in 1994, way back before the few windows when gay marriage was legal in California.) But no, said Cannon, who says he has lots of gay friends. 'A couple people take the LDS church for being anti-gay and they're not at all,' Cannon said. 'They're very pro-family, but they're not anti-gay....But what about, you know, how the LDS church funded opposition to Prop. 8, the California gay marriage repeal initiative? And how 'people want to get on the LDS church,' he said. 'They don't even have enough members in California that the vote could be swayed. To isolate the LDS church and attack them is unfair.'"
Sure. If you believe that, then you probably also believe that ignorant, delusional Chet, who insists he's straight yet has a keen interest in drag and gay castmate JD's magnum condoms, isn't a raging homosexual.
Posted 11:08 AM EST by Andy Towle in California, Gay Marriage, Mormon, News, Proposition 8, Reality TV | Permalink
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This show is still on the air? Well, the format hasn't changed. Nothing stirs the pot like a good closet case.
Posted by: Marc | Mar 31, 2009 11:14:13 AM
FYI Pedro Zamora wasn't a member of the original New York cast of Real World, he was in the 3rd season San Francisco cast.
Posted by: Sean | Mar 31, 2009 11:21:22 AM
Cute and dumb. Just like the Real World likes em now.
He LOOKS like he has the IQ of a wet dishrag.
Posted by: Jeff | Mar 31, 2009 11:22:08 AM
fraking idiot.
Posted by: samwise | Mar 31, 2009 11:25:17 AM
what a crock
Posted by: adam | Mar 31, 2009 11:29:20 AM
Douche and closet case is more like it. I watched the Brooklyn season once. I had enough when this closet case, magic underwear a$$hat ridiculed the transgender cast member while claiming to be accepting. The Real World ended after the San Francisco cast, since then it went down hill as Jon Murray took over the Real World production when his partner, Mary-Ellis Bunim, bowed out to fight cancer (and sadly lost her battle years later in 2004). Murray turned it into a 18-24 Abercrombie and Fitch "this is my ticket to 15 minutes of fame" t & a fest, not quite the 21-35 year old social experiment it began as in 1990. The rest of the world has been glued like sheeple ever since. I remember back in college in the early 90's when classes in anthropology and sociology used to reference the show as interesting, most of the cast was extremely varied yet educated, working individuals who had lives outside of wanting to be in show business. How the mighty have fallen.
Posted by: CJ | Mar 31, 2009 11:38:47 AM
Oh, and don't tell me that this show attempts to educate people on social issues such as homosexuality and transgender people. That is false. The Real Worlds demographic consists mostly of 18-14 year olds who tune in to watch the "freak shows". It is ratings, not educating the public, that are the primary concern of Jonathan Murray and MTV/Viacom. If educating the public was their primary concern, they should have kept the age range between 21-35 and cast self-motivated, employed adults with goals and accomplishments acting as role models instead of this obvious Abercrombie ad. Donating time and money to actual causes instead of parading people on television as fish bowl freak shows would also be a good start.
Posted by: CJ | Mar 31, 2009 11:43:46 AM
...should have read "18-24", not "18-14", typo...
Posted by: CJ | Mar 31, 2009 11:46:27 AM
FYI Pedro Zamora wasn't a member of the original New York cast of Real World, he was in the 3rd season San Francisco cast.
Posted by: Sean | Mar 31, 2009 11:21:22 AM
Sean--Andy says in the first sentence that Pedro was a member of the SF cast, so I'm not exactly sure why you felt the need to correct...
Posted by: troschne | Mar 31, 2009 11:49:18 AM
@CJ: You're dead right about the show. A bunch of hot-waxed brats primping, prancing and throwing periodic shit fits to extend their Warholian 15. As for Chet, I'm not sure whether he's a douche or just willfully ignorant, but in either case he's a pathetic apologist.
Posted by: MikeMick | Mar 31, 2009 12:02:24 PM
So much for "REALITY" TV!
Posted by: Michael | Mar 31, 2009 12:08:07 PM
At 24, I can hardly expect him to really know himself and what he stands for, let alone the Mormon church. Give him a few years he'll figure out the truth -- on both fronts.
My problem with reality TV is that suddenly every idiot has an opinion and a forum... and that there are other idiots willing to listen.
Posted by: JTlvr | Mar 31, 2009 12:08:40 PM
Why are any of you actually watching this crap?
Posted by: busytimmy | Mar 31, 2009 12:13:27 PM
While this story is certainly in line with the content and tone of Towleroad, I think the editorializing at the end of this post is inappropriate and disappointing. Sure, Chet deserves admonishment for his naive and uninformed views on his own denomination, but since when does admonishment equal an accusation of closeted homosexuality? This rhetorical move smacks of gay self-loathing--something this blog has actively railed against before. And whether the man has gay tendencies or not (don't care), what's really at issue is his fundamental cluelessness, which honestly speaks for itself, without the unnecessary (and uncharacteristic) namecalling. Poor form, Andy.
Posted by: Marion Wysticoff | Mar 31, 2009 12:14:30 PM
You're absolutely 100% wrong Chet. But it's refreshing to see that your persecution complex that Mormons are famous for is alive and healthy.
As a gay exmormon from Utah with a very large super religious family I can assure you; Mormons are taught to hate gays.
I'm sure that Chet is blissfully unaware of the actual history of his cult after being force-fed the homogenized pablum the Cult of Joseph Smith of Latter Day Sheep has forced down his throat since day one, but if he were to start thinking for himself and take a look at black underbelly of this cult, he'd run like hell.
Posted by: B | Mar 31, 2009 12:16:16 PM
This is such a waste of a post. Who fucking cares what this closet case has to say. Seriously, what is this site, Queerty?
Posted by: DairyQueen | Mar 31, 2009 12:21:20 PM
I like Chet and I agree with him.
The VAST majority of people who voted for prop 8 were NOT LDS, but since it's far easier and more satisfying to single out a religious minority for persecution, I understand why Andy continues to go after Mormons.
It's wrong when people vilify gay people and it's wrong when gay people turn around and do it wholesale to other groups as well.
Bigotry is bigotry. Hypocritical bigotry is even worse.
Posted by: paul c | Mar 31, 2009 12:27:17 PM
Yeah the first season was interesting social/ psych experiment
Though I would say there were 3 cast members in season 1 who were show bizzy wannabes, but it has become preety much 90%+ show biz wannabes
Anyway; chet is a raging closet case.
mormonism not anti-gay?
declare one's homosexuality openly and one will be EXCOMUNICATED to outer darkness split quick with "reperative therapy" = drugs and electro shock with ultimate denouncing of ones past homosexuality "I'm cured" the only option of remaining a mormon with access to the temples = acceptance into the 3rd highest heaven of mormonism. no temple access in mormonism = no highest heaven = your own planet to rule over as a little god with wife / wives popping out multitudes of spiritual babies post death
yeah that isn't anti-gay at all nor is it utterly crazy
Whatever.
mormonism = A mason failed to properly vet the mental aptitude of joseph smith when bringing him into the masonic order.
The obviously intelectualy inferior and crazy smith had to be ultimately killed by the masons for taking a few masonic secret handshakes and symbols and incorporating them into his delusional religion. the guy was a classic schizophrenic.
The priesthood handshakes are exactly like masonic 1-3 degree handshakes...aronic priesthood = 1st degree masonic handshake and oaths, melchizidek = 2nd degree, etc. They freaking have a rough copy of the rule and compass stitched on their magic underware.
Its a joke
via bad vetting of smith's mental state he was exposed to ideas and concepts that he couldn't possibly understand as teaching allegory and got warped by his obvious lack of intelligence and schizophrenia = mormonism thus the masons killed the fool
The masons were once a cool thing with allowing intellectuals both gentile and Jew to meet and foment rebellion against tyranny = monarchy, and religion (in particular the papacy). they used symbolism and secret handshakes to spread their ideas with the symbols not representing at all what they outwardly appeard to be. The symbols, rituals, etc were code used to spread ideas that would have gotten jewish and gentile intelectuals killed by the monarchies and religious leaders (especially the papacy)
Alas the greatest secret of the masons is the masons forgot the secret. LOL
Now they are just a wannabe social club promoting biz connections but not very good at that anymore and a bunch of oldsters doing good work for needy kids = the shriners.
Anyway; To mormons
SCIENCE!!!!!!!!!! DNA tests show that there is not 1 bit of genetic connection between native americans and the hebrew people. Not 1 bit of genetic connection thus the whole fairytale about the supposed 10 lost tribes of israel coming to america to make the indians and then jeeeeebbbbusss coming to america is a bunch of BS.
crazy crazy
Posted by: Jimmyboyo | Mar 31, 2009 12:27:32 PM
This guy is a cocksmooch. I am with most that nothing will ever compare to San Francisco season.
Posted by: Blair | Mar 31, 2009 12:29:46 PM
The criticisms of "RW" are probably valid, but (call me shallow) I love it. It's the only reality show I watch year after year & I'm well beyond the 18-24 demographic.
Anyway, I most enjoy evaluating the characters and being judgmental as a guilty pleasure. Here's my take: Chet is one of only two Republicans in the cast (hunky model boy is the other). He's very self-absorbed and delusional (like most Republicans). While he bends over backwards (and maybe forwards) to appear open-minded & liberal, his true beliefs are clearly rightwing. BTW, he claims he's a virgin & is "saving" himself for marriage. Really?
Posted by: JONNY NYNY2FLFL | Mar 31, 2009 12:37:07 PM
Paul C, it's not just about the numebr of voters. It's about the millions and millions of dollars the Church of LDS poured into the Prop 8 campaign from across the country. It's been well-documented. Google it. It will take 30 seconds to learn about it.
Posted by: DonnyB | Mar 31, 2009 12:48:41 PM
a concise history of mormonism:
on or about 1830, john smith, jr gets a visit by the angel moroni who tells him that there are some golden plates with "reformed egyptian" writing buried in new york state. the god-head, through the plates, tells him that the jews arrived here 600 years b.c. but that there had been another group of jews that rejected god, so their skin became dark (native americans). the beautious white jew derivatives slew their darkie cousins. god tells john smith that man should not confine his peepee to one pussy. while he is awaiting trial for treason, he is taken by a mob and lynched. there is a mini-diaspora among the idiot mormons. brigham young heads to utah with a bunch of mormon yahoos where he sets up shop and sinks his cock into 55 cunts. because of that, the US will not let them into the union, so they renounce polygamy, even though god said it was good. flash forward. in 1978, they change their minds about black people because the govt is threatening to take away their tax exempt status, plus other colleges won't play with their lily-white b-ball team.
now, they spent shit loads of money to discriminate against gays. crazy mutha fuckas.
this empty-headed blondie has no right to comment about what is beyobd his comprehension.
Posted by: nic | Mar 31, 2009 12:55:46 PM
LOL I love it Nic. Post of the year.
Those who defend LDS are either misinformed or in denial.
Posted by: CJ | Mar 31, 2009 1:01:40 PM
i think it does not serve us well to characterize any behavior that does not conform to heteronormative dogma as closet homosexuality. it reflects poorly on you, andy. i'm really disappointed.
Posted by: daftpunkydavid | Mar 31, 2009 1:05:27 PM
@donny b -- I'm well aware that a lot of money for the prop 8 campaign came from Mormons. Money doesn't = votes. Votes are what determines the outcome of an election.
Did George Soros elect Obama or did the majority of the voters? Would you have voted for McCain if he had spent more money than Obama?
All money can do is get your message out there. People actually have to agree with it to support you.
Instead of whining about this and pointing fingers at a religious minority whose persecuation continues right up til Nic's post a few minutes ago, the answer is to change voter's minds.
Posted by: Paul c | Mar 31, 2009 1:15:34 PM