GQ Australia have apologised for a recent cover article on Taylor Lautner, which was largely perceived to be homophobic.
The Twilight star, who is straight but whose sexuality is (apparently) still hotly debated among film fans, was asked about whether he was hit on at a recent dinner he had with director Gus Van Sant and Dustin Lance Black, both of whom worked on the film Milk and are gay. To which he replied, “No, definitely not… I think they know I’m straight. But they’re great guys. They’re a lot of fun.”
But hey, dudes the world over are not impressed, including Black, who had this to say about the implied perception that all gay men are predators: “Leaning on lies, myths and stereotypes about gay people is hateful, harmful and outdated. It’s not the 1950s anymore, GQ, it’s 2011 and it’s time to grow up.”
In a rare instance of tact, the magazine took the opportunity to formally apologise today on their Facebook page, which is read by approximately the same amount of men who buy new jackets every time they tell them to in their style pages.
Hi guys,
We’ve seen some of the comments floating around regarding our recent interview with Taylor Lautner and apologise if anyone was offended by anything in the article. It certainly wasn’t our intention to paint anyone in the story as a sexual predator. The point we were actually trying to push was that Taylor is irresistible to virtually everyone – regardless of sexuality or gender. Hence the film crew cheering at his shirtless scenes while shooting Twilight, and Mark Wahlberg deeming him better looking than Leonardo Di Caprio.
Taylor is an extraordinary young gentleman, and we can’t wait to see him achieve even greater success in the future. That’s why he’s on our cover – because GQ Australia prides itself on offering readers the best possible advice and insights that help you be modern, successful gentlemen. Whether you’re into fashion, food, fitness, pop culture, politics, travel, technology or cars GQ Australia strives to provide you with top-quality editorial content that allows you to make your own discerning choices.
Good job, guys. For that we will go out and purchase whatever it is that is ‘in’ this particular month. Loafers maybe?
Yours truly,
Men.
