{"id":134474,"date":"2020-04-25T08:25:33","date_gmt":"2020-04-25T12:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/mister-rogers-urged-gay-cast-member-officer-clemmons-to-stay-in-the-closet-and-marry-a-woman-which-he-did\/"},"modified":"2020-04-25T08:25:33","modified_gmt":"2020-04-25T12:25:33","slug":"mister-rogers-urged-gay-cast-member-officer-clemmons-to-stay-in-the-closet-and-marry-a-woman-which-he-did","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/mister-rogers-urged-gay-cast-member-officer-clemmons-to-stay-in-the-closet-and-marry-a-woman-which-he-did\/","title":{"rendered":"Mister Rogers Urged Gay Cast Member \u2018Officer Clemmons\u2019 to Stay in the Closet and Marry a Woman, Which He Did"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mister Rogers Urged Gay Cast Member \u2018Officer Clemmons\u2019 to Stay in the Closet and Marry a Woman, Which He Did<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Officer<\/figure>\n

Francois Clemmons, who played Officer Clemmons on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood<\/em> for 25 years, has published a new memoir<\/a> in which he reveals that the popular kids show host urged him to stay in the closet and possibly marry a woman<\/a> after Rogers learned Clemmons was gay<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“One day he was called into Rogers’ office at the studio,” People<\/em> reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Clemmons wrote in his new memoir Officer Clemmons<\/a><\/em>, that Rogers told him he had to stay in the closet: “Franc, you have talents and gifts that set you apart and above the crowd. Someone has informed us that you were seen at the local gay<\/a> bar downtown. Now, I want you to know, Franc, that if you’re gay<\/a>, it doesn’t matter to me at all. Whatever you say and do is fine with me, but if you’re going to be on the show as an important member of the Neighborhood, <\/em>you can’t be out as gay<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Clemmons told People<\/em><\/a>: “I could have his friendship and fatherly love and relationship forever. But I could have the job only if I stayed in the closet. I was destroyed. The man<\/a> who was killing me had also saved me. He was my executioner and deliverer. But, at the same time, I knew that he would know how to comfort me. I didn’t have another mother or father to comfort me. I had no one to go and be a boy<\/a> with. I was just vulnerable. He got in a few slaps, some tough love, a good spanking. But I was not kicked out of the family.”<\/p>\n

Rogers reportedly told Clemmons that it would ruin his dream as a kids’ show host if Clemmons came out and said he needed to stay in the closet to safeguard his own job, suggesting Clemmons marry a woman<\/a>, which he did. He later divorced her and came out.<\/p>\n

But Clemmons said he forgives Rogers and calls<\/a> him “the spiritual love of my life.”<\/p>\n

The post Mister Rogers Urged Gay Cast Member ‘Officer Clemmons’ to Stay in the Closet and Marry a Woman, Which He Did<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Mister Rogers Urged Gay Cast Member ‘Officer Clemmons’ to Stay in the Closet and Marry a Woman, Which He Did<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n