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"You don't know my alphabet!" is everyone's new favorite shut down for when someone tries to confront you about your sexuality and we have actor Lukas Gage to thank for it.
Last week, a disgruntled Twitter user tried to call for Hollywood to stop casting "non LGBTQIA+ actors like Lukas Gage" as LGBTQ+ characters.
There's been a decent move away from casting straight actors as non-straight characters, so that's certainly not a controversial stance at this point. But the complaint seems confusing since Lukas Gage has never spoken publicly about his sexuality.
And, apparently, he's not about to start now.
The person who originally posted the tweet tagged the actor in it, snagging his attention.
\u201cIf Hollywood can stop hiring non LGBTQIA+ actors like @lukasgage to play LGBTQIA+ characters, that would be great. He has played 4 so far. 1 was enough.\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
Celebs don't often respond to things they're tagged in by complete strangers but Lukas Gage isn't too worried about what other celebs do or don't do.
He had time for this.
\u201c@JamesWuske u dont know my alphabet\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
The public doesn't know where he stands because, as we said, he hasn't talked about it.
What we do know is that he approaches his roles with a sense of ownership and is proud of that fact. He doesn't just act, he contributes ideas he thinks will advance the characters and stories.
Sometimes those ideas are gay AF.
For example, the actor explained to Andy Cohen that the infamously graphic rimming scene in White Lotus was his idea.
Initially, the script just called for the two men to have sex, but Gage felt like that was boring and nondescript. So he suggested the show turn up the intimate and unhinged energy of the scene.
His idea:
"We've seen sex on TV. Let's have some ass eating."
Still, approaching a role with pride and suggesting a harder angle that makes sense for your characters doesn't make a person gay. For some reason, the original poster felt entitled to an explanation from Gage.
They responded to the actor with an incredibly bold request.
\u201c@lukasgage Then please, enlighten the whole world\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
And Gage responded back with this whole sentence:
\u201c@JamesWuske no\u2764\ufe0f\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
The entire exchange struck Twitter as more than a little weird. Thing about Twitter is that when they think you're being creepy and intrusive, they have absolutely no problem telling you so.
And so they did.
\u201c@JamesWuske @lukasgage How are you gonna try and force someone out the closet during pride month? Delete this tweet babes you tried it, and failed.\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
\u201cCan you not pressure someone into outing themselves?\n\nThis is creepy. You\u2019re creepy.\u201d— Lady Like\ud83c\udf3b (@Lady Like\ud83c\udf3b) 1654995551
\u201c@JamesWuske @lukasgage The audacity. "Come out to the whole world so I, a random nobody, can give you my stamp of approval."\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
\u201cImagine thinking someone has to out themselves for you to just not shit on them lmao wtf you're a loser.\u201d— Tiffany Jade | The Magical Mushroom \ud83c\udf3f\ud83c\udf44\ud83e\uddda (@Tiffany Jade | The Magical Mushroom \ud83c\udf3f\ud83c\udf44\ud83e\uddda) 1654906582
\u201c@JamesWuske @lukasgage Gotta love coercive freak behavior\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
\u201cget their entire ass, lukas! strangers are not entitled to know anything about your sexuality, I will die on this hill\u201d— serial experiments madeleine (@serial experiments madeleine) 1654916952
\u201cAsking someone to come out of the closet is so inappropriate.\u201d— \ud83d\udda4Chris Avery Bennet\ud83d\udda4 (@\ud83d\udda4Chris Avery Bennet\ud83d\udda4) 1654883514
\u201c@JamesWuske @lukasgage Really weird for trying force an actor out of a possible closet because you\u2019re upset and don\u2019t know where to direct your emotions. Grow up and log off today and recollect \ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udffc\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
\u201cYt gays are so entitled they demand you out yourself so they can bitch and moan on twitter \ud83e\udee5\u201d— A vacation in HELL \ud83d\udc1d (@A vacation in HELL \ud83d\udc1d) 1654938296
\u201cy\u2019all srsly need to stop assuming straight is the default, especially if an actor hasn\u2019t confirmed their sexuality.\n\nlike, trying to force someone out when pride month has JUST started? bestie\u2026.\u201d— 1 day (@1 day) 1654957722
\u201cone of these days y\u2019all will learn how weird it is to question a stranger\u2019s sexuality\u201d— jai \u263b (@jai \u263b) 1654869807
\u201c@JamesWuske @lukasgage You\u2019re the kinda kid in high school I would fear would out me just to prove a point. Go to bed. We don\u2019t need your energy.\u201d— Camden JW (@Camden JW) 1654796940
So that clearly didn't go the way the original poster thought it would.
What are your thoughts?
Do they have a point? Should actors not be cast in LGBTQIA+ roles unless they've publicly admitted they are LGBTQIA?
Or is it super weird entitled energy to tag an actor and try to force him out of the closet, particularly during pride month?