Longtime pals Sir Ian McKellan and Sir Patrick Stewart shared a full-on lip lock at the premiere of Mr. Holmes in London last night. Stewart (and his wife) was at the event to support McKellan, who plays an elderly Sherlock Holmes. The three posed together for pics, before the best buds turned to each other and kissed, sending the papps into a frenzy. Some cynically suggested that this is to counter Stewart’s “homophobic remarks” of late. He has been criticized for expressing his opinion on the very hot topic of Christian bakeries refusing to provide cakes for same-sex couples. Appearing on BBC’s Newsnight, Stewart, who is straight (yes, I mentioned his wifey) claimed he;
“supports their rights to say no.”
To be clear, this is not the famous U.S. case. After refusing to write “support gay marriage” in icing on a cake with a picture of Bert and Ernie, Ashers Bakery of Belfast was accused of discrimination. Stewart responding to critics when he said he supported their right to refuse. He wrote on Facebook;
“Some have conflated my position on this single matter to assume I’m anti-equality or that I share the personal beliefs of the bakers. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could be further from the truth. I have long championed the rights of the LGBT community, because equality should not only be, as the people of Ireland powerfully showed the world, universally embraced, but treasured.”
Yes, I think kissing a openly gay man on the lips at a movie premiere just might be a signal that you AREN’T a homophobe. But if I was the wife, I’d keep an eye on these two. Just saying…
(Photos, Getty; via NewNowNext)
