To Be Takei

"It's OK To Be Takei" is a euphemism which Star Trek icon George Takei coined in 2011 for young people to use, when the state of Tennessee prohibited teachers from using the word "gay" in schools. Takei came out as a homosexual in 2005, even though his long-standing relationship with Brad Altman and his early-discovered sexuality had been public secrets for his entire career. To Be Takei is not only a portrait of George Takei. It's a documentary about the everyday life in a relationship and a defence for an ethnic group – Japanese Americans – blatantly oppressed in the US in the 1940s. The film champions equal rights to marriage, regardless of gender specifics. The film reveals that Takei's social media brand is a serendipity based on Takei's sincere and outspoken persona. His popular Facebook page is all Takei, not a gimmick run by PR experts. George Takei seems like a guy with whom you'd love to have brunch on a greyish Saturday noon in Los Angeles.
Text: Johanna Siik / Translation: Tapio Reinekoski (DocPoint)