Sulu is gay

Read off the newswire that Sulu from Star Trek is gay. George Takei and his partner, Brad Altman, have been together for 18 years.

Takei, a Japanese-American who lived in a U.S. internment camp from age 4 to 8, said he grew up feeling ashamed of his ethnicity and sexuality. He likened prejudice against gays to racial segregation.

“It’s against basic decency and what American values stand for,” he said.

Takei joined the “Star Trek” cast in 1966 as Hikaru Sulu, a character he played for three seasons on television and in six subsequent films. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1986.

In the Star Trek movies, he was married (off-screen) and had a daughter, Demora Sulu. That actress, Jacqueline Kim, was in a horrible movie that Rae and I saw a while ago. Lieutenant Sulu! Full impulse power! Keep the ship clear of Charlotte Sometimes!

Update: Another good article on Takei on sfgate.com.