GQ Responds to Taylor Lautner Controversy — Falls Short

I give Dustin Lance Black a lot of credit. Not only is he an Oscar winning writer, but he also champions against the gratuitous homophobia in Hollywood. In response to Taylor Lautner’s GQ interview in which he was asked whether the openly gay Gus Van Sant and Dustin Lance Black hit on him, Black said:

Really Mr. GQ writer? I’m curious, will you be asking all of the handsome actors I’ve ever had the privilege of working with or meeting if I made passes at them as well? I’d love to be there when you ask Sean Penn that same question. Or, Mr. GQ writer, were you projecting your own unprofessional desires onto me and Gus? Perhaps? Or worse still, are you a homophobe?

GQ predictably avoided responsibilty, saying;

We’ve seen some of the comments floating around regarding our recent interview with Taylor Lautner and apologise if anyone was offended by anything in the article. It certainly wasn’t our intention to paint anyone in the story as a sexual predator. The point we were actually trying to push was that Taylor is irresistible to virtually everyone — regardless of sexuality or gender. Hence the film crew cheering at his shirtless scenes while shooting Twilight, and Mark Wahlberg deeming him better looking than Leonardo DiCaprio.

GQ’s defense is ridiculous. If I directed Taylor Lautner, would it be appropriate to ask him if I offered him matzah during the course of the shoot? After all, what kind of Jew would I be without it? Seriously though — despite GQ’s defense — they would not have asked the same question about a female director or writer.