Gomer Pyle gets gay married

[PennySycamore]

I read this this morning on Daily Kos and it makes me all kind of happy. Jim Nabors who played Gomer Pyle, first on the Andy Griffith Show and then on Gomer Pyle, USMC, married his partner of 38 years, Stan Cadwallader in Seattle on January 15. Jim is 82 and Stan is 64.

I can just see fundie and right-winger heads exploding. Jim has a beautiful baritone voice and is noted for his performance of hymns. He has also for the past 30 years sung the State Song of Indiana "Back Home in Indiana" at the start of the Indianapolis 500. Some idiots are already calling for him to not be invited back to sing.

Here is the link the story about the wedding in ah Hawaiian paper and also a link to the diary on Daily Kos:

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/2080 ... le-partner

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/3 ... me-partner

[divadivine]

I read this this morning on Daily Kos and it makes me all kind of happy. Jim Nabors who played Gomer Pyle, first on the Andy Griffith Show and then on Gomer Pyle, USMC, married his partner of 38 years, Stan Cadwallader in Seattle on January 15. Jim is 82 and Stan is 64.

I can just see fundie and right-winger heads exploding. Jim has a beautiful baritone voice and is noted for his performance of hymns. He has also for the past 30 years sung the State Song of Indiana "Back Home in Indiana" at the start of the Indianapolis 500. Some idiots are already calling for him to not be invited back to sing.

Here is the link the story about the wedding in ah Hawaiian paper and also a link to the diary on Daily Kos:

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/2080 ... le-partner

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/01/3 ... me-partner

Some idiots here in Indiana will try to keep him from singing at the 500. However, I don't see them replacing him. Even when he was sick a few years ago and couldn't sing, they played the recording of him singing. They could have replaced him then for someone who was younger who could take over the job for years to come, but they didn't. Jim Neighbors is just part of the 500.

From what I read earlier today, he's been open about his relationship with people he's worked with for years, just not with the public at large. Seriously, people will make a stink about it now, but about the time race day rolls around they will have forgotten about it because they'll be totally drunk off their asses in turn 3 in the infield.

[Jessica]

Congratulations, Gomer! I always loved his character on Andy Griffith. :)

[divadivine]

I didn't realize Jim was older than his new husband. Jim's a cougar!!!!!!!!

[tanksmom]

Kudos (or should I say Cujos!)and congratulations Jim & Stan. May you have many more happy years together!

[wild little fox]

I've known he was gay for quite some time. Perhaps 20 years? 15? If I knew, then I'm sure the 500 did, too.

I'm so glad he was able to marry his life partner! YAY!!!

[GeoBQn]

Shazam! And Mazel tov! Though the Twilight Zone has taught me to distrust anybody named Cadwallader . . .

[JenniferJuniper]

I've known he was gay for quite some time. Perhaps 20 years? 15? If I knew, then I'm sure the 500 did, too.

I've been hearing about him being gay for over 40 years now. I didn't know he was still closeted.

Although I do think the Rock Hudson/Jim Neighbors marriage that was supposed to have taken place in the early 70's is likely an urban myth.

[Mela99]

Shazaam! Way to go, Gomer.

[DaffyDill]

Well go-o-o-o-lly! Good for you and your partner Jim.

Wishing them every happiness :gay-rainbow:

[Lynn18]

Good for them! A happy story!

[PennySycamore]

I've been hearing about him being gay for over 40 years now. I didn't know he was still closeted.

Although I do think the Rock Hudson/Jim Neighbors marriage that was supposed to have taken place in the early 70's is likely an urban myth.

I've heard about Jim being gay since the early 70s. I think it was '72 or maybe '73 when I heard the rumor that Jim and Rock were getting married. One of my neighbors had read it a tabloid. It turns out that a middle-aged group of gay men in Huntington Beach always sent out joke invitations to their annual party. One year they sent out invitations to Jim and Rock's wedding and joked that Rock would take the last name of Jim's character on Gomer Pyle becoming Rock Pyle. The two men had never been more than friends. So afraid were they that they would be outed that they never spoke to one another again. Jim was already seeing Stan at that time so eventually he did get married only it wasn't a joke and it was to Stan.

I just love it when gay couples that have waited so long are finally able to get married. I remember when Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, longtime lesbian activists, founders of the groundbreaking lesbian group the Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), and partners for over 50 years, were finally able to get married in the first wedding in San Francisco after gay weddings were legal. Sadly, Del died less than 2 months later. I am glad though that she never lived to see Prop 8 being passed.

[rezski44]

They even came to Seattle which is in my neck of the woods to get married.

[ThisOlGirl]

I didn't know Jim Neighbors was still alive. Well, I'm glad he is, and congrats to the newlyweds.

[frumper-rump]

I was so happy to read about it this morning. Knowing the kind of southern culture he comes from and how ugly it can still be, this has to be huge for him.

Many blessings and years of happiness to Mr Nabors and his husband!

[Queen Of Hearts]

Congratulations to them both.

[ceg045]

Congrats to them!

Someone want to tweet this to Josh Duggar, as he and the fam have quite the hard-on for The Andy Griffith Show?

[frumper-rump]

I was so happy to read about it this morning. Knowing the kind of southern culture he comes from and how ugly it can still be, this has to be huge for him.

Many blessings and years of happiness to Mr Nabors and his husband!

[Coconut Flan]

If the Duggars find out, they may lose the series or perhaps they'll just cut the episodes with Goober. It's so sad to think people live such paranoid lives.

[PennySycamore]

I wonder how closely people like the Duggars watch shows like Andy Griffith. Andy's girlfriends were always career women, Andy did not carry a gun, Barney fooled around on Thelma Lou with Juanita, and there were those two fun girls from Mt Pilot.

I have just spent the evening watching Loretta Young films on TCM. The Farmeer's Daughter is way too liberal for them. Katie argues for an increase in the minimum wage and ends up running for Congress and winning. There's also the delicious scene where the butler says something to Katie's opponent about non-discrimination against racial and religious minorities. it is quite obvious that he does not agree and he gets thrown out of the house. Rachel and the Stranger has some strong stuff to say about the role of women. The Duggars definitely would not approve. Sorry to have veered off-topic.

[lilwriter85]

I heard about this earlier tonight. Congrats to Jim.

[michelle_notduggar]

So happy for him, I can only imagine how happy they must be that they can finally be married after waiting for so long.

[Queen Of Hearts]

Okay, I have a question for everyone. I keep seeing people talk about Jim getting "gay married." Now I will admit that I am pretty conservative in most aspects so maybe I am just not familiar with popular lingo in this case, but I do think all humans have the right to marry whatever other human (of legal age) they wish, regardless of sex, race, religion, etc. So what I am curious about is why it is acceptable to say "gay married" instead of just "married". To me, that seems sort of like we are singling this couple out as not a real marriage. This is by no means a criticism of anyone here, as I have had many of my more liberal friends on Facebook refer to Jim's marriage in this way, too. I'm just curious if this is a common way to describe a marriage between two men, or if it is just being influenced by the media.

[ceg045]

Okay, I have a question for everyone. I keep seeing people talk about Jim getting "gay married." Now I will admit that I am pretty conservative in most aspects so maybe I am just not familiar with popular lingo in this case, but I do think all humans have the right to marry whatever other human (of legal age) they wish, regardless of sex, race, religion, etc. So what I am curious about is why it is acceptable to say "gay married" instead of just "married". To me, that seems sort of like we are singling this couple out as not a real marriage. This is by no means a criticism of anyone here, as I have had many of my more liberal friends on Facebook refer to Jim's marriage in this way, too. I'm just curious if this is a common way to describe a marriage between two men, or if it is just being influenced by the media.

I'm pretty sure it was being used facetiously, as when people around here speak of "teh gayz" or the "homosexual agenda" as a sort of parody of right wing rhetoric.

[BoomerLynn]

Okay, I have a question for everyone. I keep seeing people talk about Jim getting "gay married." Now I will admit that I am pretty conservative in most aspects so maybe I am just not familiar with popular lingo in this case, but I do think all humans have the right to marry whatever other human (of legal age) they wish, regardless of sex, race, religion, etc. So what I am curious about is why it is acceptable to say "gay married" instead of just "married". To me, that seems sort of like we are singling this couple out as not a real marriage. This is by no means a criticism of anyone here, as I have had many of my more liberal friends on Facebook refer to Jim's marriage in this way, too. I'm just curious if this is a common way to describe a marriage between two men, or if it is just being influenced by the media.

I could be completely wrong about this but I believe it is sarcasm. There is constant political talk of whether or not to make "gay marriage" legal as if it is any different than plain old marriage. I hope that makes sense.

ETA: ceg045 beat me to it and explained it much better than me. :)