That sucks but I suppose he's allowed his opinion and beliefs. I just wish people were a little more open-minded. It's not like the show was glorifying satan it's about love. I guess he doesn't believe in an unconditional love that surpases barriors.

He shouldn't have signed up to do the show in the first place if it was so morally wrong. He knew what it was about, no one lied to him.

His loss, I hated his character anyway. He was such a p*ssy.

[West - The Writers Mafia]

Crap. Now Spencer's only brother will be that absolute hellspawn Glen. I bet he'll somehow find a way to blame Clay's death on Spencer being gay.

And Chelsea will be sad. I hate the thought of that, because Chelsea's sweet.

I mean when he joined the show. Like he didn't see all that coming? why did he audition for it in the first place?what did he expect? That Ashley's unrequited love drives her into a psychotic stalker out to get momma C who then later ends up killing herself?

or did that sound too familiar.... ah well, i just hope that this means that Clay's the one who gets shot.... that he decided to quit before they started to write and film something alternate, otherwise we'd be losing two great characters. Hopefully Danso's decision puts   Spashley's out of risk.

I don't know how to feel about this, I really liked Gordon's character Clay, he was a nice guy plus he had the cool girlfriend, Chelsea, and best friend, Sean. I wonder what they'll do for the next season without him. Maybe they'll make Glen a nicer guy. I just hope they don't go the soap opera route and get a different actor. 

"Like anyone tells the truth on the internet"

my best friend totally predicted that clay got shot at the end, and the way this is starting out, it's strange to think that i'm HOPING TO GOD that he was right. i loved danso's character, but it would be completely insane to have to lose two characters already.

after losing dana, the soup chef, and carmen all in the last season of the L word i dont think i can't take anymore of my favorite characters leaving their shows. sad face!

maybe sean & chelsea will get together! they always kinda seemed to me like they might have some couple potential.

this seriously sucks because except for spencer's father he was the most supportive one in her family. this sucks.

"Emptiness is loneliness And loneliness is cleanliness And cleanliness is godliness
And God is empty just like me." - 'Zero' by The Smashing Pumpkins

Well... his character bores me out.. sorry for those who like his character but.. its kinda boring.. oh well.. *shrugs* can't wait for the season 3 of South of Nowhere though.. what would happen to Ashley and Spencer's relationship? god why do we have to wait.. =(

Well... his character bores me out.. sorry for those who like his character but.. its kinda boring.. oh well.. *shrugs* can't wait for the season 3 of South of Nowhere though.. what would happen to Ashley and Spencer's relationship? god why do we have to wait.. =(

im disappointed in danso. what bothers me that he don't really understand what teenagers go through when they realize that they are gay and most of the time they would suicide because parents and friends don't support their choices. what happened to show unconditional love and understanding and compassion? those people who criticize gay people and hate them are cold and unfeeling and no compassion people. To me, they are losers and sadly danso is one of them. probably he's brainwashed by those idiot people who are against gay people. i wonder what other stars on the show say about him?? maybe we will know later on before third season comes???

susie

People all have their point of views, and I'm proud of the way he did it. He didn't go out all homophobic and say that he hates gay people, so don't go there. His moral code is his...at least he had the courage to go out and try the role in the first place..most people won't do that when its a gay show. As Clay, he did an EXCELLENT job portraying a BLACK kid in a white family, finding out who he was, where he fit in, and that's a hard thing to do...as far as him handling Chelsea's pregnany...he did a better job than other people do, there is nothing wrong with him not wanting her to get an abortion..i would've treated her the same way...but back to the Danso Gordon topic, I'm sure he's leaving on good terms. So really, stop saying that he's brainwashed and this and that.. he tried. U can be against somthing, but still accept it for what it is, and that's what he's doing.

~I got that remedy~

raynbow6,

sure, danso has his opinion. i have issue with religion that says gays/lesbians are morally wrong. to me, it's not morally wrong. it's different lifestyles. i'm so tired of hearing from some republicans saying that and won't let gay marriage work. what about gay/lesbian people's right to marry whoever they want because they fall in love to each other?? i support state and church stay separate because i don't want churches/religions to tell people what to believe in or tell them what to do and so on. i support people who are lesbians/gay/transgender and straight people who support gay rights. i don't support people who are against gay people and most of the time i heard about them (matthew shepard) calling matthew fags and they deserve to die and negative comments that turned me off. in some ways, danso is against gay people and gay rights. if danso is white, deaf, latin or whatever, i still won't support him or follow his career with acting. to me, everybody should treat equally all over the world. i know most places women don't get respect as men does. i know that. all people need to have to eat, sleep, and need shelter no matter where in the world. the other thing is different like different cultures, different backgrounds, sexual orientation, different languages. to me, those people who are against gay people or hate them or take away the rights from gay people have attitude problems and they need to get a life. they don't understand what freedom rights means. no wonder why some republicans violates the constitution too many times. people have their privacy rights (even famous people). i feel sorry and pity for those people because they don't understand what equality, privacy, freedom rights means. that's part of the reason i am not involved with any religions because i believe everybody should be treated equality and not criticize or take away people's rights. most of those teenagers who kill themselves because of their parents close-minded and refuses to support gay issues so therefore i have issue with people who are against gay people or gay rights. if spencer is not main character of the show and the mother treated her awful, she could have killed herself because of her mother and the main characters would deal with that issue. i'm glad danso is gone and he can do what he wants and i feel sorry and pity for him. that's how i feel. stop discrimination against people who are different from who you are. i know there are some people agree with me and some people don't agree with me. that's fine.

susie

First of all, I'm not gonna do n e back tracking, but I think you guys r totally misunderstanding and taking my comment way out of proportion. OK let me put it this way, itz an actors job to go try new things, people don't just change over night, in order for u to get over your stereotypes or prejudice of people..u have to TRY... he is not the first person to have ever gone onto a show and them leave for personal reasons. Ur making him out to be some sort of homophobic bigot and apparently that's false, bcuz if he was, he would have NEVER taken the job in the first place. He tried maybe to change himself and his way of thinking, it didn't work, ok, but its a start and more people need to do it...What I said I was PROUD of was the way he handled it, by not going out and saying oh my God gay people, lesbians r evil.. it seems to me that this is what ur thinking.. i have a friend who doesn't agree with what i do, but he's still my friend, that's what he's saying, Y r u trying to force people to automatically love everything gay. HATE DOESN'T END HATE... so stop hating him, and realize that what he did was a step in the right direction..By the way, I'm a christian and there are a lot of GLBT christians so pleeze don't assume that all christians are the same. It's hard enough to be lesbian and christian without both sides attacking us, and I just know that growing up in a religion where you're taught one thing for so long is hard to walk away from. Oh and he's not getting up protesting that gay marriage isn't going to work and that gay's shouldn't be treated equally. After all, I don't believe in polygamy but I think that they should still be treated like human beings, I don't kno much about it, and if I had the chance to do a show and learn more about it, and it still bothered me, I'd walk away too..

~I got that remedy~

I think it's fair that if people have problems with homosexuality and they take an initiative to challenge their views, then yes, they should be applauded. But that's the thing; given his statement at the top, it doesn't seem to me that he did that. He says, "when someone is involved in something that directly opposes his/her integrity, then that person has to ask themselves why they are doing it. For the money? To make sure they don't offend people?" Those are the only considerations he gives for leaving the show, and not once does he mention the notion that he was challenging his ethical code. He's an actor who's not really had his break yet (unless you count hangtime); chances are, he took that job for the money and was happy as hell that he managed to get the exposure in the first place. I definitely don't judge him for that, but what I don't consider fair is to be all sweet and light about the fact that he is walking out of a show simply because it has a gay storyline imbedded in the core, and he doesn't agree with homosexuality. When talking about friends who don't accept the gay side of you but love you anyway, I can see how the bond may be a little deeper than the superficial image of sexuality. But when giving reasons for leaving the show, making a statment, he just said to thousands upon thousands of people that he doesn't think it is right be be gay, and that he thinks millions of men and women out there, because of their orientation, are somehow lacking in the moral conviction and fibre that you praised him in having because he can turn his back on gays, no matter how nicely he puts it. That's what I find slightly reprehensible about his statement - I'm not trying to force everyone to love gay people, but I do want people to know that it's not ok to treat us as anything less than a tangible sector of society. If I stood up and said I didn't want to act a scene with a bunch of handicapped kids because it made me uncomfortable about my own personal demons, then I'd get slated for it too. 

 When it comes to the Christian remark, sorry for the generalisation. I didn't mean to implicate you in there, I was just trying to get across the image of the fundamentalist, hardcore Christian, the kind that REALLY hate gay people.

Well, gismo

 I can accept that, and i'm glad u cleared that up about the christian thing, i can understand where you're coming from, and maybe i just want to give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe i'm wrong, but i jus think that it could have been a lot worse.

I can imagine that we both feel that things do need to change as far as how GLBT's are viewed on tv and society, and S.O.N. is a start...

~I got that remedy~

I agree that its pretty lame that he came out with this now (two seasons into a show that was pretty honest from the beginning about what it was going to be about). To me, it seems more likely that this was a "suck it up and take advantage of this show's popularity (with a largely gay fan base) until I get my name out there" rather than a "long spiritual battle."

I don't agree that it could have been a lot worse, though. In my opinion, what Danso Gordon said isn't any better than what Tim Hardaway had to say earlier in the week. They both made homophobic statements that basically implied the thought of gay people being anything but miserable and tragic is offensive, and, to be honest, I prefer the way Tim Hardaway packaged his. Yeah, what he said was terrible, but at least he owned his bigotry and didn't try to pass it off as an aspect of his religious faith or a product of his strong sense of morality like Gordon did. I know plenty of Christians who have no problem with homosexuality, so chalking it up to religion is a cop out. So is chalking it up to morality because the underlying assumption is that gay people can't be moral, which is BS. And yet, even though the subtle form of homophobia is probably the more insidious form in terms of what it implies about us as a community, some of us still feel the need to give the bigoted person more credit for spewing it that way. Since when did "well, he implied that we were immoral, but at least he didn't call us disgusting dykes!" become a reason not to criticize a homophobe too harshly? (not directed at anyone in particular there. I think there are a whole lot of people being way too light on this guy.)

Seriously, this is a clear case of ego taking over a less-than-talented actor's shallow mind.

He is so blessed to have had such exposure on what he feels is a controversial show. I have friends in the acting arena who would kill for a regular spot on a show with such potential.

It amazes me that an actor who SHOULD try to challenge himself is throwing his work ethic and credibility out the door because ... he has integrity?

This isn't a reality TV show! You take the roles you're given and try to build on them. You don't leave because you don't like someone else's storyline. Acting is faking it. That's the point.

He disgraces the craft with this pathetic excuse. Unlike what an earlier poster said, I'd rather he just say, "I hate gay people."

According to AE, Danso gave TWO reasons for leaving-  he was offended that the lesbian storyline was portrayed too positively i.e. it didn't ruin spencer's life, and Mrs. Carlin's christianity was potrayed too negatively. I'm saddened by the suggeston that someone's coming out experience could be "too positive," but I actually could see why someone would find the conflict between Spencer and her mom a little one sided. Spencer's lesbianness wasn't demonized, but Mrs. Carlin's christianity kinda was. In a perfect world we would all come out to enlightened, accepting love-is-love family members. But in my experience, there is a long way to go between a Christian mother who struggles with her daughter's coming out and admittedly would prefer that she was straight, to a once adoring mother spitting out "you disgust me!," grounding, and trying to brainwash her only daughter. Yes, some deeply religious people are completely unaccepting, and even disown their gay kids. Some are the opposite, but I'd guess most are in between and far less one dimensional than the mom on SON.

For everyone who is slamming him for signing on to do a show with a lesbian storyline and then leaving because of it, maybe its not because of how Spencer's storyline turned out, maybe its because of how her mom's difficulty accepting it was portrayed. In fact, I would love for some one to ask- I'm going to check on the SON myspace and see if I can.

I feel it's his choice, and I think that, overall, he seems to be handling it tactfully. I wouldn't go so far as to say I'm proud of him, but he has to do what he feels is right and in a case like this, he's not really hurting anyone. When people try to limit our right to marry, have kids or just live peaceful, normal lives, that gets to me because they have no right to interfere in another person's life just because of their own views. When people spew hatred, that bothers me because hatred and prejudice is so disturbing and unhealthy, both for the people it's directed towards and the haters. He's not really doing either of these things. I haven't seen any comments by him that I would call hateful or necessarily unfair. He has the right to his opinions and beliefs as long as he's not using them to cause harm.

And I CAN understand why he would be upset about the mother being portrayed poorly. I believe in a higher power and am spiritual, and when people portray those sorts of beliefs in a negative light, or group them with poor qualities, it bothers me. I'm open to new ideas, and try to give things thought, but I don't like people deciding that because I'm not like them, I must be simple-minded, crazy or naive. On the same note, I can see how someone in Danso's position could be offended by how the mom is portrayed. Yes, there are plenty of Christians who behave like she does, but there are also ones who, while possibly upset by their daughter coming out, would react in a calmer manner.

And to be fair, he might not have known exactly what direction some aspects of the show would take when he signed on.

So even though I hardly agree with him, I think he's entitled to do what he feels is best and that he's handled it tactfully.

It's too bad, though, because Clay was one of my favorite characters...

I'd like to say thanks, I think I probaly didn't give the best argument y i said i was proud of him..and i think you guys sort of hit, what i left in a gray area.. he's not going out protesting against gays and lesbians, and i don't feel that he's hurting anyone, and i felt as tho, he was kind of getting attacked, and i felt that some people on this forum were acting too one sided. You can't really get ne where unless you look at both sides and that's what I was trying to bring in..and the mother being a christian did make me cringe bcuz i know some christians like that, but it doesn't reign true for everyone.

Whatever his reasons for leaving are, public or intimate, he has guts and I will ALWAYS applaud someone for standing by their convictions whether I agree with it or not.

~I got that remedy~

I just find it so funny he leaves AFTER he's gotten paid and some of the most impoerant episodes have passed...
He could have ended his contract early..."for his faith."

**Courtney**

i see.  "morally wrong".  oh geez.  we have seen some christians did drugs and had gay sex (like the man in colorado springs, colo.)  it was up to him to have double life with his religion and his private life.  we know people in bush administration broke the ethic laws.  they should be fired, not stay with bush?  i would say "morally wrong" when it's wrong to discriminate someone who is different from you and take away the rights from gay people but that is my opinion.  to me, there are different opinions, not "we are right and you are wrong" with morals and ethics.  oh please, we see religions, politics, break the laws or ethics.  everybody make mistakes.  if you think we should be perfect for everything, then you are living in fanstasy world.  that's why i feel offended when "morally wrong" to insult gay people.  that's why i feel pity for danso.  i am just glad he's gone and he can do whatever he wants in his own world whatever that is.

 susie

that's right.  we don't need the hate here in u.s.  i mean the last several years we have hearing this and that about morals, religions, etc... i know one thing.  saying words in hate can brainwash people and make them want to hurt someone or destroy the property on whoever they don't like.  good example, adolf hitler in germany.  he brainwashed lots of people and people believe in him and ofc we know what happened with jews and holocaust.  what i am saying is that i know some republicans, some religions are trying to preach that they are right and people who are not in their groups are wrong.  i was former christian and i knew some of quotes in bible and one of the quote says that we should not judge one another??  those far right, christians, who dislike gay people are brainwashed and they are hypocrites because they teach hate in their own way.  i call them idiot group.  where is unconditioned love and compassion??  i know some conservatives parents would try to brainwash their kids from gay to straight because they want them to be straight and ignore on what their kids feel and don't allow them to be themselves on who they want to be.  i have heard stories where their children suicide themselves because their parents do not accept them as gay.  that's not funny at all.  those parents have no love and no compassion.  i have seen enough hate from that group and we don't need that here.  if they want to get rid of "separation between state and church", believe me, they would force people to make choices which they don't want to make choices.  that happened in other country and that's why founding fathers made the constitution to say to people that they can do whatever they want to do because u.s. is a freedom country.  idiot group is forgetting about the constitution, freedom, rights, and privacy and they seems they forgot about the intentions and purposes from founding fathers.  danso has his right to say what he says.  fine.  the way he said in his blog, it sounds hate and hypocrisy. is that why we are number one for religion and number one for violence in the world and that is in u.s.??  people have different beliefs on how we live and how we eat and how we do everyday lives right?  well those idiot group don't understand that because they think they are right and everybody else is wrong.  screw them.  they are brainwashed and they need to wake up someday and see that everybody should be equal and everybody has rights to do whatever we want to do because our time on earth is short.  we don't live forever right? danso needs to stop hate and look at facts and he needs to look at all sides instead of one side of the story.  i hope when season 3 starts, we would forget about danso and look at positive side on spencer and ashley and see how their relationship goes.  we need more positive news on gay people and gay people enjoy their rights more than before.  stop the hate, that's what i am saying here. 

susie

As mentionned in various posts before, I find it slightly odd that it took Gordon Danso two years to figure out he had moral issues with the way spashley relationship or miss carlin's reaction were portrayed in the show. Two years to articulate his convictions ? I guess it was the right time for a revelation ...

Yes, I find it hard to buy Danso's statement. In my humble opinion, not only is this actor a plain homophobe, but he is also a philistine.

Sadly when i heard that one of the cast was quiting  on moral ground i just assumed it was Danso after all he is black and a very negative sterotype of black people is that they are homophobic. In fact just yesterday i watched a programme done by a gay black comedian about the homophobia in the Black community. It makes me angry while i support his right to say what the hell he likes i just think it makes it harder for the blackcommunity to have negative sterotypes reinforced. mind you i'm not black so what do i know?

I really like his character but not as much as i like his best bud Sean. I hope he stay's  

Yeah you have a point there Turkish. I think when you make something an issue it becomes and issue (if that makes sens) I never really ghave it a though that the black community were more homophobic than the non black lot  but hwne a single programme is made about the topic it does make one wonder and does change perceptions

It is just amazing to me that he waited two years for his Faith and personal integrity to kick in.His story was coming to an end...Chelsea will probably lose the baby from the shock of the Prom Night bloodbath and she will go on the Art School in Paris and hopefully find happiness with Dean who is so much hotter than Clay. But what a selfish attitude...does he really think it was easy for someone like Gabrielle Christian, a Catholic, to take on the part of a 16 year old girl coming to terms with her lesbianism? She and Mandy Musgrave know all the lives that will be saved by this program and their honest portrayal of these roles. How much integrity is involved in collecting a paycheck for two years and then walking away "for reasons of Faith". Has he been in denial for two years or did he just forget he read the scripts they sent him in 2004? Sorry buddy but you give real Faith and compassion a bad name.

Integrity! Pah!  What intergrity is there in slamming something that has fed and clothed you for two years?  I'm sure I read somewhere that the producer said that SoN would always be Ashley and Spencer's show.  That kind of gives a clue as to where the programme is coming from.

Danso Gordon, I hope your God slaps you down for being such a hypocrite. As my friend told me about her mother's reaction to a story about a close friend finding out her daughter was gay - my friend's mother (an Irish Catholic, who goes to church everyday) said "I don't understand why her mother is upset.  She's only gay, it's not like she killed someone, or is a drug addict".

Remember, a faith that teaches bigotry and hatred, no matter what faith it is, is not worth a dime.  Bigotry and hatred are ills that continue to divide this world.  Surely we should have been able to learn something by now.

I haven't read this entire thread, so maybe this was addressed ... but could it just be the fact that these kids are all caught in sexual overdrive, no matter who it is they're sleeping with?

Lisa

hmm.. been hearing this for awhile.. its sad that Clay is leaving but as long as Spencer and Ashley are there i'm all good.. and isn't Chris Hunder getting cut off from that show as well?? i heared that Glen's gonna join the military and that he'll only be in season 3 for a few episodes.. 

"what if what I am isn't what people expect of me"

"that's what makes people great.. the unexpected"

i don't think danso gordon is necessarily homophobic. just stupid. because he is so smalltime who knows when his next big job is going to come. the last thing i saw him in was some little two minute commercial (mountain dew, i think) that is a big drop from a regular spot on a weekly series

"The road to darkness is a journey,  not a light switch." – Lex Luthor, "Ryan"

First Isaiah Washington ran his mouth on the set of GA using homophobic slurs. Now Danso decides to leave a good show because he also has problems with the gay lifestyle. I am so disappointed in seeing talented black actors who play positive characters that are role models for young black men being exposed as homophobes. Danso was a lot more tactful about his issues with gay people by saying that it was morally wrong, but it's still disappointing.

As a woman of color who was raised Christian (Lutheran school and church), it's upsetting to me to see how deep homophobia runs in the black community (especially among males) and to see someone try to whitewash their homophobia describing it as a moral issue. I'm afraid to think that young black males are going to think disliking someone because of their sexual preference as OK because these actors are displaying their dislike/disapproval for the world to see.

So was he the one who got shot in the ending of season 2? I don't understand he read the script and knew what he was in for so why would he all a sudden become homophobic...that just doesn't make sense.

.:Mackin:.

At first I was sad to see that Clay was killed off, for many of the reasons others stated above: Clay was supportive of Spencer and Ashley, he was often the voice of reason, he represented that very interesting conflict of being a black young man raised in a white family, he had his own adoption issues coupled with his pregnant girlfriend. A very interesting character. I feared the show had gotten rid of Danso Gordon for some ridiculous and unfair reason.

But then when I found out he had quit because of his beliefs (read: prejudices), I was angry and glad he's gone. Everyone keeps asking why he went along with the script knowing he would play a character whose sister deals with issues of sexuality. Sad to say, he probably took the part because of money, because of the desire to play a role that would be seen as cutting edge, and because it was an opportunity he couldn't turn down. I hate to say it, but he's nearly thirty and playing a teenager. Still. When I was a teen, I remember him in that show Hang Time. Even back then, he was too old for the role he was playing. I think he's a decent actor and perhaps it's unfair that he might not have the best luck finding roles. But to me it seems he took the role--even though he's homophobic--because he couldn't get a better offer. Definitely not the best display of integrity.

It's good he moved on, though. It makes no sense for him to be on the show given his beliefs and his inability to rise above them for his acting job. It's like when Eric LaSalle from ER left the show because he didn't like the interracial relationship his character was a part of. Seems unprofessional to me, to let your personal opinions get in the way of your acting gigs, but I guess people have to live with themselves. I guess he might feel great about restoring his so-called personal integrity, but I'm pretty sure that his "Faith", whatever it may be, would encourage him to love his fellow humans. Homophobia doesn't seem very virtuous, no?

It's cool that he has the conviction to leave a lucrative job if the job doesn't agree with his moral code. . .

Having said that, best of luck working in the entertainment industry if working alongside homosexual people, themes, and stories puts you at odds with your morals. . . cause yo butt gone be broke.