‘Gotham’ star Robin Lord Taylor says homophobic abuse is ‘nothing new’ to him
The actor starred as Batman villain The Penguin in the hit TV series
By Steve Brown
Words: Steve Brown
Gotham star Robin Lord Taylor says he worries about how young LGBTQ people will react to seeing homophobia he has faced.
Taylor starred as the iconic Batman villain The Penguin in the popular TV series and the show introduced a queer storyline featuring the character and The Riddler – another Batman villain.
Despite The Riddler not reciprocating the love, the storyline faced backlash from online trolls who claimed they have ruined the origins of the character.
While speaking at a panel at Dragon Con in Atlanta, Taylor – who came out in 2015 – said he is no longer bothered by trolls.
He said: “You just get this crazy swing of people saying the absolute worst, horrifying things, and then people being absolutely the most amazing.
“Being a gay person and growing up in the Midwest in a small town. I know what [it feels like].
“I’m not unaccustomed to homophobia, it’s nothing new to me. So, in that regard, I was completely prepared.
“It’s more I worry about kids who follow me and watch this. God forbid there’s a queer person out there and they want to come out to their family… then they see the homophobia out there directed at me.
“That’s the thing that really upsets me the most. The people who say terrible, messed up, homophobic stuff, they’re the minority.
“The majority of people are coming at me with love from all sides. But, you know, when we introduce a queer storyline, ‘Eh, we love you and we love the show, but this really bothers me because you’re really messing with the character’s origins.’
“And I’m like, ‘You’re homophobic, that’s homophobic. That’s it, right there’.”