PENN’S TWO-FACED WITH GAYS

From Page Six:

NOT all gays are gaga over Sean Penn‘s portrayal of homosexual martyr Harvey Milk in Gus Van Sant‘s biopic “Milk.”

In an Advocate.com article, writer James Kirchick slams Penn for his political leanings, arguing that any adulation he receives from the gay community should be tempered because of his affection for Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez and Cuban strongman Raul Castro.

Chávez and Castro are guilty of flagrant human-rights abuses, Kirchick writes: “Gay rights are human rights, as Milk said, and Penn discredits both when he rationalizes illiberal ideologies as ‘anti-imperialist’ and rushes to the defense of thugs who posture as victims of the West.”

Penn has long been a supporter of the dictator duo. In this month’s issue of The Nation, he lavishly praises both Chávez and Castro after paying them a recent visit. He asserts, for example, “It’s true, Chávez may not be a good man. But he may well be a great one.”

Kirchick’s story includes a quote from Human Rights Foundation President Thor Halvorssen, who says: “That Sean Penn would be honored by anyone, let alone the gay community, for having stood by a dictator who put gays into concentration camps is mind-boggling.”

Penn’s publicist, Mara Buxbaum, tells Page Six: “Kirchick’s commentary about Sean Penn’s cover story neglects to include that Penn in fact addressed the issue of oppression toward homosexuals in Cuba in his full essay which was printed on the Huffington Post site on Dec. 1.

“The Nation printed an adapted excerpt only, but made it clear that the full article was on Huffington. James Kirchick didn’t do his homework.”