George Takei Is Gay
Star Trek star George Takei and his partner, Brad Altman, have just set their wedding date – September 14 – and at least two of Takei's former cast-mates plan to attend.
"The best man is my colleague from Star Trek, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, and the matron of honor is (Lt.) Uhura, Nichelle Nichols," Takei tells PEOPLE. "And Leonard (Nimoy) and his wife Susan are on the (guest) list."
Takei was at Equality Maryland's seventh annual Night Out for Equality gala on Sunday night in Bethesda, where he was honored for his advocacy work in support of same-sex marriage.
The 71-year old actor is also in a new Adam Sandler comedy movie opening on Thursday, You Don't Mess with the Zohan.
While marrying Altman is something Takei's dreamed about for a very long time – they've been together 21 years – the proposal wasn't exactly how he'd imagined it.
"We knew that the (California State) Supreme Court was going to be coming down with their ruling" legalizing gay marriage, Takei said. "(We'd heard) that it was probably going to be positive. So I was planning on asking Brad to get married.
"We were at home in the kitchen and we had the TV going, and when the word came down suddenly Brad got on his knees in front of me," Takei continued. "And I said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'George, will you marry me?' I said 'Yes. You beat me to it. I meant to ask you.'"
Takei had something less impromptu in mind: "I wanted to have it happen in a bit more dignified way." But he's "ecstatic" to be getting married, nevertheless, he said.
The wedding will be a formal affair at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. (Takei is one of its founders.)
The couple are still working on wedding plans. But they've already settled on a few things that reflect their eclectic taste as well as their respective backgrounds. Scottish bagpipes will play during the ceremony and a Mexican-American Buddhist minister will officiate. They've ordered matching Native American turquoise and silver rings. And the wedding dinner will feature fusion Japanese-Mexican cuisine.
"The best man is my colleague from Star Trek, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, and the matron of honor is (Lt.) Uhura, Nichelle Nichols," Takei tells PEOPLE. "And Leonard (Nimoy) and his wife Susan are on the (guest) list."
Takei was at Equality Maryland's seventh annual Night Out for Equality gala on Sunday night in Bethesda, where he was honored for his advocacy work in support of same-sex marriage.
The 71-year old actor is also in a new Adam Sandler comedy movie opening on Thursday, You Don't Mess with the Zohan.
While marrying Altman is something Takei's dreamed about for a very long time – they've been together 21 years – the proposal wasn't exactly how he'd imagined it.
"We knew that the (California State) Supreme Court was going to be coming down with their ruling" legalizing gay marriage, Takei said. "(We'd heard) that it was probably going to be positive. So I was planning on asking Brad to get married.
"We were at home in the kitchen and we had the TV going, and when the word came down suddenly Brad got on his knees in front of me," Takei continued. "And I said, 'What are you doing?' He said, 'George, will you marry me?' I said 'Yes. You beat me to it. I meant to ask you.'"
Takei had something less impromptu in mind: "I wanted to have it happen in a bit more dignified way." But he's "ecstatic" to be getting married, nevertheless, he said.
The wedding will be a formal affair at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. (Takei is one of its founders.)
The couple are still working on wedding plans. But they've already settled on a few things that reflect their eclectic taste as well as their respective backgrounds. Scottish bagpipes will play during the ceremony and a Mexican-American Buddhist minister will officiate. They've ordered matching Native American turquoise and silver rings. And the wedding dinner will feature fusion Japanese-Mexican cuisine.
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