Alec Baldwin is trying to make amends for his alleged homophobia by financing a documentary about openly gay former congressman Barney Frank — but some prominent gays say they still can’t forgive Baldwin.
The “30 Rock” star signed on as executive producer of “Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank,” and he will conduct a Q&A with Frank at the film’s April 27 premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
“Barney Frank is a personal hero of mine,” Baldwin said in a statement.
But gay rights activist Allen Roskoff scoffed, “All of a sudden Alec Baldwin has a gay hero. Where was his gay hero when he was screaming homophobic slurs?”
Roskoff, president of the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club, told me, “This is simply damage control on Baldwin’s part. It’s sad that the film’s co-producers agreed to allow him to turn this film into an Alec Baldwin redemption project.”
Steven Gaines, the openly gay author of “Philistines at the Hedgerow,” said, “Baldwin is a liberal and a Democrat, but his negative feelings about gay men stem from his upbringing. He hasn’t been able to expunge the attitudes that men had in the ’60s on Long Island.”
Gaines charged, “Alec is inherently homophobic. He’s not going to free himself of that anytime soon. If he is executive-producing this to make amends to the gay community, it’s a wrong move.”
Baldwin had no comment, according to his rep.