Carol Channing defends herself...

A Nov. 10 interview with Carol Channing in Ohio-based Gay People’s Chronicle shocked her fans everywhere with her seemingly sharing some startling views about gays. Despite the Broadway legend's long pro-gay history, the interview with writer Kaizaad Kotwal indicated that Channing privately judges gays by anti-gay biblical standards.
IN Los Angeles magazine scored an exclusive with Channing who seems eager to defends herself:

IN: The reporter said that he asked you “You seem to have a very large gay following. Have you ever thought about why?� And you supposedly said “I don't think about them. I'm grateful that they seem to like me. They're terribly loyal to me. But I'm knee-deep in the Bible and you know what it says about that.� Could you clarify that please? Do you remember what you said?

Channing: I never said that! I've never read anything in the Bible about being gay or at least I haven't read that part. But, it is true that I don't think about them in that way. They are gay. Who cares? The Bible says “Love thy neighbor as thyself.� I don't recognize differences except their goodness and artistic abilities, which I always admire.

IN: So what DO you think of gay people?

Channing: Again. I don't think about them as gay. They're people, period.

Channing added that “the interview started out very badly. He seemed to have an anger towards me from the very start. I couldn't figure out where it was coming from..I think my record speaks for itself. I've always been supportive to the gay community and I have found they are capable of taking care of themselves. I told him, that not being gay, it hasn't been a problem I've had to live with myself."

To read a truncated online version of the story on the IN Los Angeles web site, click HERE.