especially given his religious background, there is symbolism to washing your feet with another man. and rogers would have intended it.

IMHO one of the very rare TRUE Christians in television.

Damn right. I’m an atheist (sometimes a pretty militant one, depending on my mood), but if I had kids, I’d probably *make* them watch Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. Yes, the guy was “preaching” but he was doing so with his heart and mind firmly set on reaching humanity, not just Christians. He was and remains one of my…

That wasn’t uncommon advice at the time. Back then a lot of people believed that being gay was a choice, or something that *could* be changed. Rogers most likely thought his advice was helping Clemmons, and given all that we now know today I don’t think he would give that same advice.

Mr. Rogers knew he was gay when they made this segment. Not only was he sharing water with a black man during the era of segregated pools, he was sharing water with a gay man during the era of active criminalization of gays. He told him he was proud of him. The rest of the world didn’t know until later, but Mr. Rogers…

Yes. Mr. Rogers never claimed to be perfect or above anyone. He lived his faith as a humble man who accepted his flaws and strove to be better, because that’s how you show love to others, and that was his mission in this world.

Your post smacks of hyperbole to my cynical ears, but there is no doubt it is just simple fact.

Is it weird to feel nostalgia for that era? Those kind of moments really meant a lot in those days. When it was an achievement if you were able to be both a sissy AND still have the respect of the butcher, the mechanic. ‘Sure, he’s light in the loafers but he helps old Mrs Johnson cut her lawn twice a month so he’s…

My mother was a physical therapist in a small Midwestern town in the 1950s. One of her patients was a lesbian with a committed partner. (Mother always spoke of their “lovely matching suits.”) After a few sessions, one gave her a tearful hug, because she was the only PT in town who would help or even touch her.

Yeah, remember how accusing someone of being a communist would cause them to lose their job in entertainment and commit suicide just ten years earlier than this?

Yes. I had a youth minister in the ‘70s who was fired when it was discovered he was gay. It was assumed that he was a child molester (even though as far as I know there were no allegations from the youth).

Well, what do you think Rogers was going to do/say? Especially as the host of a children’s program in the late 1960s? It’s actually remarkable that he kept him on. In the mid-70s, my middle school fired an openly gay teacher because parents complained. Being gay was incredibly difficult during that time; Rogers’…

As a child of Black Muslim’s raised in the 70's, Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood was one of the ONLY shows I was able to watch. His kindness reached through the television screen and to this day I am still saddened by his death. My kids think he is boring as hell, but to me, he will always be a wonderful man.

Preach! In the 1970s, we were painting homes and public playgrounds with lead-based paint, my oldest brother’s car seat was a stack of pillows in a cardboard box with leg holes cut out so he could see over the dashboard, and flight attendants were all women who wore clingy uniforms and had to quit if they got married,…

Holy Christmas, Rich. It was the 1960s. And you want to throw Mr. Rogers under the bus for speaking true about the realities of the time? For acknowledging that an openly gay Black man would not fly on a children’s program?

GTFO.

I think your title misrepresents the body of the article, Fred did the best he could. In fact I’m quite comfortable saying he’s one of the best people to have ever lived. He is a paragon, and puts the rest of us to shame.

I remember in the 80s, I loved Pee Wee’s Playhouse and my uncle would tell my father I shouldn’t watch it because GAY.

Honestly if this is the worst we ever unearth about Mr Rogers I’ll take it

I see what you’re going for here Rich, but you didn’t stick the landing. You kind of look like way more of an asshole than Rogers. Strong attempt to shit on a good guy though.

Yeah, remember how accusing someone of being a communist would cause them to lose their job in entertainment and commit suicide just ten years earlier than this?