Paul Reubens (né Rubenfeld, 1952-) - Actor Best-Known for His Beloved "Pee-Wee Herman" Character

[DonRocks]

When I was a young adult, Pee-Wee Herman was everywhere - nearly as ubiquitous as Barney.This, until it all came crashing down one evening in a movie theater, where Rubens was arrested for lewd behavior, indecent exposure, etc. Yes, he was gay.

Which is is precisely why I believe a Presidential pardon is a legitimate option (albeit not anytime soon) - times have changed, and while, on the surface, getting caught yanking it in a movie theater may seem like an "oops," back then it was a career-ending transgression.

I hope this doesn't offend anyone, but I pretty much give carte blanche on the "transgressions" of gay people, pre-acceptance: bathhouses, casual sex, The Follies, glory holes - hey, these people have sex drives like the rest of us, and even though, in reality, some of this behavior was extraordinarily risky (cf: "Dallas Buyers Club") it is *all* understandable, completely forgivable, and quite honestly, had I known the shame and humiliation gay and lesbian people were going through - all because they were *perfectly normal* and needed sex, as surely as someone needs a glass of water - I would have given them the keys to my house, gone out to dinner, and said, "Here, have fun - back in a couple of hours."

Maybe I'm wrong, and I'm certainly open-minded to reading other opinions (no matter what your opinions, your viewpoints and perspectives will absolutely be tolerated here, as long as they don't involve politics, religion, or mean comments about other people. I realize the "Presidential pardon" comment is political, so you should feel free to ignore that, and simply discuss the issue in general - or anything else you wish to discuss about Reubens.)

I do know that there were some issues down the road, regarding underage pornography, and sure, the line must be drawn somewhere - but I don't know any specifics regarding Mr. Reubens' situation; only about the career-ending incident in the movie theater, which I believe to be the height of intolerance and cruelty.