Talk:Merritt Butrick

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Sexuality[edit]

I can't find any sources for his sexuality. He died of AIDS in 1989, which is persuasive but certainly doesn't determine anything. I'm trying to further categorize this article (gay/bisexual actor). Cleduc 03:14, 24 July 2005 (UTC)[reply]

I think until a source can be found verify or dispute that he's bisexual, that reference should be removed. The phrase "with some sources stating that he was bisexual" seems to be "weasel word" language. --Ap539 02:04, 9 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

The IMDC message board has a few entries from people who claim to have known Butrick. They seem credible to me, but they aren't WP:V, so I'm not posting the info. See [1]. He went to the same high school as me, although ten years later. I'm going to see if there are any paper sources there, someday, and I may be able to find out if he was in drama while there.--Hjal 17:39, 11 June 2007 (UTC)[reply]

==

When speaking honestly about AIDs it confuses the issue to make a distinction between gay (Homosexual) and bi-sexual. For many years CDC published an HIV Surveillance Report every quarter. Now, it's once a year. Those reports don't use the words "homosexual", "gay" or bi-sexual. They refer to Male-to-male sexual contact and heterosexual contact, and the male heterosexual contact statistic has a footnote that says, "Heterosexual contact with a person known to have, or to be at high risk for, HIV infection". If men are in the male-to-male category they are removed from the "heterosexual contact" statistic. Statistically, men cannot be in two categories. So, to say he died of AIDS and say he was bi-sexual is highly misleading. He, like 90% of all men, contracted aids almost certainly because he had sex with other men. (yes, I know there is an IV drug use category too) That he also had sex with women is completely irrelevant to why he died. "Gay" is colloquial for men who have sex with men. "bi-sexual is just another colloquialism that leads back to how he became infected, he had sex with men. To be bi-sexual he, by definition, was gay. Adding that he was bi-sexual then becomes redundant and, in terms of how and why he died and becomes mere gossip. For the record, I believe everyone has the right to have sex with whoever they find arousing regardless of gender. This is not an anti-gay rant and I don't shame anyone over sex. It is merely talking seriously about the issue so everyone clearly understands the risks associated with their choices. After AIDS hit just to have sex at all you had to find the amount of risk you found acceptable and the risk was your life not just a shot in the hip if you got the clap. Following the quarterly reports helped keep reasonable people from exaggerating the risk as well. I don't think the line belongs there at all and especially when the only source is a book by Kirstie Alley who shouldn't be considered a reliable source. Tragically, he came of age in a time when it was most dangerous to be young, gay and beautiful. Most people my age (68), straight or gay, including me, know someone who died because they got infected in those early years. That is why I took the time to write this about that line. Yes, it's too long I suppose. Every time I read it over to shorten it, I add some instead. So I'll stop now. Jackhammer111 (talk) 01:35, 11 December 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Many online claim first or secondhand information that he was gay. Some say he was very “out” for that time, but obviously these references would not be enough for Wikipedia. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.181.192.29 (talk) 06:12, 25 June 2023 (UTC)[reply]

The cause of death[edit]

The way the cause of death is phrased right now reads like "He was homosexual -> therefore he had HIV -> therefore he died of a 'related' decease". Toxoplasmosis, as I understand it from the dedicated article, does not 'relate' to HIV and is a parasitic infection. I propose to move the info about his sexuality to some other place (the section "Early life and career" maybe, but it's not very suitable for it either) and rephrase the cause of death as

Butrick died of AIDS-complicated toxoplasmosis on March 17, 1989, at the age of 29.

or

Butrick died of toxoplasmosis, complicated by him being HIV-positive, on March 17, 1989, at the age of 29.

If no one has any objections, I'll edit the article. DxhaFFer (talk) 06:28, 27 July 2014 (UTC)[reply]

"apparent gay student"[edit]

The article quotes a writer who described Butrick's Johnny Slash character as an "apparent (but never declared) gay student." I seem to recall that Johnny had a crush on Lauren (Amy Linker). This is NOT a criticism of the 'apparently gay' assessment. In fact, I think it's a compliment to Butrick, the show's creators, or some combination thereof, that they actually put some depth into what on the surface might be mistaken to be simply a goofy early 80s teen sitcom. (Although it's not... always loved it.)PurpleChez (talk) 15:08, 1 June 2020 (UTC)[reply]