XPost: rec.scouting.usa, alt.politics.homosexuality, alt.california
XPost: sac.politics

Sam Smith collected an Oscar last night for his Bond song “The
Writing’s on the Wall” but he may want to brush up on his
knowledge of the movie awards after mistakenly referring to
himself as the first gay Academy Award winner.

The British crooner, 23, made the faux-pas during his acceptance
speech for Best Original Song, referencing an interview given by
Sir Ian McKellen earlier this year. The actor derided the fact
that no openly gay man had won Best Actor at the prestigious
ceremony.

"I read an article a few months ago by Sir Ian McKellen and he
said that no openly gay man had ever won an Oscar,” said Smith.
“If this is the case—even if it isn't the case—I want to
dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world."

While the sentiment may have been a positive one, many on
Twitter, including fellow Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black, were
quick to point out the error of Smith’s ways.

Openly gay Black, who is engaged to Olympian Tom Daley and won
Best Original Screenplay for Milk in 2009, hit back: “Hey
@SamSmithWorld, if you have no idea who I am, it may be time to
stop texting my fiancé.”

Other users pointed out that Sir Elton John won the very same
prize as Smith in 1995 for The Lion King song, “Can You Feel the
Love Tonight.”

In true Twitter fashion, Smith’s remarks prompted a flurry of
parody tweets using the hashtag #SamSmithFacts, placing the
singer as the first openly gay man in different situations.

It’s the latest social media blunder for Smith, who faced
ridicule in January after tweeting that he wanted to “shine some
sort of light” on racism after witnessing a friend being
racially abused in the streets of London.

http://www.newsweek.com/sam-smith-ridiculed-first-gay-oscar- winner-remark-431389?google_editors_picks=true
 

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