Will John Wayne Santa Ana Airport soon be renamed Orange County Airport? This request comes from several members of the Democratic Party in California, who accuse the actor of having made racist and homophobic remarks. Symbol of traditional America with his dozens of cowboy roles and virile and even macho soldiers, John Wayne expressed "opinions favorable to white supremacy, anti-LGBT and anti-indigenous people" , written in a resolution adopted Friday evening the Orange County Democratic Party, south of Los Angeles.
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The party is based in particular on an interview published in 1971 by the magazine Playboy. "I believe in white supremacy until the blacks have acquired a certain level of responsibility" and "I do not feel guilty that five or ten generations ago, these people were slaves" . He adds that if he does not endorse slavery, it is for him "a fact of life" .
John Wayne was also singled out for his remarks about the Indians. "I don't have the feeling that we did something wrong by settling on their territory ," he explained. It was just a matter of survival. Lots of people needed land and the Indians wanted to keep it all for themselves ... What happened 100 years ago cannot be blamed for us today. ”
Finally, the elected Democrats of California denounce the homophobic positions of the actor, who considers that films like Easy Rider , or Midnight Cowboy are films "perverse" . "I have nothing against sex scenes on the screen between a man and a woman ," he also said. It's something God gave us and I don't see why we shouldn't show it in movies. Healthy, lascivious sex is great. ”
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"The Orange County Democratic Party condemns John Wayne's racist and sectarian statements, and calls for the name of John Wayne to be removed from Orange County airport , " said the resolution. The airport was named after the actor died in 1979.
Trump defends the memory of John Wayne
This request comes at a time when part of American society has begun a deep examination of conscience on the discrimination that undermines it. Numerous statues and monuments associated with slavery and racist oppression have been removed or renamed in the wake of demonstrations denouncing the death of George Floyd, black man in his forties asphyxiated by a white police officer.
President Donald Trump flew to the rescue of his late film idol on Monday. "Now these bums Democrats want to remove the name of John Wayne airport" , has he responded on Twitter, calling the idea "incredible stupidity" . Trump has presented himself in the past as an "old fan" of John Wayne. He even posed alongside the actor's daughter in Iowa, his state of birth, during his 2016 election campaign.
John Wayne's family, who have a statue at Orange County airport and another in Beverly Hills, have dismissed charges of racism against him. "It would be unfair to judge someone on the basis of an interview used out of context," said John Wayne's son Ethan on CNN television last year. "They are trying to challenge the way he led his life, and the way he led his life was who he was," he said.
John Wayne died in 1979 and starred in over 150 films. He was in the running for several Oscars, and received the statuette for best actor for One Hundred Dollars for a Sheriff in 1969.