Is Tommy still being punished?

I know. When I found out about the way they fired him for his sexuality, I was shocked and angry. They wouldn't get away with something like that now! (Or I hope not). It's so politically inccorrect.
It must hurt to think how your career was killed because of something which is your private life and shouldn't affect your career anyway.
God, it makes me so angry that people can do that sort of thing to each other!

Speaking as fan of Tommy Kirk especially as an actor, I read the break through interview with him recently and he did openly admit that when he was twenty four he was seeing a fifteen year old boy and (naturally, as any parents would be concerned about their child seeing a person ten years older) contacted Disney about their displeasure of Tommy seeing a boy that many years younger. Granted, I'm sure his sexuality was a bit of an issue for the parents because that is one prejudice that is still going strong today, however Tommy wasn't completely innocent and the biography on imdb is misleading. Also, Tommy also admitted at this time he started to experiment with drugs which most certainly ruffled some feathers of others in the studio, most notably his co-star Fred McMurray who was a close personal friend of Walts.

Once again, I'm a pretty big fan of tommy kirk as an actor and hold him in very high regard, but it actually wasn't a homophobic hate crime by Disney for they certainly did have some legitmate reasons for letting him go. Unfortunately, the Duke and Disney heavily exposed his experimenting with drugs and sexual escapades which smeared his reputation and made it difficult for the young actor to find work. Shame. And, to whoever said firing someone for being gay is politically incorrect, will you're dead wrong. It's called a homophobic hate crime or discrimination. Political incorrectness is having a sense of humor about diversity, not being afraid of satire or simply not being very prudent in your manner of speaking. Ruining somenes career for being a certain is being prejudice, learn the difference before giving my favorite people a bad name.

olgluefoot: "did the same thing to Robert Reed."
--------------------------------------------------------------

Reed received three emmy nominations after the Brady Bunch (if the Brady Bunch couldn't be a career-killer, I don't know what could).

Was he supposed to be outcast somewhere in here for his sexuality? Danny Bonaduce isn't gay and his career nosedived after Partridge Family.

None of the Brady kids managed much of anything later on. None of them are gay. What was their excuse then?

Reed appeared on Search for Tomorrow, then managed to get those Brady tv movies, the dramedy, before he died.

AIDS killed him, not the perceived stigma attached to being gay.

Robert Reed had a very long and distinguished career as TV and stage actor. Like many actors, his homosexuality was an open secret in Hollywood. Everyone who worked with him was aware of it, but he was a talented and professional actor and thus his private life didn't effect his career. The same goes for Rock Hudson, Charles Laughton, Montgomery Clift, and a host of other gay/bisexual actors- everyone in Hollywood knew about their sexuality but they always found work. And back then even the tabloids were willing to play ball with the studios and keep certain things private.

Tommy Kirk's demise at Disney apparently had more to do than just his sexuality being exposed. He was 24 yrs old and he was carrying on with a 15 yr old? I'm sorry, but Kirk got-off pretty lightly just being fired. That's Chris Hansen territory- "Why don't you take a seat over there, Mr. Kirk. So, what are you doing here?" Statutory rape doesn't care if the offender is gay or not. Kirk was lucky not having his entire life ruined, not just his career.

"since Kirk wasn't part of the family as such, he is therefore not portrayed."

Huh? He was one of the Robinsons' sons. Besides, the poster is one of the originals from 1960, years before Kirk was let go by Disney.