Chenoweth calls out Newsweek article for being homophobic

Kristin Chenoweth has fired back against a recent Newsweek article that suggests gay male actors aren't believable as straight characters.

The Tony-award winning Broadway and television actress shot back at openly gay writer Ramin Setoodeh for his column titled "Straight Jacket" in which he criticized homosexual male actors for badly portraying heterosexual male roles.

Setoodeh referred to gay actor Sean Hayes performance in the Broadway show Promises, Promises as "wooden and insincere." Setoodeh also criticized the work of Jonathan Groff, a gay Broadway star who appears on Glee. The writer referred to Groff as "your average theater queen."

Chenoweth who's co-starring in Promises, Promises with Hayes and recently guest-starred on Glee, has written a letter to the editor calling the article "horrendously homophobic."

She writes: "I'd normally keep silent on such matters and write such small-minded viewpoints off as perhaps a blip in common sense. But the offense I take to this article, and your decision to publish it is not really even related to my profession or my work with Hayes or Jonathan Groff (also singled out in the article as too 'queeny' to play 'straight'). This article offends me because I am a human being, a woman and a Christian."

"For example, there was a time when Jewish actors had to change their names because anti-Semites thought no Jew could convincingly play Gentile," she added.

"The examples he provides (what scientists call 'selection bias') to prove his 'gays can't play straight' hypothesis are sloppy in my opinion," Chenoweth continued, adding: "No one needs to see a bigoted, factually inaccurate article that tells people who deviate from heterosexual norms that they can't be open about who they are and still achieve their dreams."

The 41-year-old Chenoweth has been an active supporter of gay rights.