‘Gotham’ Star Robin Lord Taylor Trolled And Bullied For Coming Out

Gotham star Robin Lord Taylor recently revealed to his social media followers that he was in a gay relationship, married in fact, and that he and his husband were celebrating an anniversary. While much of the responses were positive and supportive, Taylor was horrified to read the hateful comments posted by some users, especially since the Gotham star posted the message only a few days after the Orlando shooting brought attention to the hate and violence experienced by those in the LGBT community.

Robin Lord Taylor Comes Out And Regrets It

Five years ago today, I married the greatest man I've ever met. We are proud and unafraid. #LoveIsLove pic.twitter.com/Mwxe976fhv

— Robin Lord Taylor (@robinlordtaylor) June 18, 2016

The Gotham actor plays one of the vilest villains in the DC universe, but even the Penguin wouldn’t stoop as low as some of Taylor’s followers after he had revealed that he was gay and married to the love of his life. Robin revealed that June 18 marked his five-year wedding anniversary.

“I married the greatest man I’ve ever met,” Taylor captioned a photo of their hands entwined with wedding rings sparkling in the daylight. “We are proud and unafraid. #LoveIsLove.”

After reading some hateful comments from the online community, Robin Lord Taylor fired back, expressing his disappointment that there were so many hateful people trolling the internet and wishing him harm, just for loving who he loves.

When I posted about my anniversary on Instagram, I was called a "faggot" and a "gay bastard". Homophobia is real and deadly. #LoveIsLove

— Robin Lord Taylor (@robinlordtaylor) June 18, 2016

“When I posted about my anniversary on Instagram, I was called a ‘f****t’ and a ‘gay b*****d’. Homophobia is real and deadly.#LoveIsLove,” tweeted the Gotham star in response to the comments.

“I feel helpless and sad,” said Robin in another tweet.

Previously in 2014, Robin did reveal that he was married and had been married for over three years at that time, though he was careful to choose his pronouns carefully to avoid a discussion on his sexual orientation. The news that Robin is gay comes as a surprise to many of his Gotham fans, but most of Taylor’s followers have been supportive.

Gotham Star Robin Lord Taylor Identifies With Penguin In Some Ways

When Robin Lord Taylor was cast as Oswald Cobblepot, A.K.A. The Penguin, he set about researching the history of the DC Comics villain, only to discover that, as a child and teenager, Oswald was horribly bullied and tormented. Until recently, Taylor says he never experienced feeling bullied or harassed, but he says that he could identify with the way in which Oswald had always felt like an outsider.

“I definitely identified with that feeling,” says the Gotham star. “Like, just because you didn’t look like everybody else, or there was something different about you – like in my case, I was just not a ‘sporty’ person, and I basically grew up in Friday Night Lights. So it’s just that feeling of outsider-ness, and also that feeling of being counted out just by things that are out of your control.”

Robin adds that he could also identify with Penguin’s ambition, though not to the extent of being willing to sacrifice human lives to achieve his success. Taylor says he can empathize with being rejected so often and having to keep putting himself out there with just as much determination as ever.

Penguin has a very well-defined moral code, says Robin Lord Taylor, and it’s far simpler than most might assume. At his core, Penguin is all about reward and punishment. He remembers favors and slights equally, and he’s just as passionate about returning both. The Gotham actor adds that although there are a few exceptions, everyone Penguin goes after does deserve it.

“I guess his moral code is just: ‘Don’t tread on me.’ But that’s the thing – with the exception of the poor fisherman in the pilot, and maybe the guy who delivered the flowers from Maroni – a couple of people who really didn’t deserve what they got – for the most part, everyone whom he attacks, it’s motivated by revenge, and it’s all strategy for Oswald,” says Taylor. “He is anti-chaos. Chaos is not interesting to him; that’s not a place where he can get the power that he needs to survive. He wants order.”

[Image by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images]