Neil Patrick Harris. (Creative Commons)

Over the past weeks the debate over sexuality in Hollywood has picked up speed, all due to a few fighting words from one of their own.

In its May 10 edition, Newsweek decided to publish a highly controversial editorial titled "Straight Jacket." The article's premise: "Heterosexual actors play gay all the time. Why doesn't it ever work in reverse?"

Ever since the post went public, gay actors and Broadway stars alike have been up in arms firing back in defense of the author's not-so gay-friendly remarks. Perhaps most notable was the response from musical queen Kristin Chenoweth, who stood up for her colleagues as she dismissed the article as "bigoted" and "factually inaccurate." Other famous names like Sean Penn and Cynthia Nixon have followed hastily in Chenoweth's suit.

But pulling mostly from personal opinion of what he feels to be an observed flaw within the industry, the magazine's theater reviewer Ramin Setoodeh--who is openly gay himself--was deliberate and headstrong in his main point, arguing that homosexual actors, such as Glee's Jonathan Groff, are not believable when filling the shoes of strong, heterosexual romantic leads.

Offering minimal support to back up his arguably "homophobic" claims, Setoodeh says he sat squeamishly through an uninspired performance of "Will and Grace" actor Sean Hayes attempting to play a macho man in the on-stage revival of "Promises, Promises"--not because of Hayes' acting job, but the underlying background knowledge surrounding the performer's sexuality.

And while he does acknowledge some small screen acting ventures from Neil Patrick Harris and Portia De Rossi as quality work, he continues to assert that the straight characters played by gay actors are more like TV caricatures not to be taken seriously.

On the flip side, he does commend actors like Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal who, as he puts it, have so "courageously" and more convincingly taken on parts of gay characters.

So what's his deal? Is Setoodeh just plain homophobic, or a bit self-hating?

Probably neither.

With pundits and GLBT community leaders now lashing out at Setoodeh, his contentious essay serves a greater purpose, revealing an even bigger issue just waiting to be discussed.

Setoodeh feels as if he is saying what everyone else is thinking, something that others are just too afraid to speak up and admit. Though his methods (and words) may have not been the best of choices, he does raise a few good points. The respect and opportunity openly gay actors are given when it comes to them actually receiving prominent film roles is embarrassingly grim, despite a perceived era of social progress among Hollywood's characteristic liberalism. In a follow-up piece Setoodeh writes, "When was the last time you saw a movie starring a gay actor?"

Most of us would answer, never.

The modern-day consequences of being openly gay in Hollywood, however, are obvious.

The sad truth is that actors and actresses in Hollywood today remain closeted mainly to preserve their careers and not face the public backlash. People aren't necessarily maliciously homophobic but some cannot separate an actor's personal life with his on-screen persona.

Setoodeh agrees that this is not how things should be, though he doesn't really offer any solutions. In fact, the article's aggressive nature could be its only detriment because it perpetuates the limited scope that audiences are prepared to give openly gay actors. Would Brad Pitt be given the same box office embrace if he announced he was gay? Maybe?

When it comes to our own consumption of entertainment--film, TV, music or whatever--maybe its something we have not yet thought about or even accepted personally.

While it did spark a great deal of anger among many communities, his article brings out a more open discussion about the hidden, hush-hush taboo involving the public's subdued fascination with sexuality. With Newsweek to thank, feelings and sentiments may be flaring but at least they are out in the open.