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Who is Daniel Franzese? 'Mean Girls' star blames Vatican's LGBTQ comments after Catholic school fires him for being 'gay'

'Mean Girls' star Daniel Franzese has accused Walsh University of homophobia after he was fired from an already planned gig for being a gay

In a shocking turn of events, ‘Mean Girls’ star Daniel Franzese has accused the Ohio-based Walsh University of “homophobia” after being fired from an upcoming gig for being gay. The controversy erupted when the university decided to remove him as a host from an upcoming event.

The actor leveled the aforementioned allegations by sharing a video on his official YouTube channel. In the video, he noted that the university abruptly canceled an already planned gig following the recent statements from the Vatican on same-sex marriage.

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Before going into the details, let us know more about Daniel Franzese.

Who is Daniel Franzese?

Born on May 9, 1978, Franzese is an accomplished actor who started his acting career in 2001 with the movie ‘Bully’. The movie turned out to be a success for him and made him popular. However, he gained a lot of prominence with his role as Damian in the movie ‘Mean Girls’ in 2004. He also made a cameo appearance alongside Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg’s ‘War of the Worlds’. Franzese has written, directed, and performed several live comedy productions during his career.

In 2014, he came out as gay and became more active in the fight for civil and human rights in the LGBTQ community.

Fired for being a ‘GAY’ 

Franzese started by talking about the devastating shooting incident that took place in Atlanta a couple of days ago. A gun-bearing man named Robert Aaron Long killed four people and injured another person at different massage parlors on March 16. The law-enforcement officials said he was also a suspect in the other two shootings in nearby areas. The three shootings left eight people dead.  Six of the eight victims were Asian women.

Franzese said, “I come to you still reeling from the horrific terrorist attack that killed eight Asian women in Georgia which has inspired me to share this experience because I truly believe that it is the microaggressions and injustices against minorities that cause hate crimes like Pulse Orlando and the horrific events of the other day.”

The ‘I Spit on Your Grave’ star also shared that the representative from the university contacted him and asked to host their upcoming event, Mr. Walsh Pageant. The actor also noted that the contract was signed on February 18 and he was set to host the fashion show in the month of March. However, the Roman Catholic university called it all off just a week before the event.
Franzese also shared a letter that he received from the university which said that the institution “no longer approve the contract for Daniel”. He also said that the decision has been taken by the higher administration.

“Regarding how the institution has decided to no longer approve the contract for Daniel. I am incredibly disappointed and sincerely apologetic, for this is, I know, unprofessional and clearly based on personal beliefs of the higher administration. Please give Danny my sincerest apologies,” he said in a YouTube video titled: “I was fired today for being gay.”

Franzese also extended his support to all the members of the LGBTQ+ community, saying “God loves you just as you are” and no Vatican statement can change that.

University vehemently denies all the allegations

The Walsh University release a statement after the video went viral on social media and denied all the accusations that have been leveled against the university. The statement reads, “Mr. Daniel Franzese has neither been employed nor under contract for any services in any form at any time with Walsh University. The email cited by Mr. Franzese from Director of Student Activities and Leadership reflects her personal views.” 

Fans ‘appalled’ by university’s mistreatment 

Fans were really shocked after seeing what happened with Franzese and noted that they are beyond disappointed with the university’s mistreatment. One user said, “I am appalled by the university’s treatment of a member of the LGBTQ+ community.” She also shared a link to a petition that has been started for denouncing the university’s treatment of Franzese.

Another user said, “You can still be fired for being gay in 2021? Daniel Franzese was fired from a job, hosting an event at a Catholic University. Who else does the Pope hate?” Another user noted, “Danny, I love you even more for using your voice to speak this truth to ignorance.”

Meanwhile, another one said, “Absolutely disgusting behavior! Shame on them.” “This is absolutely awful. Thank you for your voice,” another user said.