I've long been a big fan of Whoopi Goldberg.


Whether she's working on stage, on film or on one of her 3,214 other projects she has a-brewing, I continue to admire her as she's one of the few celebrities who is both honest and vocal in what she thinks, as well as fiercely loyal to the public who put her on her on the map.


And now the Oscar-, Tony-, Emmy- and Grammy-winner (yup, she's won 'em all) is taking the train to the ferry to the gay mecca of Fire Island this month, where she's hosting The Fire Island Dance Festival, which will raise money for the more-than-worthwhile organization, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

I had a sweet phone chat with Whoopi about us gays, Fire Island, and her fear of flying.

Read the interview after the jump.



Sanford Marcus: Hey Whoopi! OK, first off, I didn't know you were born in Chelsea [in Manhattan]. Was it gay back then?

Whoopi Goldberg: There were always gay folks in the community. Even as a kid, being openly gay was always OK. By the time I got to Los Angeles and San Francisco, the gay folks were just discovering Chelsea. But there were always black folks, and there were always gay folks.


SM: Now, as the first-ever woman to host the Academy Awards, I'm assuming playing host to The Fire Island Dance Festival will be a cinch.

WG: I hope so.

SM: Have you ever been to Fire Island?

WG: Can you believe? Never!


SM: Well, what have you heard?

WG: I'm not telling.

SM: OK, well, what do you expect?

WG: Actually, I don't have any expectations. To be part of this is amazing. I just want to get a big, blue, rubber ball and roll around in the sand a lot.

SM: I love it. People will go, "Oh, she's rollin' around in the sand ... again" ...

WG: I'm really excited to see all the dancers. Dancers get to physical places that are better than some athletes. And to be surrounded by them will be tremendous. And it'll be a joy to be some place where I don't have to be brilliant, but "be" in context.

SM: The beach is perfect to just do nothing and relax.

WG: I don't really hang out much ...

SM: Well, you should! And don't worry: Fire Island virgins always have fun.

WG: I can't wait, and I was happy just to be asked to have the chance to be somewhere I've never been. I've never had the opportunity to go to Fire Island, so this is perfect for me.

SM: You've always been a big supporter of the gay community ...

WG: The community has always been good to me, so I start from that perspective. The gay folks stay with me, even when everyone else goes away. The support from the community has always been there. And our communities are linked. When you have to fight for your rights -- whether you have dreadlocks or you're gay, or whatever it is, it doesn't matter -- it should unite us for all of these things.

SM: I think fear is the cause for a lot of problems.

WG: For some reason, people are afraid if you're black, gay, Asian or white. I just figured it's boring to be scared all the time. If we unite, we can go further. We all just need to stand tall and proud and not apologize for who we are. You can't apologize. And apologizing isn't my thing. And it's difficult because we live in a country that's insistent on running our lives.

SM: I agree.

WG: It's going to take time. It took a long time for people to accept black people drinking out of a fountain. It'll happen.

SM: I remember when I saw your show on Broadway, I didn't expect so many gay men and women in the audience ...

WG: Here's the thing: For years I lived in San Francisco, in Berkeley; we had actors, singers and dancers. And that's when the scourge came. We saw it first. And the way we've dealt with our brothers and sisters as human beings has been appalling. So I've tried to do the right thing. I'm an a**hole sometimes, but I do try.

SM: You do more than a lot of people in the public eye ...

WG: We need to show people that there's no fear in it [being gay]. People don't like things that are different from them. We're educated that way as children: Girls get married and boys play basketball. But God loves everybody. This I know.

SM: Miss Whoopi: Then why won't you fly on a plane?

WG: Oh, I haven't flown in ten years. I have a bus that drives me cross-country. If I go to Europe, the bus goes on the ship. I'm at a point in my life that I know that some things just aren't for me, some things just make me uncomfortable. I was taking 70 mg of Valium just trying to get on a plane, and when I got off the plane, everything kicked in because my adrenaline was so high. And that's not a good way to live. So not flying, I just think, "Maybe this is what I need in my life, to get what I need to get." So my attitude is, "If you want me, you'll have to wait a day or two for me to get there."

SM: Honestly Whoopi, we'll always wait for you – because you're worth it.

For more information and tickets to The Fire Island Dance Festival on July 21, click here. And find out about all things Whoopi on her official website here.