Jeff varner survivor gay
&#;Survivor&#; Castoff Lost His Profession for Outing Transgender Contestant
Logo text
Survivor&#;s Jeff Varner has lost his job over what the contestant called the &#;worst decision&#; of his life.
After outing his friend and fellow contestant Zeke Smith as existence transgender on Wednesday&#;s episode of CBS&#; Survivor: Game Changers, Varner, 50, was fired from his job as a real estate forwarder the following day.
The North Carolina native and former news anchor for CBS and Fox affiliates was told he is “in the middle of a news story that we [his bosses] don’t crave anything to do with,” according to the Greensboro News & Record.
His employer, Allen Tate Companies, had declined to comment for the story but released a statement Monday morning, stating how they only learned of Varner&#;s efforts when the episode aired and that he had been employed for 17 days.
“The Allen Tate Companies were built on core values of honesty, principles and respect,&#; read a statement from President and CEO Pat Riley to The Hollywood Reporter. &#;Those fundamental beliefs led us to end our partnership with Mr. Varner, a real estate agent who had become affi
18 Highs, Lows, And Plateaus In "Survivor" LGBTQ+ History
***Spoilers below***
Survivor, the CBS life TV show which maroons strangers together on a deserted island just to watch them vote each other out one by one, has been a queer show from the very beginning — the first player voted out was gay. The first winner was gay. And over the following 41 seasons, some of the show's most notable players to get their torches snuffed — challenge beasts, strategists, heartthrobs, and animal rights activists — have been part of the LGBTQ+ community.
While the show has always felt undeniably queer, it hasn't always embraced its queerness like it does today. In its first few seasons (which aired in the early s), it was evident that casting directors saw Homosexual castaways as little more than opportunities to manufacture "button-pushing" TV, bringing on one or two (typically white) gay men in hopes of getting a brawl or, better, an unlikely friendship à la Rudy Boesch and Richard Hatch.
But as Survivor evolved with the times and eventually committed to including 50% people of color in its casts, the voice of its LGBTQ+ castaways became more diverse too. Rather than there
Televised outing sparks outrage
Editor’s note: This story contains spoilers for Wednesday’s episode of “Survivor: Game Changers.”
The outing of a “Survivor” cast member on television has sparked outrage.
Zeke Smith, who appeared on back-to-back seasons of the reality series, was revealed to be a transgender man by fellow contestant Jeff Varner in an episode that aired Wednesday night.
Varner, who is gay, shared the communication during an emotional Tribal Council on “Survivor: Game Changers.”
“Why haven’t you told anyone you’re transgender?” Varner asked Smith.
Other contestants reacted negatively, telling Varner that was personal and he shouldn’t have said it. Varner insisted he did it to show that Smith was deceptive during the game.
Smith responded by explaining that he didn’t want to be labeled “the trans ‘Survivor’ player.”
“I wanted to be Zeke the ‘Survivor’ player,” Smith said.
Varner apologized, but was voted off the show.
Some fans were both stunned by the revelation and angered that Varner chose to go public with the information.
Contestants on the series compete for a major cash prize by surviving in remote locations and competing in excessive challenges.
“S
'Survivor' Castaway Outed as Gender nonconforming by Fellow Contestant on TV
Wednesday night’s episode of "Survivor" prompted discussion and outrage over contestant Jeff Varner’s outing of player Zeke Smith as transsexual during tribal council.
Varner, an openly gay man, believed he was in threat of getting voted off the island and claimed to show the six other contestants the level of deceit that Smith was capable of.
“It reveals the ability to deceive,” he said of Smith's decision to not display he's transgender.
Jeff Probst, the show’s host, called Varner's theory a “giant leap of logic.” Varner agreed, saying, “I have clearly made the wrong selection tonight.”
Smith kept his composure during the incident. The other contestants, however, were furious with Varner's choice and responded with wrath and tears.
“To see someone out someone else is pretty painful," Andrea Boehlke, a third time contestant, said through tears. "I do believe he regrets it, but man that was really tough. I feel for Zeke; it was his right to tell people.”
Varner's outing of Smith drew strong reactions from viewers, many of whom posted about it on social media, and the incident prompted LGBTQ media
.