Real World' housemate on 'gay card'

Gay housemate Tyler Duckworth was known for his signature high kicks and shower singing on MTV's "The Real World: Key West." Now, he's being charged with more than ad-libbed crooning.
The October issue of Details magazine accuses the cast member of using the "gay card."
"It was just really offensive not only to me but to the community because I feel if you're going to make claims like that they should be based in fact and they certainly were not," Duckworth, 24, told BTL.
According to Simon Dumenco's article, Duckworth could dish it out on the reality show, but he couldn't take it. Like other minorities, Duckworth used his homosexuality to explain his mistakes, Dumenco said in the article.
"In a lot of his work he vilifies his own people, and I think it stems from his own internalized homophobia," Duckworth said.
The article targets Duckworth's behavior that erupted from an argument with fellow roommate Svetlana during an episode of "The Real World." But Duckworth claims his distaste for Svetlana was edited to appear more dramatic on TV than it was behind the scenes.
"I thought it was pretty silly on his (the reporter's) part. He has no journalistic integrity whatsoever if he's drawing his examples from reality TV."
After making hurtful comments to fellow roommate Svetlana in an episode of the reality series, Details claims the Minnesota native sobbed and said, "I'm tender about the way people speak to me."
"I don't remember ever crying or breaking down and using an excuse for my behavior," Duckworth said. "(The reporter) just called me some names and then moved on. I was like, 'Oh, call me names in a nationally publicized magazine and then run.'"
Duckworth never felt as if he was using his sexual orientation as an excuse. In fact, he feels justified in all his behavior. "I was like, 'I would pay you $500 to have to live with some of these people for a weekend and we'll see how you react to them.'"
Since "The Real World: Key West" ended in August, Duckworth has been looking for comedy, sports casting and college gigs. But they're not easy to come by.
Duckworth hasn't been asked to speak at as many colleges as his fellow cast members, and bars tend to book his straight housemates to attract the opposite gender, he said.
"No one wants me there (in Michigan) apparently," Duckworth said. "You know what's so sucky is that if you're a gay person or a black person on 'The Real World' you get maybe a tenth of the money that the white straight characters do."
But Duckworth keeps telling promoters that gals have a thing for gay guys, too.
"It's funny when I actually do appearances all the girls want to hang out with me and not the straight guys from my cast," he said. "I tell the promoters, 'See, gay people are marketable.'"