we have some ways to go yet. >> when you came out and you got angry because arnold swarzenegger wouldn't sign the legislation. >> hip okay risy enraged me. >> then you became an advocate for gay rights. >> i did. >> tell me about that. what was the reaction. mr sulu is gay. >> there were a lot of those. >> and he comes out. was the reaction positive, was there negative as well? >> there was negative as well. it was overwhelmingly positive. i went on a nation-wide speaking tour in partnership with the human rights campaign and spoke at universities, corporate meetings, at governmental agencies, and then i lobbied for various issues like don't ask, don't tell - in washington, as well as in sacramento, the california state capital. >> you have lived an amazing life. a big part of that is star trek. >> when we come back we'll speak more to george take. >> about that - after this. >>> welcome back to "talk to al jazeera." we are talking to george takei, and i want to get into "star trek" a bit. jean rotenbury, the producer - i believe you said he wanted a multicultural cast. how did it happen

swarzenegger who campaigned by being a friend of the glp community. he made statements like, "i worked with gays and les by -- less bians, some of my best friendsar gays and les bians", >> but he didn't sign it. >> he's a republican and has a conservative base. playing to that, he vetoed it. i was enraged. i was, together with brad at that time... >> brad is your partner. >> brad is your partner. >> yes. >> and you are married? >> a little after swarzenegger's veto. we saw young people pouring on to santa monica boulevard venting their rage and here we were at home comfortable. we discussed it and i said, "i have to speak out on this. we are so close and that hippo crit swarzenegger vetoed it. for me to speak out my voice needed to be authentic. i spoke to the press for the first time. >> did the united states change. >> it's changing rapidly. we are changing. we need to change more. we have some ways to go yet. >> when you came out and you got angry because arnold legislation. >> hip okay risy enraged me. >> then you became an advocate for gay rights