James Woods' Bad Beat in WSOP Main Event and Beat Down on Twitter

(Photo: Jameswoods.com)

All signs point to Hollywood actorJames Woods improving as a poker player, but his worth as a valued member of society is questionable - at least in the eyes of many in the LGBT community.

Woods cashed four times at the 2017 WSOP, including 34th place in the $1K Super Seniors event for $6,535 and 30th in $1,500 No Limit 2-7 Lowball Draw. His lifetime earnings now stand at $241,313 - not bad for a full-time actor and part-time poker player.

“I take poker very seriously," Woods told Poker Central. "I read and study a lot.”

All the studying in the world is no guarantee that bad beats will be avoided and Woods learned that first-hand in this year's Main Event when he flopped a full boat and watched helplessly as his opponent hit quads on the turn. Woods tweeted a photo of the hand to his 719,000 followers and many of his fans expressed their sympathy for the three-time Emmy Award winner.

Woods was eventually KO'd from the Main Event, taking his elimination in stride and chalking it up to being unlucky, a circumstance that poker players know all too well.

“The nice thing for me is that I’m getting respect from the poker community now beyond coming in as a celebrity and fan of the game,” Woods stated.

Clueless and Hateful

That respect at the poker tables does not carry over to his opinions regarding freedom of sexuality when he provoked a shi*storm on social media by making a crude comment about parents who openly expressed their support of their "gender creative" son. It seems that the young boy identified as C.J. - who appears to be about 12 years old or so in photos - enjoys wearing make-up and dresses.

The boy's mother wrote a blog about her son attending his first Pride Parade and posted a bunch of photos of C.J. very much enjoying the event that allowed him to perhaps finally be himself. Woods got wind of the blog and posted the following tweet, exposing himself as being against such an open display of non-traditional sexual identity and playing the role of villain that he so often portrays in film.

Honestly, that tweet is offensive on so many levels. Suggesting that the kid is being messed up by his supportive parents and that their decisions on how to raise C.J. will one day end in violence is terribly wrong. Would Woods rather that they not support the boy and try to force him to be someone he is not?

Perhaps we have to take Woods' age into account on this. He's 70 years old and obviously out of touch with the trends and direction of society.

The days of boys playing with toy trucks and girls playing with dolls, and permitting no deviation from the "norm" are over, Mr. Woods. The age of LGBT rights and same-sex marriage are here to stay despite attempts of close-minded individuals such as Woods to stifle and ridicule such behavior.

Woods received quite the backlash over his tweet and comment from LGBT supporters. Not surprisingly, a bunch of ignorant people like Woods came to his defense and agreed with his idiotic opinions.

Actor Neil Patrick Harris, who is openly gay, lambasted Woods for his derisive comment with a post of his own on Twitter. Harris is married to fellow actor David Burtka and the couple are parents to 6-year-old twins via a surrogate mother. Here is Harris' tweet:

While Woods may be a fine poker player and an even better actor, he certainly has a lot to learn about freedom of individuality and the gay rights or LGBT movement. It's a shame that he uses his celebrity status to ridicule others who don't share the same views.