Sunday, October 16, 2011

Star Trek's Zachary Quinto Comes Out

Zachary Quinto in 'Angels in America'

It wasn't exactly a front-page breaking news kind of coming out, but Zachary Quinto made it very clear in his interview with New York magazine that he's an out and proud gay man. He talked about how his stint on Angels in America last year affected him "as a gay man" making him "feel like there's still so much work to be done, and there's still so many that need to be looked at and addressed." Then asked about the intensifying Occupy Wall Street movement, Quinto answered by calling on New York's recent fight to legalize gay marriage and the senseless tragedy of gay suicides and that for himself, "as a gay man, I look at that and say there's a hopelessness that surrounds it."

Quinto himself felt the need to issue a statement today on his website to give a bit more context:

when i found out that jamey rodemeyer killed himself - i felt deeply troubled. but when i found out that jamey rodemeyer had made an it gets better video only months before taking his own life - i felt indescribable despair. i also made an it gets better video last year - in the wake of the senseless and tragic gay teen suicides that were sweeping the nation at the time. but in light of jamey's death - it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it - is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality.

He goes on to say:

i believe in the power of intention to change the landscape of our society - and it is my intention to live an authentic life of compassion and integrity and action. jamey rodemeyer's life changed mine. and while his death only makes me wish that i had done this sooner - i am eternally grateful to him for being the catalyst for change within me. now i can only hope to serve as the same catalyst for even one other person in this world. that - i believe - is all that we can ask of ourselves and of each other.

Quinto has been working in Hollywood for nearly a decade but got his big break when he was cast in a supporting role in 24 back in 2003. That was when I first saw him. He followed that up with a few guest starring roles until he was cast as the scene-stealing Sylar in Heroes where he ultimately became the breakout star. His fame ascended some more when he was cast in J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek as Spock. Currently he stars in Margin Call which is set to release in theaters next week and will appear in Ryan Murphy's new FX series American Horror Story. He will also reprise his role as Spock for the Star Trek sequel. An out gay man starring in a summer blockbuster aimed squarely at boys? Beam me up.

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