American actor Zachery Quinto has revealed he is gay in a blog post this morning after expressing his upset on the recent death of US teenager Jamey Rodemeyer.
Known for his performances in Heroes and the latest Star Trek movie, Quinto has created waves in the media after coming out with his blog post.
Quinto said on his website that in light of Rodemeyer’s death, it became clear to him in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledgement was simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lay ahead on the road to complete equality.
‘Our society needs to recognise the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizen of this country,’ Quinto said.
Quinto also made an It Gets Better video last year in wake of ‘the senseless and tragic gay teen suicides that were sweeping the nation at the time’.
The 34-year-old spent eight months playing a gay man in Angels in America who breaks up with his boyfriend who has AIDS. He said to The New York Times Magazine the experience made him realise how lucky he was born when he was born and to not have to witness the decimation of an entire generation of amazingly talented and otherwise vital men. He also said doing the play was the most challenging and rewarding thing he has ever done as an actor.
‘At the same time, as a gay man, it made me feel like there’s still so much work to be done, and there’s still so many things that need to be looked at and addressed,’ Quinto said to The New York Magazine.
‘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,’ Quinto said.
‘Now, I can only hope to serve as the same catalyst for even one other person in the world.’
Vanessa Manivannen
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