Monday 17 October 2011

Zachary Quinto is gay, proud and HAWT!

Over the weekend, New York magazine published an interview with the American actor Zachary Quinto (Sylar of TV's 'Heroes' and Spock in the 2009 reboot of the Star Trek franchise) in which the star acknowledges what many media outlets, especially those in the gay media, have long speculated - that he is a proud and sexy gay man. Okay, so he didn't call him 'sexy' (I kinda added that coz I think he's a total babe) but he did refer to himself as 'a gay man' twice. I am loving the fact that Zachary Quinto publicly acknowledged his sexual orientation for the first time in such an astute manner - he put it in the context of a greater discussion about the advancement of gay rights and the continued struggle for equality. It was sensitive and incredibly smart as it deflects some of the attention that inevitably comes whenever a public figure officially 'comes out'. He reveals that what prompted him to talk about his political status as a gay man (let's face it - in the world that we all live in, to lead an open life as a gay person is a political statement, whether intended or not) was the recent suicide of American gay teenager Jamey Rodemeyer. Zachary commented on his intention for talking about his private life on his website:

'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. our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country. gay kids need to stop killing themselves because they are made to feel worthless by cruel and relentless bullying. parents need to teach their children principles of respect and acceptance. we are witnessing an enormous shift of collective consciousness throughout the world. we are at the precipice of great transformation within our culture and government. 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.'

I'm excited to see how Mr Quinto will be able to affect social change now that he has lifted the veil on his identity. Judging from how articulate he is, I have no doubt that he'll become a refreshing new voice in the advancement of gay rights in the US. In the meantime, let's enjoy this rather odd videoclip of him getting drenched in milk (in reverse motion, no less!) by Tyler Shields from May 2009. Implicit coming out statements don't get more explicit than this!

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