Why I came out

Star Trek star revealed he is gay in a move to combat bullying...

09:50 18 October 2011

Zachary Quinto has confirmed that he is gay.

In an interview with New York Magazine, the former Heroes actor was speaking of his role as a man who abandons his AIDS-striken boyfriend in play, Angels in America, when he revealed:

"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."

The Star Trek actor said that it was the suicide of gay teenager Jamey Rodemeyer that made him open up publicly about his sexuality.

"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," Quinto wrote on his blog.

"Our society needs to recognise 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."

The actor continued:

"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."