Here’s what Daniel Radcliffe thought about gays when he was five
Harry Potter actor Daniel Radcliffe has said he was shocked when he realised homophobia existed at the age of five, saying it “drives [him] crazy”.
Radcliffe spoke in an interview with Parade magazine about work he has done with charity, and about attitudes towards gay people.
Speaking of his time working with the Trevor Project which aims to end suicide among young LGBT people, he said: “I got involved in The Trevor Project in late 2008 when I was in New York doing Equus. A few of my friends had made me aware of it. It sounded like such a fantastic thing. People need it. The suicide rate for gay teens is four times that of straight kids. I couldn’t believe that nothing like this had existed before.”
On homophobia, the star said: “Realising that other people have a problem with [homosexuality] was the weirdest thing for me. As a kid it wasn’t even something that was mentioned. It was never something that was even explained to me. It was just, ‘That’s Mark and he’s gay.’ Mark was just another friend of my dad’s who would talk about his boyfriend instead of his girlfriend. I was 5.
“I didn’t care. It seemed perfectly normal, and still does….It just drives me crazy…that people can make such sweeping, ignorant statements and bring religion into it….Why would you want a God that’s up there picking and choosing who he lets in?…That doesn’t make any sense.”
He previously said he was “heartbroken” by teen suicide rates, particularly among LGBT youths, and has recorded several messages of support.
Radcliffe previously said people often think he’s gay, but added he thinks it’s “awesome”.
Laughing off gay rumours, the 19-year-old star told AOL’s Moviefone: “It’s wonderful. I grew up around gay people my entire life, basically, that’s possibly why I’m quite camp, and some people think I’m gay when I meet them, which I think is awesome.”
