Zachary Quinto: Closeted gay actors have come to me for help

Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto has revealed that a number of closeted actors have come to him for help and advice.

The star came out himself back in 2011 after rising to fame through sci-fi show Heroes.

The actor has since spoken out for LGBT rights on a number of occasions – and revealed this week that other actors now come to him for advice and guidance on coming out.

Speaking to Attitude Magazine for its December issue, he admitted a “couple” of actors have come to him for help and guidance.

He added: “I just share my experience and say, ‘This is how it went down for me, this is how I feel’.

“I tell them: trust that even if it means you’re not as famous, or even if it means it’s not exactly what you thought it would be, it’s still more valuable when you’re assessing your life at the end of that.”

He also spoke about the importance of tackling HIV/AIDS – a year after he attacked “laziness” in the gay community on the issue.

He said: “[World AIDS Day] is still utterly essential.

“Not just in marking the advancement, progress and fight against the diseases, but also cultivating knowledge and awareness of it for people all over the world.”

When he first came out, Quinto wrote that the suicide of gay 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer had spurred him to be open.

He wrote at the time: “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.

“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.”

• Dec 01 2023

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