My illustrious co-blogger Dewitt is being VERY modest today. Not a single “I told you so” has issued from his keyboard. I wish I had his modesty and strength in character. But I don’t. I’m going to say it for him!
Some time ago, he noted that he thought actor Zachary Quinto was into the D. And the comments section on that post lit up like a pinball machinme with people calling him a big asshole and saying he was wrong and one of those gays who think everyone is gay just because….I don’t know, something about a duck walking and talking.
Well, Zachary Quinto is totes gay. He came out over the weekend in an interview with New York magazine. He explained that it was the suicide of 14-year-old Jamey Rodemeyer last month that changed his mind about being in the closet.
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.
Well said, Mr. Quinto. You were the best part of Heroes (“Boom.”) and you kick ass as Spock. We’re proud to have you among our numbers.
It will be nice when the day comes when this won’t be a big deal. When announcing you’re gay is up there with announcing you’re left-handed. And people will look at ya and be like “Yeah? So?”
– J. Harvey
For more pics of Quinto, Follow the JUMP:
Am not impressed at all it shouldn’t take someone being bullied or committing suicide to reveal his or her identity. It seems like a publicity stunt done in poor taste. #FAIL
Who cares? Just another publicity stunt by a Hollywood member to keep themselves relevant and in the news at the expense of someone’s death. Classy.
The dude was always hot.. now he’s hot and awesome ;).
wasnt he the super gay friend on tori spellings 1st show? Is someone surprised?
We all come out or come to terms in our own time. Criticizing people for not coming out is no different than bullying kids who do (or are perceived as being gay).
Zachary has my admiration, both for publicly coming out and for fulfilling a major fantasy I’ve had about him for years. It is unfortunate that actors have to “prove” themselves before coming out if they want to keep working. It id definitely an unfair double standard as very few who walk into Hollywood as openly gay get much serious attention, except as being typecast in stereotyped secondary roles.
i can’t believe some of these comments. coming out is a very difficult process especially if you are in Hollywood. kids need role models like Zach who are out and proud. criticizing men for when they come out is terrible. geez guys
To the two Comments prior. I’m sorry you hold such shitty opinions. You’re clearly incredibly jaded men. By mentioning the recent suicide in the interview he’s actually trying to keep the focus not on himself but on the plight of many young people, and the tragedies that keep happening.
You’ve never been in the professional situation this person has, you don’t know the pressure and you don’t know how much “advice” he received to let his private life remain private. Actors don’t actually owe us the details of their private lives, but when they do it’s a mark of respect for the audience at large.
I’m sure you both can relate if you try, considering the amount of people you have that are clearly looking up to you, you know, your fans.
I thought it was known fact he was gay. He never hid it. Way before Heroes he played Tori Spelling’s gay bff on Notorious (a short lived TV show) and you could just tell he wasn’t really acting lol
He’s a good egg.
Clearly I wrote my comment when there were only the two comments that got my goat.
nope, don’t think so. What kind of “MAN” would even try to gain from a tragedy like a teen suicide? To me this guy is puppy dog cute and am glad he’s a club member!
While I think the concerns about respecting people’s decisions about when to come out are relevant when we’re talking run-of-the-mill folk, I also think that celebrities, politicians, professional athletes, religious leaders assume different responsibilities. They are able to make money, influence policy and shape the public discourse precisely because they have made the voluntary choice to be in the spotlight. When such figures also choose to keep hidden their sexuality, we can raise critical questions about when and how they come out, and whether it might not have been helpful for them to do it sooner. Do I think it was easy for Zachary Quinto to come out publicly–knowing that he was likely to get both homophobic and “internal” criticism, knowing that it would likely negatively influence some career opportunities? Absolutely not. Am I happy that he has aligned himself with the LGBT community in a public way and chosen to use his celebrity to call for tolerance? Absolutely. Do I wish he had done this several years ago when rumors about his sexuality started to circulate. Yes, for the very reasons that he stated in his blog post. Public figures should be held to higher standards than the rest of us.
says someone who goes by the screen name “DirtyWhore69”
we know what 2 comments you referred to. And thank you! 🙂
now i love him so much =0
no offense to dewitt or any of the ppl who feel so justified today bc they thought quinto was gay a long ways back, but helen keller from the grave could have told you this guy was a mo!
btw, welcome to the club zachary! your brand new slightly used toaster oven is on its way!
Good for this man in having the courage to come out in Hollywood. However, I am not attracted to him. I would love to see James Franco, Paul Walker, Eddie Cibrian, Alex O’Loughlin, and Jim Caivzel come out. Now that would make my day. LOL
Zachary, congratulations of your decision of coming out… I’ve been out for a couple of decades, and I have been planning on getting a new microwave, so you can have mine! I really want an espresso machine, but it went to a lovely lesbian last week! 🙁
I agree with you in a general sense, but I also think actors/celebrities are different from politicans or religious leaders. Politicians have the ability to pass anti-gay rights legislation and pastors have the ability to influence thousands of people by preaching intolerance, both of which can affect me as a gay man directly. Whether an actor is gay, straight, bi, or in the closet doesn’t really have any impact on me.
Not criticizing you, just continuing the discussion with my two cents…
I suspect/hope that this will follow the Neil Patrick Harris phenomenon–5 minutes of surprise, shock, and gossip, followed by shrugs of indifference and life goes on.
Oh my frackin’ dog but the Internet brings out the best in everyone, dunnit? Two years ago the vast majority of responses to DeWitt were “You pathetic Perez Hilton wannabe, thinking everybody in Hollywood is gay!” Now Quinto actually comes out and the weasels crowd around to insist on the worst possible motive for him doing so.
What is the One Great Truth? Humans suck.
I agree that the influence of a celebrity may not be as direct as someone who can pass legislation, it may actually be more profound. For example, as someone who is not committed to being married, legislation that “prohibits” same-sex marriage has little direct impact on my life. This legislation, however, and discussions around it has enormous indirect influence as it shapes discourse about the meaning/value of queer lives. This seems like the kind of impact that celebrities can have (for good or for ill). The visibility of role models, of powerful/popular/successful people who happily and readily acknowledge their sexuality helps move a broader conversation forward. Changing a culture requires both legislation and broader strategies of moral suasion. A genuinely successful LGBTQ civil rights movement will require legislation and a radical transformation in how we conceive and talk about ourselves as erotic beings.
(And don’t get me started on NPH and his lengthy closeted existence and his continued reluctance to be photographed with his partner coupled with a willingness to trade on his gayness when it serves him.)
Well three cheers to him! Anyways Mr Spock was always a bit suspect!!!
Good luck Zachary all the best to you and may your carrer go from strength to strength.
I never understood the whole “the celebrity finally came out!” just because now every stranger knows. I thought coming out was when you told your family and friends and then stopped going out of your way to hide your identity. It seems to me he did that a long time ago. I guess this is the whole “if you are a celebrity you have a different responsibility” thing. Which in itself is part of the problem with our culture – that we even look to actors and famous people as some sort of authorities and examples. They aren’t.
I’m not in the USA but it seems that it’s us gays who’re making this into a big deal.
I think it’s great that Zachary came out! I can’t understand why he waited till someone’s death to do so. Coming out was very difficult for me… I even attempted suicide, but now I’m glad I didn’t succeed in doing so.
Zachary has always been a hottie as far as I am concerned… He was one of the main reasons I watched Heroes… and to see him in a Starfleet Uniform…. that’s f*ckin hot!
Simon, poor Simon..
i thought he was already out…i knew he was gay after i first saw him for the first time on tori spellings tv show a few years back.
The trouble for me with expecting actors to participate in the public eye as themselves is that such behaviour actually gets in the way of what they do. Actors are people that portray other people. The more they engage their personal opinions, and their life details the harder it becomes to accept them in various roles. I’m not just talking about issues of gayness, if an actor comes across in an interview as a complete moron and then Im supposed to believe that they are a doctor, it becomes a challenge. The simple fact that they trade in illusion makes knowing too much about them difficult. Most actors only give interviews around or in relation to whatever project they are supporting and tell largely anecdotal stories that somehow tie in to their work.
I applaud anyone that comes out and is open because it needs to continue to happen, but I don’t think it’s right to judge someone who wants to be known for their work first and for their personal life second.
Yikes
good he out now lets let him live his life welcome ur talented actor zac
if all the people who made the negative comments would of READ what he stated it might of been better, he is a GAY man in UBER HETERO Hollywood, he did an ‘it gets better’ post so did the aforementioned kid, so he mentions this, and states due to the death of the same aformentioned kid he could no longer be in the closet, I applaud him, he is HOT. he can eat cookies & get crumbs in bed ANYTIME. as for other actors, MAYBE one day when Hollywood stops forcing everyone into a ‘set mold’ it might no longer matter, BUT some people(the vast majority) would have a hard time seperating a super macho part played by a gay man, because their small minds would focus on what he does off screen. personal lives should remain that, the choice to come out is very personal
No… WAY!! My teen romance can now come true!! I’ve loved this man since the start of Heroes. ^_^ Movin to LA… or.. where ever he is.
Celebrities and politicians are in the spotlight because that if where WE put them. If it were not for the rest of us, they wouldn’t be put in that spotlight. And they are only held to a higher standard because WE demand it. But the fact of the matter is, at the end of the day, they are still normal people like everyone else who goes through the same issues as us.
We all have our journey to make into accepting all aspects of ourselves and sharing that with the world. Good on him for doing that and more power to him.
When you keep thinking that everyone’s gay, you sometimes end up being right.
who cares?! He is an awesome actor! I admire him so much for coming out. Thanks Zachary for being proud as ONE. peace!
You damn queens are so fucking jaded. You know there IS a chance that he’s telling the truth…