Actor Zachary Quinto comes out in honor of bullied teen

[The Pecman]

I thought this was great, that an actor this prominent (star of the recent Star Trek feature as "Spock," and also from the NBC-TV series Heroes) would speak out like this. Terrific story. (And I always had a vibe about him...)

Actor Zachary Quinto comes out in honor of bullied teen

(CNN) -- Actor Zachary Quinto, known for playing Spock in the 2009 "Star Trek" remake and his role as Sylar on the television show "Heroes," acknowledged his homosexuality in a post on his website Sunday, saying the action comes after the suicide of a 14-year-old who killed himself after apparently being harassed over his sexuality.

"When I found out that Jamey Rodemeyer killed himself -- I felt deeply troubled," Quinto posted. "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," Quinto wrote. "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."

Rodemeyer was found dead September 18 outside his parents' home in Buffalo, New York. His parents said he had experienced years of bullying over his sexual orientation. His suicide has attracted the attention of such stars as Lady Gaga, who dedicated a song to him at a recent concert.

The "It Gets Better" campaign is aimed at gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered youth who may experience bullying.

"Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country," Quinto said. "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. 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."

Rodemeyer's life has changed his, the 34-year-old Quinto wrote. "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 person in this world. That -- I believe -- is all that we can ask of ourselves and of each other."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/16/showbiz/zachary-quinto-gay/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

[Chris James]

Good for him, at least his response to the tragedy of Jamey's death may have some positive effects on others.

[dude]

God bless Zachary amd keep Jamey... ..

[EleCivil]

That's pretty awesome, but I don't relish the thought of the thousands of Kirk/Spock fanfics being written RIGHT NOW because of this announcement. If you listen close, you can hear all the keys tapping. And if you listen even closer, you can hear all the editors cringing.

Now if you'll excuse me, I just heard a comma splice being typed three apartments down. There's work to be done!

[blue]

Good for Zachary and I hope that people speaking out will give others hope and make still others re-examine their beliefs.

It saddens me how often lately I have heard of kids, from Tweens to teens to college-age to full adults, being bullied, trapped by despair, or bashed. I deal with the lingering effects of my own childhood and adolescence, and even the adult effects now from small-minded people. And my experience is nothing unusual. I am glad I managed not to become one of those statistics, but it was probably a narrow miss.

Times have changed. Some things genuinely *are* better. There is more visibility and more support out there. But there is still a lot of meanness and exclusion and lack of understanding or compassion -- from the very sources that ought to be most loving, friendly, and supportive. I don't fault any one group. It is too endemic, pandemic, too often across the board. We need, the kids affected desperately need, voices that say there is something better, that it can be made real, because...it must be. And when I say desperate, that is in the sense of it's root word, despairing, which itself comes from roots meaning without hope or expectation of any improvement.

[blue]

That's pretty awesome, but I don't relish the thought of the thousands of Kirk/Spock fanfics being written RIGHT NOW because of this announcement. If you listen close, you can hear all the keys tapping. And if you listen even closer, you can hear all the editors cringing.

Now if you'll excuse me, I just heard a comma splice being typed three apartments down. There's work to be done!

Aw, they'll write the slash ficus anyway. LOL, that and Scully/Mulder are where the term slash came from.

Uh-oh, I think I heard a tribble scream. It was that, or one of those pesky split infinitives, to boldly go.

And...with a big grin for David Gerrold, as well as a nod to New Voyages / Phase II and HiddenFrontier.com, for being inclusive instead of making it a big deal.

What? I'm a science fiction geek as well as an opinionated so-and-so editor.

[The Pecman]

And ABC News anchorman Dan Kloeffler, who read the story early this morning, also came out on the air:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/zachary-quinto-homosexuality-gay-come-out-249393

Maybe it's a trend!

[dude]

And ABC News anchorman Dan Kloeffler, who read the story early this morning, also came out on the air:

A pity Anderson Cooper doesn't have the same cajones.