Zachary Quinto comes out

Zachary Quinto has decided that now is the right time to come out of the closet; during an interview with New York Magazine while discussing his latest movie, Margin Call. It is a move that he hopes will help curtail the increasing numbers of gay teens who have committed suicide in the last few years.

The actor, most famous for his roles as Spock in the 2009 reboot of Star Trek and Sylar in the TV series Heroes, made his decision in the wake of the death of Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old boy who killed himself in September this year. While discussing the subject in his personal blog, Quinto said: ‘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.’ ‘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.’

Rumours surrounding Quinto’s sexual orientation have followed him since before his rise to mainstream fame, but he has been touched by the tremendous amount of support he has received from his fans since the announcement. The actor used Twitter to share his thanks for their kind messages:

‘I have spent the day in awe of this outpouring of support and resonance. We. Are. In. This. Together. Never forget! I am deeply moved.’

Much like his own reaction to Rodemeyer’s suicide served as Quinto’s inspiration to come out, it also served to inspire Dan Kloeffler, an anchor of ABC news, to follow suit and announce his own sexual orientation. The journalist wrote:

‘…for the same reason that Zach decided to come out, I too, no longer wanted to hide this part of my life.’