The recent coming out of "Star Trek" and "Heroes" star Zachary Quinto received a lot of coverage in the media.
As a result, we can only wonder if there are any other big-name celebrities who are quiet about their sexuality. Why is it such a struggle for anyone, let alone a celebrity, to come out and be accepted by their peers?
Quinto officially made the announcement via his official website in a post on Oct. 16. “In light of Jamey's death … our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country.”
The Jamey mentioned in the post was Jamey Rodemeyer, a 14-year-old boy from New York who committed suicide after being teased and bullied about his sexuality.
“In the wake of their loss, the Rodemeyers hope to carry on a message of anti-bullying and acceptance. ‘To the kids who are bullying they have to realize that words are very powerful and what you think is just fun and games isn't to some people, and you are destroying a lot of lives,’” read a The Huffington Post article.
Perhaps Quinto was deterred from being openly gay because of the backlash and stigma associated with being gay.
Granted, the media is not always a bunch of high-school bullies preying on the weak, but they can be just as malicious.
Reality, though, consists of an unequal proportion of gay people between the real world and entertainment worlds.
It is very hard to believe that all the big names in pop culture are really heterosexual. In real life, there are a large amount of openly gay people.
Speaking from experience, coming out to the people closest to you is incredibly scary and difficult. Just imagine having to tell complete strangers.
It is understandable why it took Quinto so long to be honest about his sexuality.
But this is not something someone should ever consider hiding. Be proud of who you are.
Luckily though, despite an ever-growing epidemic of bullying and hate, Quinto received nothing but love and support from his fans and the public.
He told MTV News the response to his announcement has “been enormously supportive — universally, unanimously supportive … I feel like I made that declaration so that I can be a part of this conversation moving forward.
“I did it in my own time, on my own terms, in my own words. That's exactly the way that I wanted to do it, and I'm really proud of that. When the time is right to continue the conversation forward, I certainly will do that. That's why I took those steps in the first place.”
Hopefully, Zachary Quinto’s announcement will pave the way for others (famous or not) to be comfortable with their sexuality, and who they are.
Reach the columnist at jermac@asu.edu
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