Last week, we heard that Star Trek actor Zachary Quinto came out in an interview with NY Magazine, kind of dropping it as an aside. He referred to himself as a gay man but didn’t make a big deal about it at all or make it sound like an announcement. Quinto later made it clear that his admission was deliberate and planned, and that he came out in honor of a gay teen who recently committed suicide after enduring bullying because he was gay. It was really nice, and it was a great way to explain why he came out. It turns out that the response to Quinto has happily been overwhelmingly positive. He told E! in an interview that he’s still processing all the responses he’s been getting, and that he’s “just grateful to be able to participate in conversations more authentically now and to be able to stand up on behalf of people that aren’t quite ready to stand up on their own.” It was kind of heart warming for me to hear him say that, and I’m glad it’s going so well for him now.

You might say the level of support Star Trek star Zachary Quinto has received since coming out as a gay man is pretty much out of this world.

“I feel really grateful,” the actor told E! News at the New York City premiere of his new financial thriller Margin Call on Monday night regarding all the people who have reached out to him in the last couple of days. “It’s been an incredibly overwhelming experience for me, but all in a really positive way and I’m processing it as I’m going through it.”

But, for Quinto, it definitely goes beyond what other folks are saying to him. It’s also about what his revelation finally allows him to say.

“I’m just grateful to be able to participate in conversations more authentically now and to be able to stand up on behalf of people that aren’t quite ready to stand up on their own and give them whatever shred of light or hope in a real sea of darkness,” he said. “It’s a gift that I’ve been given to pass forward, and it’s an honor. And with honor comes responsibility and challenge, and I’ve just done what I can to face it every step of the way.”

[From E! Online]

He also called it an “honor” and he sounded really sincere about everything. You can see the video of this interview on E!’s website.

Did you hear about the ABC World News Now news anchor, Dan Kloeffler, who kind of casually came out on the air when he was reporting this story? I thought this was so funny. He first said that Quinto “came out in a very nonchalant way,” and then he proceeded to do the exact same thing. “He’s 34, I’m 35. I’m thinking I could lose my distraction about dating actors.” That was awesome. Later, Kloeffler explained that“for the same reason that Zach decided to come out, I too, no longer wanted to hide this part of my life. There have been too many tragic endings and too many cases of bullying because of intolerance…as a journalist, I don’t want to be the story, but as a gay man I don’t want to stand silent if I can offer some inspiration or encouragement to kids that might be struggling with who they are.” Reading that, and reporting this story just makes me feel really happy. I’m proud of both these guys. I kind of hope they go on a date at some point too. Zach is probably thinking “what a copycat,” though.

Here’s the video of the ABC anchor coming out.