By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
The gay actor marked the 30th anniversary of his coming-out with an empowering message for others.
Thirty years after coming out as gay, Sir Ian McKellen has no regrets.
The Lord of the Rings star sent out a celebratory tweet Saturday in honor of this momentous anniversary.
"I've never met a gay person who regretted coming out - including myself. Life at last begins to make sense, when you are open and honest," the 78-year-old actor stated.
\u201cI\u2019ve never met a gay person who regretted coming out \u2013 including myself. Life at last begins to make sense, when you are open and honest. Today is the 30th anniversary of the BBC radio discussion when I publically said I was gay. So I\u2019m celebrating!\u201d— Ian McKellen (@Ian McKellen) 1517071215
McKellen came out at age 49 in a 1988 interview with BBC Radio. He did so in order to speak out against Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which prohibited authorities and teachers from engaging in the "promotion of homosexuality." This anti-LGBT legislation would not be repealed in the United Kingdom until 2003. But McKellen's interview kicked off a lifetime of LGBT activism.
McKellen spoke out about his coming-out in a 2014 interview with The Advocate, calling it "no surprise to anyone I had ever worked with." He asserted that, contrary to the fears of closeted actors, audiences "don't give a damn about the sexuality of an actor."
"What they're interested in is the performance," McKellen said. "If they have some fantasy about an actor, then that's what it is -- fantasy. You can have fantasies about somebody whether they're gay or straight, bisexual, transgender, whatever. So it's perfectly possible for a straight actor to successfully play a gay man and it's equally possible for me to play all sorts of straight men like Hamlet, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and King Lear. After all, I wouldn't want to cut myself off from that fascinating phenomenon of heterosexuality."
"I'm sure the advice still goes to young actors, saying it would be better if you don't come out," he added. "But I say it will be a great deal worse if you don't come out because you'll have a miserable, complicated life. Frankly, if you feel like you're in a business where you have to remain in the closet, my advice would be to get out of that business."
McKellen's tweet received a wave of support from allies and members of the LGBT community, some of whom shared their own positive coming-out experiences.
\u201c@IanMcKellen Never regretted it either. Best thing I ever did for myself because it enables to meet the love of my life and almost 21 years later we are still going strong!\u201d— Ian McKellen (@Ian McKellen) 1517071215
\u201c@IanMcKellen @trabash3RR My grandson came out last year. He\u2019s 11 and he\u2019s loud and proud. So are we.\u201d— TraceyJo (@TraceyJo) 1517111892
\u201c@IanMcKellen @KimmiSmiles Best thing I've ever done! <3 sending my love to all my people!! \ud83d\ude0d\ud83d\ude0d\u2764\u2764\u201d— Gross Gore (@Gross Gore) 1517119100
\u201c@IanMcKellen I came out trans this week and value your guidance. \u2764\ud83d\udc8b\u201d— Ian McKellen (@Ian McKellen) 1517071215
