Nearly 20 years after publicly coming out as gay, actorGeorge Takeisays anger was the primary motivating force behind his decision to share his authentic self with the world.
TheStar Trekalum, who was closeted for a considerable portion of his career, revealed to The Stage that he decided to come out after fellow actor andCalifornia governor Arnold Schwarzeneggervetoed a bill that would have legalized same-sex marriage in the state. TheTerminatoractor served as governor from 2003 to 2011; Schwarzenegger vetoed another bill legalizing gay marriage a couple of years later.
“I was closeted for a long period of my career. I was silent during the AIDS crisis, which fills me with guilt, although I did write checks and checks to AIDS organizations. Why did I come out when I did? Because Schwarzenegger presented himself as a movie star who had worked and was friends with gays and lesbians, many of whom voted for him, but then vetoed that bill. I was so angry that I spoke to the press for the first time as a gay man at the age of 68,” Takei, now 85, said.
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Takei Shares Why He Stayed Silent, Says Coming Out in Hollywood is Still Scary: ‘I Wanted to Work’
Though Takei and his now-husband Brad had already been together for 18 years when the actor spoke out as a gay man for the first time in California’s Frontiers magazine, Takei said doing so sooner seemed impossible—especially if he wanted to find work as an actor.
Already facing discrimination as an Asian-American actor, Takei wasn’t ready to let himself be limited by another label, and decided it was best for his career if his sexuality was a secret.
“Why did it take me so long to come out? Because I’m an actor and I wanted to work. I learned at a young age that you couldn’t be an openly gay actor and hope to be employed. And I was already an Asian-American actor, so I was already limited a lot,” he shared, adding that even though times have changed, there are actors who are too scared to come out for fear of professional repercussions.
“To this day, there are big Hollywood actors who are not out to protect their careers.”
