Star Trek and American Horror Story star spoke to Variety about his decision to come out publicly in 2011, saying it would have been hypocritical to enjoy success in his career and not acknowledge his own identity.Quinto said he entered Hollywood in 1999, when there was still “explicit stigma” about being openly gay: “I did feel like me coming out would have potentially had an impact on my career and it wouldn’t have been a good one.”In 2011, he decided to confirm his sexuality publicly, saying it came at a time “when a lot of young gay kids were killing themselves around the country because of bullying.
There was a huge spate of teen suicides that were happening.”“I just felt like I had an obligation at this point,” he said.