Wentworth Miller Says He’s Gay While Taking A Political Stand

Actor and screenwriter Wentworth Miller came out of the closet on Wednesday and he did it by taking a stand against Russia’s anti-gay policies, Extreme Entertainment is reporting.

Wentworth rejected an invitation to attend the St. Petersburg International Film Festival, writing“as a gay man, I must decline.” The Prison Break star goes on to write that he is “deeply troubled” by Russia’s lawful brutality toward the LGBT community. “I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly,” Miller adds.

Read Miller’s full letter to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival below:

August 21, 2013

Re: St. Petersburg International Film Festival / “Guest of Honor” Invitation

Dear Ms. Averbakh:

Thank you for your kind invitation. As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes.

However, as a gay man, I must decline.

I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.

Perhaps, when and if circumstances improve, I’ll be free to make a different choice.

Until then.

Wentworth Miller

Member, HRC
Member, GLAAD
Member, The ManKind Project

Earlier this year, Russian president Vladimir Putin passed a law which bans the public, including tourists, from presenting pro-LGBT “propaganda.”  That could be something as simple as hand holding, T-shirts or pro-gay statements.