{"id":62659,"date":"2018-01-28T14:20:44","date_gmt":"2018-01-28T19:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/ian-mckellen-celebrates-30th-anniversary-of-his-coming-out-as-gay\/"},"modified":"2018-01-28T14:20:44","modified_gmt":"2018-01-28T19:20:44","slug":"ian-mckellen-celebrates-30th-anniversary-of-his-coming-out-as-gay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/ian-mckellen-celebrates-30th-anniversary-of-his-coming-out-as-gay\/","title":{"rendered":"Ian McKellen Celebrates 30th Anniversary of His Coming Out as Gay"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ian McKellen Celebrates 30th Anniversary of His Coming Out as Gay<\/b>
\n\"Ian<\/p>\n

\"Ian<\/p>\n

Ian McKellen \/ Twitter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Ian McKellen marked the thirtieth anniversary of his coming out yesterday with a celebratory tweet: \u201cI\u2019ve never met a gay<\/a> 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<\/a>. So I\u2019m celebrating!\u201d<\/p>\n

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I\u2019ve never met a gay<\/a> 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<\/a>. So I\u2019m celebrating!<\/p>\n

\u2014 Ian McKellen (@IanMcKellen) January 27, 2018<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

RELATED:\u00a0Ian McKellen Offers a Haunting Glimpse of His Youth as a Closeted Gay Man in New Short Film: WATCH<\/a><\/em><\/h2>\n

The actor and activist has been a longtime advocate of coming out.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year he collaborated on a powerful short film directed by Joe Stephenson\u00a0for Tate Britain\u2019s new Queer British Art exhibit which provided a haunting glimpse of his childhood growing up in Britain.<\/p>\n

Said McKellen in the film: \u201cPart of the reason I proselytize, talk about being gay<\/a>, is because I don\u2019t want today\u2019s children not to enjoy their sexuality, be aware of it, think about it, puzzle about it, discuss it, have it out in the open, because of course it\u2019s central to what you are.\u201d<\/p>\n

McKellen has also said he believes gay men are more masculine than straight men<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019ve probably played even more military men<\/a> than Patrick.\u00a0Gandalf is a soldier, Magneto is a soldier, Richard III, Coriolanus, Macbeth. And I think the reason is because I want my revenge on them all\u2026The people who start wars, perpetuate them and glory in them. \u2018God save our gracious Queen, send her victorious?\u2019 I\u2019m sorry. What does that mean?\u2026 If that\u2019s what masculinity is then I don\u2019t want any part of it at all\u2026I think gay<\/a> men<\/a> are more masculine than straight men<\/a>. Because, guess what? They love other men<\/a>!\u2026So when bully boys<\/a> say: \u2018Faggot!\u2019 you say, \u2018That\u2019s right, I\u2019m with the boys<\/a>.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

He has also said he wishes he had been able to come out earlier<\/a>:\u00a0\u201cI wish I\u2019d felt able to come out earlier. Everything in society was against people of my generation coming out, because it was against the law to make love. So if every time you have sex<\/a> you remind yourself you\u2019re a criminal, that\u2019s not something you necessarily want to talk about unless you\u2019re a really, really\u00a0strong and brave person which I\u00a0wasn\u2019t, so I got on very comfortable with my life as an openly gay<\/a> man<\/a> without ever talking about it. And most people don\u2019t have to but if you\u2019re in the public eye there comes a time when it\u2019s appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Congrats Sir Ian McKelln, and thank you for your advocacy.<\/p>\n

The post Ian McKellen Celebrates 30th Anniversary of His Coming Out as Gay<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Ian McKellen Celebrates 30th Anniversary of His Coming Out as Gay<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n