Wentworth Miller, "Prison Break" Star, Comes Out As Gay, Declining Russian Film Festival Invite

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Wentworth Miller, "Prison Break" Star, Comes Out As Gay, Declining Russian Film Festival Invite

“I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government,” he wrote. Miller also wrote Stoker, which came out earlier this year.

posted on August 21, 2013 at 5:58pm EDT

Chris Geidner
BuzzFeed Staff

Kiyoshi Ota / Getty

Actor Wentworth Miller, of Prison Break, came out as “a gay man” in a letter sent Wednesday to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival, declining his participation because, he writes, “I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government.”
He went on:

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.

GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz noted in a statement, “Wentworth’s bold show of support sends a powerful message to LGBT Russians, who are facing extreme violence and persecution: you are not alone. As people from across the globe continue to speak out against Russia’s horrific law, more celebrities and corporations should follow his courageous lead in openly condemning Russia’s anti-LGBT law.”

Miller, who is 41, also had his first screenplay hit theaters this year — with Stoker, starring Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode and Mia Wasikowska.