Much has been made of the nonchalant way Zachary Quinto came out as gay — and the actor's announcement inspired ABC News anchor Dan Kloeffler to come out just as nonchalantly.
Reporting a story about Quinto's mention to New York Magazine that he's gay, World News Now anchor Kloeffler said Quinto's announcement would make him rethink his personal rule about not dating actors.
Also read: Zachary Quinto Confirms He's Gay
Kloeffler elaborated on his decision to come out to viewers — he's already out in his personal life — on ABC News' website:
"There have been too many tragic endings and too many cases of bullying because of intolerance. As a kid I wanted someone to look up to, someone that could relate to the feelings I was having. Most of all, I wanted to know that it would get better. And it did," he wrote.
He added: "As a journalist, I don’t want to be the story, but as a gay man I don’t want to stand silent if I can offer some inspiration or encouragement to kids that might be struggling with who they are."
Yes, World News Now airs at 3 a.m. We're just pointing that out to avoid the inevitable joke about whether coming out at that hour really constitutes coming out. It's when he's on, folks.
We'd love to post the video, but it's being wonky. Feel free to watch it here, where you can also read Kloeffler's full statement.