Only few years ago any gay star who wasn’t out had to wondering when and if they might be outed against their will. Things have changed for the better on that score (in many places at least), to the point where sometime if you’d like to be out, you have to make a bit of an effort to get the info out there.

That seems true of Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor in Game Of Thrones (and is also an established DJ), who’s let the world know he’s gay in a new interview. He also adds that he’s never been in the closet, but has had difficulty getting anyone to ask him the question.

When asked about his following in the gay bear community on a GoT fansite, he says, “Well, in all honesty, when you talk about ‘the gay community,’ you are talking about MY community, haha. I AM aware of it yeah, and I think it’s really lovely. There’s not a day that I don’t get a few messages, but 99% or more are super sweet and nothing smutty at all! Again, it’s a privilege, and I really mean that. I’ve never hidden my sexuality from anyone, my whole life in fact, and I’ve been waiting for someone to ask about it in an interview, cos it’s not something you just blurt out. I’ve tried to lead the questions a few times, to no avail!”

When the interview says most people now have enough respect not to ask the question, Nairn adds, “I had an upbringing to respect other people’s privacy, and their right to be and choose what they want, and I expect—no, demand—no less for myself. It’s a very small part of who I am on the whole, but nonetheless, in this day and age, it’s important to stand up and be counted. I have and always will stand my ground. So, yeah, people have been great on the show, but I don’t see why it would be an issue.”

Last year saw both great highs and great lows for United Methodist minister, Frank Schaefer. On the positive side, his son got married and Frank was able to perform the ceremony – a joy for any parent. However as his son married another man, following a church trial he was convicted of performing a gay wedding and stripped of his credentials as a minister.

However rather than hiding away and feeling sorry for himself, he used the media attention surrounding his case to make appearances on The View, CNN, MSNBC, CBS Evening News, and countless regional news outlets, almost overnight going from being a small-town minister to an outspoken LGBT activist.

Now a documentary is being made about him by director Scott Sheppard, and Pauley Perrette, best known as Abby on TV’s NCIS, has come onboard to Executive Produce the film. Perrette has long been a very strong and vocal supporter of LGBTQ rights, and indeed last year directed her own lesbian-themed short film, to raise money for The Trevor Project.

Sheppard, who is himself the son of a Methodist minister, comments on the film, called An Act Of Love, “When I heard Pastor Frank’s story, I connected with it in such a deep way that I knew I had to make a film about it.”

The filmmakers are currently raising funds for the project, including launching a Kickstarter campaign in the hope of raising $75,000 to get the movie made. You can find out over at Kickstarter.

Seven years ago Isaiah Washington’s career came crashing down after details of an argument on the Grey’s Anatomy set became public, where he used the ‘f**got’ in reference to then closeted co-star TR Knight. While it initially seemed Washington would withstand the negative publicity, after he used the word again backstage at the Golden Globe awards, he was fired.

However it’s now been announced that Washington will return to Grey’s Anatomy for a guest appearance in May. Although details haven’t announced, it’s almost certain the return of his character, heart surgeon Dr. Preston Burke, is related to the departure of one of the show’s original stars, Sandra Oh, who is leaving Grey’s at the end of the season. Her character was at one point engaged to Burke.

It appears at the moment that Washington’s appearance will be a one-off.

Following his firing Washington has found it difficult to get work. Indeed between 2007 and today, his only IMDB listing is for a short film called ‘Not 4 Sale’, although he does have some projects coming up later in the year.

Recent reports have made for some worrying reading about how young homophobic bullying can start. In the UK, two in five primary school (if you’re from the US, that’s elementary school) teachers say children experience homophobic bullying, while three in four say pupils in their school use homophobic language. However only a quarter of these teachers have actually addressed issues relating to sexual orientation in their classrooms.

Now campaigning group Stonewall has come up with something to help – Free – a film directed by Rikki Beadle-Blair, which is designed to combat bullying and most particularly anti-gay bullying, as well as the ‘importance of celebrating difference’.

Stonewall says, ‘Designed in conjunction with a panel of leading primary school teachers, this age-appropriate film builds on Stonewall’s acclaimed Different Families campaign, and has been specifically designed to complement schools’ Key Stage 2 Personal Health and Social Education (PSHE) curriculums.’

The film can either be viewed in its 60-minute entirety in classrooms, or in 15-minute blocks, each focussing on a different person. You can take a look at the trailers for the different parts below. [Read more…]

There’s been a lot of excitement recently about Jason Collins becoming the first out gay player in one of America’s four major professional sports leagues, as well as the possibility that college footballer Michael Sam may become the first out and proud member of an NFL team later this year.

However these men are far from the first gay players, they’re just the first ones to be open with the public about it while they were playing. Now one of those earlier gay athletes is getting a movie made about him and Jamie Lee Curtis is producing it. She’s behind Out At Home: The Glenn Burke Story, based on the autobiography by Burke and Erik Sherman.

Burke became one of Baseball’s top player in the 1970s, playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Oakland A’s. Although he didn’t come out publicly until after he’d retired in 1982 (he was still the first former professional US sportsman to do so though), he had told his teammates and managers.

There was a mixed reaction from them, with some being supportive while others were less so – although they were often more concerned about how it might be seen from the outside than the fact he was gay. For example, Dodgers general manager Al Campanis offered to pay for an incredibly expensive honeymoon if Burke agreed to have a sham marriage. The player declined.

Interestingly Burke is also often credited with creating the high five.

In recent weeks there’s been a lot of talk about how accepting major sports will be of gay players, as well as how teammates will react to them in the locker room. However Burke showed it was possible more than 30 years ago. As he said, “They can’t ever say now that a gay man can’t play in the majors, because I’m a gay man and I made it.”

Jamie Lee Curtis has been trying to get the movie made for years, but its only now with Jason Collins’ first appearance for the Brooklyn Nets that she’s getting some traction to put in on the screen. Deadline reports that Lost in Translation producer Ross Katz has recently come on-board to help develop the movie and he will write the script.

Curtis says, “With Michael Sam’s brave and bold statement, he joins the trifecta of American sports — Glenn Burke, MLB; Jason Collins, NBA; Michael Sam, NFL — dealing with gay athletes, and forcing open the door permanently. Our film will clearly honor the force and the struggle to get there.”

Burke himself sadly died of AIDS in 1995.