'Prison Break' Star Wentworth Miller Comes Out

Former star of the FOX show Prison Break and screenwriter for the psychological thriller Stoker, Wentworth Miller came out as gay not to satiate a gossip-hungry public — he did it to bring a larger issue to light. In a letter to the Petersburg International Film Festival's director, he said he refused to attend the event because he could not in good conscience go to Russia as a gay man in light of the government's prejudice against homosexual men and women.

In the letter, which is posted in full on GLAAD's website, Miller said:

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.

Miller's statement refers specifically to Russia's recent passage of a law which poses a fine on any person or organization that is found guilty of distributing "homosexual propaganda" around minors, which includes things like gay pride parades or the distribution of any LGBT-related information.

GLAAD spokesperson Wilson Cruz was in support of Miller's letter, and said "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."