Wentworth Miller Shows How Being Closeted is Over

Wentworth Miller outed himself yesterday in a letter to the director of the Petersburg International Film Festival, refusing to go to the festival in protest of Russia's recent passage of homophobic laws.

Miller's outing may be the first celebrity outing done in protest, but it's not the first "no big deal" reveal. Just this week, YouTube sensation and Nickelodeon star Lucas Cruikshank came out with basically a shrug in a YouTube video with his best friend. And who can forget our favorite silver fox, Anderson Cooper, coming out and making it clear he wasn't trying to hide his sexuality?

These guys aren't coming out of the closet as much as they're saying "Oh yeah, by the way, I'm gay." Because as American attitudes change, more celebrities feel less pressure to keep their sexuality under wraps or even to make coming out a big event. Although homophobia in America is far from dead, once the federal government is willing to recognize that you like other dudes, that's indicative of a huge shift in public attitudes.

Hopefully, this kind of attitude towards coming out will eliminate speculations about a star's sexuality, a practice that's invasive and only reinforces the idea that being straight is the norm. People don't need to be pushed or even come "out of the closet" anymore, because there's not a lot of closets left. Being gay is nothing to hide and it should no longer elicit the kind of gossip-mongering scandal that it has in the past. In a perfect world, telling the world you're gay would be about as sensational as telling them you're straight — unless they're close friends or family, why should they care? Celebrities like Cooper, Cruikshank, and Miller set this kind of example by keeping their private lives private, but not hidden. If they want you to know, they'll tell you on their own terms.