In a moving short film, Ian McKellen, star of Lord of the Rings, Beauty and the Beast, and the X-Men series, opened up about some of the challenges he faced growing up gay in the 1950s.
A collaboration with Random Acts in response to the Queer British Art exhibit, the video features McKellen's voice over images of an emotional young man at odds with the world around at him.
When McKellen was growing up in the 1940s/50s, the term for homosexuality wasn't widespread and he didn't quite understand his feelings or how to navigate the world as a gay man. "You couldn't read it about it anywhere. You couldn't see images of it anywhere," McKellen reflected. "Homosexuals conducted their lives as secretly as possible. There was nobody that was out."
[iframe //giphy.com/embed/RmEYHQlj2pZEA allowfullscreen="" class=^{{"giphy-embed"}}^ frameborder="0" height="270" width="480"]
The threat of physical violence and even legal action taken against him were just a few of the factors that led Ian to keep his sexuality a secret. "There was no question of being out of the closet because you would invite the police to arrest you. You want to go to prison? Keep quiet."
His story feels especially poignant considering current affairs. Just this week, the region of Chechnya in Russia is making global headlines for allegedly rounding up gay men and forcing them into concentration camps. McKellen's story is a stark reminder of how far LGBTQ rights have come, but also how far we have to go.
[iframe //giphy.com/embed/sD5SKIQZkrfgs allowfullscreen="" class=^{{"giphy-embed"}}^ frameborder="0" height="270" width="480"]
McKellen, who came out at the age of 49, loves being open and honest about who he is. "One of the reasons I talk about being gay is because I don't want today's children not to enjoy their sexuality. Be aware of it and think about it. Puzzle about it. Discuss it. Have it out in the open. Because of course, it's central to what you are."
Watch the short film below.
