Brandon Flynn, who plays Justin Foley on the beloved Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why, identified himself as a member of the LGBT community in an emotional Instagram post on Monday. 

 

A post shared by Brandon Flynn (@flynnagin11) on Sep 4, 2017 at 11:48am PDT

Flynn visited Australia earlier this week, which is in the midst of a contentious public vote over same-sex marriage, and ugly anti-LGBT discourse has shaken up and divided the country. 

After spotting a "Vote NO" message in the sky, Flynn felt the need to speak out and show support for his community on Instagram to his 3.4 million followers. "I hope your hate and lack of understanding fades, just like those words will."

He continued:  

"Too many of my friends have been kicked out of their homes, kept in the closet, beat up, killed, ridiculed by church and state, institutionalized... and you are scared that if we vote YES, you won't be able to show your hate for Us. Fuck that. We've been scared shitless our whole lives thanks to all the stigmas that surround Us, stigmas that were set in place by the same kind of people who flew that plane over Sydney. We've fought, we've come out bravely even in our fear, and you wrote a message in the sky because you're scared. Equality takes courage, it worries me that too many people in this world lack the balls to stand up for what is right. #fuckhate"

 

Just saw the "vote no" message in the sky, looming over Sydney. Thank you for raising money and hiring on a plane to write your lack of support amongst the clouds. I hope your hate and lack of understanding fades, just like those words will. Too many of my friends have been kicked out of their homes, kept in the closet, beat up, killed, ridiculed by church and state, institutionalized... and you are scared that if we vote YES, you won't be able to show your hate for Us. Fuck that. We've been scared shitless our whole lives thanks to all the stigmas that surround Us, stigmas that were set in place by the same kind of people who flew that plane over Sydney. We've fought, we've come out bravely even in our fear, and you wrote a message in the sky because you're scared. Equality takes courage, it worries me that too many people in this world lack the balls to stand up for what is right. #fuckhate

A post shared by Brandon Flynn (@flynnagin11) on Sep 17, 2017 at 10:39am PDT

While Flynn didn't specifically state his sexuality, he includes himself when discussing the hate and stigmas LGBTQ people face. 

The 23-year-old faced sexuality speculation earlier this year when rumors of him dating his 13 Reasons Why co-star Miles Heizer surfaced all over social media. His representative denied the rumors. "This is a false report,” they told Page Six. "Miles and Brandon are friends from the show but are not dating."

Thank you for speaking up for equality and the LGBT community Brandon!