When Sir Ian McKellen performed the first same-sex kiss on British TV in the 1970 BBC production of Christopher Marlowe’s Edward II, he was not yet out. In fact, it would be another 18 years before the Lord Of The Rings icon would come out as gay.

Ian McKellen came out as gay in 1988, a dangerous time for LGBTQ+ people. Now, he thinks closeted gay people in the entertainment industry should be doing the same thing. He explained it all during a recent interview with British newspaper The Times.

Sir Ian McKellen gets honest about critics, his historic gay kiss & the queer appeal of the X-Men. Over 60 years into an illustrious career on stage and screen, Sir Ian M