DANIEL RADCLIFFE STAMPS OUT HOMOPHOBIA

Daniel Radcliffe


Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe wants to stamp out homophobia by starring in a new ad campaign encouraging tolerance for all sexual orientations. Daniel is filming a public service announcement (PSA) on behalf of the Trevor Project, a foundation that provides support for members of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community at suicide risk. The star is admitting he was inspired to take a stand after coming across intolerant people for the first time as a teen, after growing up with several gay friends. He told E! Online, "I grew up knowing a lot of gay men, and it was never something that I even thought twice about, that some men were gay and some weren’t. And then I went to school and (for) the first time, I came across homophobia. I had never encountered it before. It shocked me. "I have always hated anybody who is not tolerant of gay men or lesbians or bisexuals. Now I am in the very fortunate position where I can actually help or do something about it." And Radcliffe is hoping his star power will make people pay attention to the PSA, due to air this spring. He also says, "I have described myself as being ‘gently eccentric’ and slightly different as a person just because I’ve had a very different set of influences growing up than anybody else in my peer group did. "I’ve always felt very lucky to have the life that I’ve had. I never had to cope with anything serious about my religion or sexual orientation or anything like that. I think it’s important for somebody from a big, commercial movie series like Harry Potter, and particularly because I am not gay or bisexual or transgendered. "The fact that I am straight makes not a difference, but it shows that straight people are incredibly interested and care a lot about this as well." Gay actor Neil Patrick Harris and Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black were elected to the Trevor Project’s board of directors in January.
Photos By: Sara De Boer/Retna

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