To Boldly Go Where No Bigot Has Gone Before

Mr. Sulu, aka George Takei, has come out of the closet in a biweekly Los Angeles magazine that covers the gay and lesbian community.

"The world has changed from when I was a young teen feeling ashamed for being gay," he said. "The issue of gay marriage is now a political issue. That would have been unthinkable when I was young."

The 68-year-old actor said he and his partner, Brad Altman, have been together for 18 years.

Takei, a Japanese-American who lived in a U.S. internment camp from age 4 to 8, said he grew up feeling ashamed of his ethnicity and sexuality. He likened prejudice against gays to racial segregation.

"It's against basic decency and what American values stand for," he said.

Does it get any clearer than that? The TV series Star Trek has a HUGE gay following. I'm sure there are a lot of Trekkies waking up with big smiles on their faces thinking "I always knew" and "I wish he would have come out sooner!" Well, better late than never! Congrats George, live long and prosper!