the-future-now:

The new ‘Star Trek’ has an out gay lead character — and that’s a big deal

After months of hints, CBS confirmed Tuesday that its new Star Trek series, Star Trek: Discovery, will have an out gay character. Anthony Rapp, most famous as the original Mark in Broadway’s Rent, has been cast as officer and astromycologist Lt. Stamets.

Rapp is himself an out gay man, which makes this casting particularly notable in an industry that still has trouble recognizing and rewarding LGBTQ actors. But Stamets being one of the new series’ primary characters is important on several different levels — especially for this franchise. Read more

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