Jussie Smollett has had a whirlwind of a year. Just over a year ago, the Empire star was living a relatively quiet life, but when he was thrust into instant fame after the Fox show premiered, he knew that he wanted to use his platform for good.
One of his first missions? Stepping us as an LGBT advocate.
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The 32-year-old recently sat down with Out magazine, where he admitted that he never felt the need to come out of the closet (he told Ellen Degeneres that “there’s never been a closet that I’ve been in”).
“It was a much bigger deal for other people than it was for me,” he said.
Smollett is unapologetically adamant in his search for love. He says that though he hasn’t found his soulmate yet, he will not give up looking because he has an open heart and believes in love, no matter what society is telling him.
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“You’re not going to tell me that loving someone is wrong,” he said. “That does not mean that heterosexuality is not very real. It does not mean that bisexuality is not very real. It does not mean that homosexuality is not very real. They are all very real. But what I’m saying is I am a gay man. I am a gay man. I am a gay man. I don’t know how many times I have to say that.”