Sir Ian McKellen tours school to foster gay tolerance
News
-Staff
By Staff
London
(ANI):
Veteran
actor
Sir
Ian
McKellen
has
taken
up
a
new
job
these
days
-
preaching
homosexuality
to
schoolchildren.
The
actor,
who
is
a
gay
himself
and
is
best
known
for
his
role
as
Gandalf
in
'The
Lord
of
the
Rings',
is
giving
talks
to
schoolchildren
about
gay
tolerance,
in
a
bid
to
end
the
bullying
of
gay
pupils.
"I've
been
busy
at
quite
a
few
schools
recently.
I
went
to
a
wonderful
co-ed
faith
school
in
Harpenden.
They
were
Christians
and
absolutely
determined
that
their
pupils
did
not
discriminate," the
Telegraph
quoted
him,
as
telling
gay
magazine
Attitude.
"They
invited
me
to
come
and
give
prizes
to
13-year-olds
in
front
of
the
parents
and
to
talk,
partly,
about
being
gay.
I
said
that
we
were
all
part
of
a
minority
group
-
be
it
for
being
short
or
tall
or
fat
or
thin,
or
having
red
hair
or
whatever.
I
said,
''Hands
up
who
thinks
they
are
part
of
a
minority
group,''
and
all
the
hands
went
up.
"I
had
Gandalf's
sword
with
me
and
I
knighted
a
pair
of
children
'Sir
Minority'
and
'Dame
Minority'
and
it
went
down
very
well.
It
is
essential
to
talk
to
12
-
and
13-year-olds
because
they
absorb
what''s
thrown
at
them,
whether
it
be
homophobia
or
tolerance
-
and
we
have
to
make
sure
it's
positive
stuff," he
added.