Most actors out ... to a degree

A survey of gay actors in Britain has found most of them are open in their professional lives - except when it comes to telling agents.

The survey conducted by Equity found 81 per cent of respondents said they were out in their professional lifes, The Stage News reports.

94 per cent said they were out to their fellow performers but almost half - 43 per cent - said they were not out to agents.

“The finding that 81% of survey respondents are out in their professional lives and that 73% found the decision to be out easy is hugely encouraging and suggests an industry in which it is safe to be out," Equity equalities officer Max Beckmann said.

"What is troubling is the finding that only 57% of respondents are out to their agents and it’s particularly concerning 35% of respondents have experienced homophobia in their professional lives.

"This goes some way to explaining that many respondents say they weigh up whether or not to come out on a job by job basis, and while not hiding their orientation often do not ‘broadcast it’.

“Comments also suggest that actors remain fearful that coming out will hinder their prospects of being cast in certain roles such as romantic leads.”

Several respondents made comments such as they feared being offered only "stereotypical" roles if they were out to their agents, while others said they feared discrimination.

One respondent wrote, “I have seen others sidelined due to their sexuality and I know that I have been sidelined too.”

Another wrote “It’s okay for a straight actor to play gay roles but harder, if not impossible, the other way round.”

Most lesbians felt the industry was less supportive of lesbians than gay men.

One commented, “I got home from picking up money at a venue where I work and a random man screamed ‘fucking lesbian’ as I walked inside.”

Equity spokesperson Martin Brown said the survey was part of an ongoing campaign to encourage performers and crew to be honest about their sexuality in the workplace.

“The key part of this campaign, which will be a continuing process across this year and into the future, is raising the issue of being out among members and in the industry and challenging the perception that because the entertainment industry is perceived to be tolerant of differing sexualities there are no problems at all,” he said.

Just over a third of respondents said they had experienced homophobia in the workplace.

In January 2010 openly gay actor Rupert Everett famously told The Observer newspaper he regretted coming out at the young age he did and wouldn't advise any actor "if he was really thinking of his career" to come out..

He also told BBC's Radio 4 in December that year that the reaction in Hollywood was unspectacular.

"I just never got a job there, and I never got a job here [Britain], after [coming out]. I did a couple of films, I was very lucky at the beginning of my career... and then, I never had another job here for ten years probably and I moved to Europe," he said

Everett called Hollywood "an extremely conservative world" that "pretends to be a liberal world".