Wentworth Miller comes out as gay

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Former "Prison Break" star Wentworth Miller, in declining an invitation to a film festival in Russia, has come out as gay.

"Thank you for your kind invitation. As someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes," E! News quoted the 41-year-old actor as saying in a letter to Maria Averbakh, director of the St. Petersburg International Film Festival. "However, as a gay man, I must decline. I am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly."

Wilson Cruz -- spokesman for GLAAD [the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation] -- praised Miller's actions.

"Wentworth's bold show of support sends a powerful message to [Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender] Russians: you are not alone," Cruz said. "As people from across the globe continue to speak out against this horrific law, more celebrities and corporations should follow his courageous lead in openly condemning Russia's anti-LGBT law."

Wentworth's letter to Averbakh was posted on the GLAAD website Wednesday.