Gay ABC News anchor comes out while talking about ‘Star Trek’ actor Zach Quinto on the air

Dan Kloeffler, a co-anchor for ABC News' very, very early "World News Now" show, revealed on the air that he is gay.

While delivering a report on Zach Quinto, the "Star Trek" actor who recently came out in an interview with New York magazine, Kloeffler said he would consider dropping his rule against dating actors for Quinto.

"Kind of a big moment for me while filling in on World News Now," Kloeffler wrote in a blog post, "which is by far the most fun you can legally have at 3:00 in the morning!" (Kloeffler's co-host Yunji de Nies, perhaps not realizing how a big a moment it was, laughed through that part of the segment.)

Kloeffler, a former NBC News staffer and MSNBC host, said he had never disclosed his sexual orientation on the air "even though I've been out to my family, friends and co-workers for years."

"In fact, an old boyfriend--now best friend--has always given me a hard time about not doing so," Kloeffler wrote. "But for the same reason that Zach decided to come out, I too, no longer wanted to hide this part of my life.

"There have been too many tragic endings and too many cases of bullying because of intolerance," he continued. "As a kid I wanted someone to look up to, someone that could relate to the feelings I was having. Most of all, I wanted to know that it would get better."

Kloeffler added: "As a journalist, I don't want to be the story, but as a gay man I don't want to stand silent if I can offer some inspiration or encouragement to kids that might be struggling with who they are."

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