'Heroes' Actor Thomas Dekker Comes Out as Gay

Thomas Dekker, who played Zach on the cult-hit NBC series "Heroes" for 11 episodes from 2006-2007, came out as gay in a Twitter post Friday.

THR reports Dekker had been subtly outed — though not by name — by "Heroes" showrunner Bryan Fuller at Outfest recently, when Fuller spoke about a character on "Heroes" he had hoped would be revealed as gay.

Fuller said, "I had a brief stint on 'Heroes' where the gay character was 'hetwashed' after the actor's management threatened to pull him from the show if he — the character, not the actor — were gay. The character became straight and the actor came out as gay." It was clear, from past rumors, that Fuller meant Dekker, who had not, in fact, come out publicly as gay at that time.

In response to Fuller's comments, Dekker released a statement that read, "My sexual orientation once again came into question this week when a prominent gay man used an awards acceptance speech to 'out' me. While he did not mention me by name, the explicit details of his reference made it easy for the public and media to connect the dots. While it is an odd situation, I thank him because it presents a prime opportunity for me to publicly say that I am indeed a man who proudly loves other men."

"In fact, this April, I married my husband and I could not be happier," Dekker went on to say in the upbeat statement. "I have never lied to the press about the fluidity of my sexuality but this man claiming that I came out is not true. Because I have not 'officially' until this moment. I simply refuse to be robbed of the glorious joy that belongs to me. To say the words myself. 'I'm gay'. Those words are a badge of honor that no one can steal."

Dekker also reached out to fans: "For all of you who have supported me, before and now, I thank you from the bottom of my fledgling heart. Be proud of who you are. No matter how long it takes."