The blog called Queerty reported a substitute anchor on ABC's middle-of-the-night newscast World News Now coming out of the closet on air on Monday. "Reporting on actor Zachary Quinto’s own recent admission he was gay, Kloeffler, 35, joked he would break his rule about dating actors for the Star Trek star."
Queerty applauded the notion "that Kloeffer realizes acknowledging your full self doesn’t compromise a reporter’s ability to report the news objectively." Have they watched Don Lemon on CNN recently? On the ABC website, Kloeffler proclaimed he didn't want to be the story:
I’ve never shared that I’m gay on-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. 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. 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.
And it did.
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.
Kloeffler is a "freelance anchor" on ABC. Before this job, he worked three years in the wee hours at NBC and MSNBC. Queerty cracked wise: "We wonder who will be inspired by Kloeffler’s coming out. Anybody going to watch Anderson today? No special reason—we’re just asking."
By the way, this Queerty website that feels so tenderly about bullying has run headlines like this one four months ago: Michele Bachmann: “I Have The Spirit Of A Pedophiliac, Clown-Faced, Serial Rapist In Me”
