Actor Wentworth Miller has come out as gay in a letter to the St Petersburg International Film Festival.

The former Prison Break star wrote a letter to the organisers explaining that he wouldn’t be attending the festival in Russia because of the country’s anti-LGBT legislation.

 

Wentworth wrote a letter to explain his reasons for not attending the film festival.

It read: “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. However, as a gay man, I must decline.”

He added: “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 county where people like myself are being systematically denied their right to live and love openly.”

 

He is best known for his role in hit show Prison Break.

His letter was later posted on the website of GLAAD, an organisation which works with the media to promote LGBT equality.

Their spokesperson, Wilson Cruz, said: “Wentworth’s bold show of support sends a powerful message to LGBT Russians, who are facing extreme violence and persecution: you are not alone.”