#IanMcKellen says 'Star Wars' icon told him to avoid #LGBTQ politics

The actor and LGBTQ rights advocate revealed in a new interview that fellow actor #AlecGuinness once "pleaded" with him to avoid discussing the political issue.

by Edward Segarra
May 11, 2026, 1:25 p.m. ET

"Ian McKellen doesn't need anyone's permission to stand on his soapbox.
In an interview with The Guardian published May 7, the Oscar-nominated actor revealed that he was allegedly discouraged by fellow actor Alec Guinness from speaking out on #LGBTQRights.

"Guinness, who died in 2000, was an acclaimed British actor, best known among sci-fi fans for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original 'Star Wars' trilogy.
While discussing the 'worst piece of advice' he'd ever been given, McKellen recalled an alleged meeting he had with Guinness around the late '80s.

" 'He took me for an Italian lunch in Pimlico, where we chatted about this and that until he brought up the real reason for his invitation,' McKellen, 86, told the British outlet. 'He had heard about my work to establish #Stonewall – a lobby group to present to the government and the world at large the case for treating U.K. lesbians and gays equally under the law with the rest of the population.

" 'He thought it somewhat unseemly for an actor to dabble in public or political affairs and advised me, sort of pleaded with me, to withdraw. Advice from an older generation, which I didn't follow.' "

Read more:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2026/05/11/ian-mckellen-alec-guinness-lgbtq-rights-activism/90029014007/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/TLa3k

#UKPol #OutAndProud #LGBTHistoryMonth #PrideLondon #OxfordPride #GayGlos #FFLAG

A friend of mine wrote the following today and he's 100% right!

#PrideLondon #GayPride #LondonPride

So, I reached out to Pride in London today to ask about this year's march.
Me: "Given that a number of large companies in the US (e.g. X, Google) have decided to do away with DEI, wiping out progress in equality for minority and marginalised groups, can we be assured that these companies will NOT be allowed to participate in this year's march? "
PIL: "Thanks for your email. Pride in London assess all parade application and we will make determination during this process. It is important to note that parade groups are LGBTQ+ employee networks."
Me: "Thanks for the response. Although I appreciate these are employee groups, I also think it's important to note that these companies often use Pride as a marketing opportunity. We can't allow them to exploit us for publicity whilst working with our oppressors."

I think it's important that for such a high profile event we need to make sure that companies that will work with our oppressors shouldn't hijack our parade as part of a cynical pink washing marketing exercise. If you agree, let Pride In London know.

It’s #prideLondon tomorrow, so I’m starting the celebrations with a haircut.

#freshFade

We're at Trans+ Pride London today. Have a wonderful pride if you are attending or going to any other Pride's today!

Alt text: The London Trans+ Pride and TransActual logo, cartoon of two people marching with trans flags.

#TransPride #PrideLondon #TransPrideLondon

"The UK went from receiving the top score in LGBTQ+ rights across European countries in 2015 to falling to 17th position this year. Homophobic crimes have doubled and transphobic hate crimes tripled."

#LGBTQ #Queer #Pride2023 #pridemonth #PrideLondon #LGBT #drag #transrights #freedomofexpression #UKpolitics #Britishpolitics #humanrights #hatespeech #homophobia #transphobia

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jun/22/tory-mps-contributing-to-growing-hostility-to-drag-events-report-says