Chloë Grace Moretz: ‘Seeing my gay brothers struggle was awful’
By Will Stroude
Chloë Grace Moretz has admitted seeing her two gay brothers struggle with their sexuality and the bullying that stemmed from it had a profound effect on her growing up.
The Carrie star tells Nylon magazine’s in their December/January issue that she “was motivated to fight for gay rights, women’s rights, minority rights – all human rights” from a young age after seeing what her brothers Colin and Trevor went through.
Chloë Grace Moretz with her brothers Colin (l) and Trevor (r)
“To see my brothers struggle with the anxiety of having to come out was awful,” says Moretz, who has four older brothers.
The 18-year-old says she was in middle school when Trevor and Colin came out as gay, telling the magazine: “At 11, you’re incredibly observant and realizing what society is, and who you are, and people are kissing boys or girls for the first time, and you’re really starting to understand what sexuality is.”
She continues: “The problem is we live in a society where we have to say the words, ‘I’m coming out.’ No one should care what your sexual orientation is, what colour your skin is, or if you’re a man or a woman.”
Moretz adds that she was forced to defend her brothers from abuse at a young age, reavealing: “People would call them the F-word, and I would get so angry,” she says. “It was really hard to see my brothers be hated on or bullied, so I stood up for them. We shouldn’t be using these terms to create more labels and segregate us further apart than we already are.”
Despite growing up in a Christian household, the former child star – who will soon appear opposite Zac Efron in Neighbours 2: Sorority Rising– says that her parents were incredibly accepting of Colin and Trevor’s sexuality.
“Back when my mom was in college, when things were more taboo, she had lots of gay and trans friends, people of all shapes, sizes, and colors,” she says. “So we were a very open household.”
She adds: “My mom tells us people asked her, ‘Why are you letting your son run around in a pink Power Ranger costume?’ Her answer was: ‘Because he wants to wear it, and it makes him smile. Why would I take that away from him?'”
You can read Nylon’s full cover profile with Chloë Grace Moretz here.
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