Stephen Amell has absolutely no time for homophobia.
The 36-year-old “Arrow” star took time off from his shooting schedule to drop by Vancouver Pride Aug. 6, and captured the moment for posterity in a series of photos that he posted on his Facebook page. One snapshot shows the actor, who identifies as straight, wearing balloons arranged in a peacock-like formation to his back, and standing on a rainbow crosswalk.
A second image shows Amell posing with his wife, Cassandra Jean, in the middle of the rainbow crosswalk.
Collectively the two photos had received over 1,300 comments by Wednesday afternoon. Though most of the comments were positive, a number of fans appeared to be trolling the actor with anti-gay sentiments. “Suppose that a child has cancer. Because of sex homosexuality there will be no human being on the ground and there will be no doctors to treat the disease,” one person wrote. “By doing this, you are disrupting the common sense created by God.” Added another: “Had more respect for you before these posts.”
Others argued that the funds used for the Pride festivities could have been better spent elsewhere. “For the amount of money they spent on that crosswalk they could have improved the schools, opened a new shelter or improved police officer equipment,” one person wrote. “But no they had to make a political statement.”
On Monday, Amell expressed his dismay at the comments in a lengthy Facebook post, and made it clear that his support of the LGBTQ community won’t be swayed by internet trolls. “I had a fantastic weekend in Vancouver with my wife and friends, met some terrific people and more than anything just tried to soak in all the positive energy from people living their best lives,” he wrote. “If I’m in Vancouver next year I won’t just go back, I’ll walk in the parade.”
He then reposted an edited version of one of his photos with a caption that spoke directly to his haters.
The actor is no stranger to queer roles, having appeared in the gay favorites “Queer as Folk” and “Dante’s Cove.” He’s also been an outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community in recent years.
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