Zachary Quinto Calls Out Gays on 'Irresponsibility' on AIDS, PrEP Use

Most actors just thank their agents when they get an award.

In a recent article published by Out Magazine naming actor Zachary Quinto Artist of the Year, the outspoken actor took advantage of the accolade to call out gays for being complacent about the AIDS crisis and for using PrEP as a measure for preventing HIV transmission.

"I think there's a tremendous sense of complacency in the LGBT community," Quinto told Out, citing the rising number of HIV infections in adolescents. "AIDS has lost the edge of horror it possessed when it swept through the world in the '80s. Today's generation sees it more as something to live with and something to be much less fearful of. And that comes with a sense of, dare I say, laziness."

On the subject of using prophylactic drugs like Truvada, Quinto had equally strong words.

"We need to be really vigilant and open about the fact that these drugs are not to be taken to increase our ability to have recreational sex," Quinto said. "There's an incredible underlying irresponsibility to that way of thinking...and we don't yet know enough about this vein of medication to see where it'll take us down the line."

Quito is best known for his portrayal of Spock in the recent "Star Trek" films and for his work on the TV series, "American Horror Story." On stage, he has received accolades for his work in the 2011 revival of Tony Kushiner's "Angels in America" and the 2012 revival of Tennessee Williams' "The Glass Menagerie."

He came out publicly in 2011 in the wake of news surrounding the suicide of gay teen Jamey Rodemeyer. "it became clear to me in an instant that living a gay life without publicly acknowledging it - is simply not enough to make any significant contribution to the immense work that lies ahead on the road to complete equality," he wrote at the time.