In a new interview with Game of Thrones fan site Winter Is Coming, actor Kristian Nairn, who plays Hodor, says that he is gay.

The revelation came when Nairn, age 38, was asked by the interviewer if he was aware that he supposedly has a large following of “bears” in the LGBT community.

“Well, in all honesty, when you talk about ‘the gay community,’ you are talking about MY community,” Nairn said with a laugh. “I AM aware of it yeah, and I think it’s really lovely. There’s not a day that I don’t get a few messages, but 99% or more are super sweet and nothing smutty at all! Again, it’s a privilege, and I really mean that. I’ve never hidden my sexuality from anyone, my whole life in fact, and I’ve been waiting for someone to ask about it in an interview, cos it’s not something you just blurt out. I’ve tried to lead the questions a few times, to no avail!”

The actor went on to say that he isn’t afraid to hide who he truly is. “I had an upbringing to respect other people’s privacy, and their right to be and choose what they want, and I expect, no, demand no less for myself. It’s a very small part of who I am on the whole, but nonetheless, in this day and age, it’s important to stand up and be counted. I have and always will stand my ground. So, yeah, people have been great, on the show, but I don’t see why it would be an issue [within Game of Thrones’ production].”

We applaud Nairn’s openness about the topic. In a way, it’s good that this question never came up until now because it would be irrelevant to all interviews about the show. Thanks to WinterIsComing.net.