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Because T.R. Knight's personal journey from fresh-faced actor, to innocent slur victim, to tireless crusader for bullied gay TV stars' rights only grows more fascinating the more he talks about it, we turn now to the upcoming issue of The Advocate, which features the accidental hero on their cover. (And upon which he demonstrates even further signs of saintliness by acting as full-time caregiver to the quadriplegic canine companion co-star Katherine Heigl adopted for him.) As is so often the case in tales of Hollywood closet-emergence, Knight was discouraged from coming clean with the world so soon after his big break:

While friends were "beautifully supportive," Knight, 34, tells The Advocate in its June 19 issue, others cautiously advised him, "Don't do it - don't do it now."

Looking back, he says, "I remember saying to someone when I got one of those 'don't do it' [comments] - I just remember hearing my voice being calm and saying, 'No, it's going happen. It's going to happen. I'm just letting you know.' " [...]

Luckily for all of us, Knight recognized that Isaiah Washington's summoning of the pink f-bomb amounted to his Moment of Truth; instead of shrinking from his calling, he instead chose to rise to the occasion, telling People, "I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me," a sentiment he continues to hammer home through his ongoing discussions of his gayness on Ellen, at this year's GLAAD awards, and now as the poster child/cover boy of the country's leading gay publication.