Zachary Quinto: AIDS Has Lost Its 'Edge Of Horror'

Citing the rise of HIV infections among young gay men, out actor Zachary Quinto says there's a “tremendous sense of complacency in the LGBT community.”

Quinto, 37, is best known for playing a young Spock in the 2009 Star Trek reboot and last year's sequel, Star Trek Into Darkness. He plays Benjie Nycum in the upcoming film Michael, about “ex-gay” activist Michael Glatze (played by James Franco).

“AIDS has lost the edge of horror it possessed when it swept through the world in the '80s,” Quinto told gay glossy Out in its annual Out 100 list. “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.”

Quinto also cautioned against dependence on prophylactic drugs, such as Truvada.

“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,” he 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.”