Out actor Wilson Cruz has defended a same-sex kiss on CBS All Access' Star Trek: Discovery.

On the series, Cruz plays medical officer Dr. Hugh Culber, who is involved in a romantic relationship with starfleet officer Lt. Paul Stamets (played by out actor Anthony Rapp), an expert on fungus.

In the show's fall finale, Stamets kisses Culber and promises to take him on a romantic date before he enters a chamber to navigate the ship's spore drive in an effort to escape the advancing Klingons. Culber suspects the jump might kill his lover.

In a Facebook post, Cruz addressed critics of the kiss.

“I’m not here for your comfort. That’s not why we are here. We’re here to grow,” Cruz wrote. “Star Trek is and has always been here to challenge you to look outside of yourself and to see other people and other experiences in yourself. There is no division between you and me. I am just another human giving and receiving love, just like you. That is all.”

“You can turn your TV off, sure, but you’ll only be cheating yourself. LGBTQ people aren’t going to just disappear because you put your head in the sand. We share the planet with you. We have always been here. We will always be here. You just don’t want to see us. I’m happy to tell you we won’t be invisible anymore. Not for your comfort. We are living and loving out loud the way our creator intended us to because LOVE is nothing to hide. If my love offends you then you should take a look at that. Love is never wrong. It is the answer. We need MORE of it along with more curiosity and wonder at the diversity within our very own species. That’s no accident. We were all made differently for a reason. How much easier would it be if we were all the same? Perhaps, we aren’t exactly the same so we could do the great work of seeing, appreciating and LOVING those beautiful and quirky differences that make us human. Willful ignorance has only brought us pain and anger and death. I know that’s not what you want.”

“I humbly suggest you learn the lesson. Star Trek could be a great start. It’s been my experience that if you don’t learn it, the universe, in the end, will find a more personal way to teach it to you. That’s harder. So, learn it with us and open your mind and heart. It’s easier that way,” he added.