Elisabeth Moss Does Not Stand With Scientology's Anti-LGBTQ Views

Elisabeth Moss does not stand with L. Ron Hubbard's position on the LGBTQ+ community.

The actress has distanced herself from the writings of the late Scientology founder, who classed homosexuality as a perversion and illness that could be cured.

Speaking to the Daily Beast on Monday, Moss was asked about her religion being "quite anti-LGBT".

"Which is not where I stand," she replied. "It's like, it's a lot to get into and unpack that I can't do. But that is not my bag."

"I am obviously a huge feminist and huge supporter of the LGBTQ community and believe so strongly — I can't even tell you — in people being able to do what they want to do, to love who they want to love, to be the person that they want to be — whoever that is. To me, it's a huge reason why I love doing ["The Handmaid's Tale"].

She added: "That's all I can say. I can't speak to what other people believe, I can't speak to what other people's experiences have been. That's where I stand and the only place I can speak from is my own."

The "Mad Men" star said she welcomed people's critique of her church, as she is as strong a believer in freedom as speech as she is in freedom to practice religion — both covered under the First Amendment.

"Listen, it's a complicated thing because the things that I believe in, I can only speak to my personal experience and my personal beliefs," she said. "One of the things I believe in is freedom of speech. I believe we as humans should be able to critique things. I believe in freedom of the press. I believe in people being able to speak their own opinions. I don't ever want to take that away from anybody, because that actually is very important to me."

She continued: "At the same time, I should hope that people educate themselves for themselves and form their own opinion, as I have. The things that I believe in personally, for me, 'The Handmaid's Tale', and the ability to do something that is artistically fulfilling but is also personally fulfilling, I've never had that. 'The Handmaid's Tale' lines up so perfectly parallel with my own beliefs in freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the things that this country was actually built on."

TooFab has contacted the Church of Scientology seeking comment on their official stance on these issues. While the founding texts of the religion, written by Hubbard, do not paint homosexuality in a positive light there have been instances where the church appeared to support LGTBQ causes.

While Moss tries to adhere to the dinner conversation rule — never talk about politics or religion — she accepts it is somewhat inevitable as the star of a show all about politics and religion.

"I choose to express myself in my work and my art," she said. "I don't choose to express myself about it in interviews. I don't choose to talk about not just religion, but my personal life — who I'm dating and that kind of thing. So for me, it's so hard to unpack in a sound bite or an interview, but I will say that the things that I truly believe in are the things that I've mentioned, and I think that they're very important.

"I think people should be allowed to talk about what they want to talk about and believe what they want to believe and you can't take that away — and when you start to take that away, when you start to say 'you can't think that,' 'you can't believe that,' 'you can't say that,' then you get into trouble. Then you get into Gilead."

She added: "So whatever happens, I'm never going to take away your right to talk about something or believe something, and you can't take away mine."

She said she felt a responsibility to tell "The Handmaid's Tale" which was, as the interviewer put it, "an act of resistance against this administration, and the assault on reproductive rights."

"For me, it's an unfortunate thing. I wish this was crazy, and I wish 'Handmaid's Tale' was insane 'Game of Thrones' shit and pure fantasy. I wish that were true," she concluded. "But it's not."