Tag: coming out

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Journalist Ronan Farrow Comes Out As “Part Of The LGBT Community”

Ronan Farrow at 2018 Point Foundation Gala
Photo credit: Dia Dipasupil/Getty

Journalist Ronan Farrow came out as “part of the LGBT community” last night in New York City as he was presented with the Point Courage Award by MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts, himself a past Point honoree.

The Point Courage Award recognizes those who have advocated for the future of the LGBTQ and allied community and believe investing in today’s potential will produce a brighter tomorrow.

In his acceptance speech, Farrow said, in part:

“Being a part of the LGBT community – which recognized that reporting I was doing early on and elevated it, and has been such a stalwart source of support through the sexual assault reporting I did involving survivors who felt equally invisible – that has been an incredible source of strength for me.

“LGBT people are some of the bravest and most potent change agents and leaders I have encountered, and the most forceful defenders of the vulnerable and voiceless, because they know what it’s like to be there.”

Farrow’s sexuality has been the source of quiet gossip since 2013. The 30-year-old didn’t specify if he identifies as gay or bisexual.

Farrow has earned kudos for his in-depth reporting on the allegations of sexual misconduct by Harvey Weinstein and the emerging #MeToo movement.

Tony Award-winner Laura Benanti was honored as well with the Point Impact Award, which recognizes those who make a significant impact on improving the LGBT and allied community.

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Doing “Assassination Of Gianni Versace” Made Ricky Martin Re-Live Parts Of His Own Closeted Life

In his cover story for the latest issue of Attitude, superstar Ricky Martin admits researching his role as Gianni Versace’s former partner Antonio D’Amico in The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story forced him to “re-live” his own early life as a closeted gay man.

“I was a closeted gay man who was making my partners hide. I had relationships with other men who were in the closet and I had other relationships with men who were not in the closet but because of me went back into the closet.

“And so I’m re-living everything that I did.”

“I submitted myself to my career completely. I didn’t open doors to new relationships, and I’m not talking about romantic relationships, I’m talking about any relationship, because I didn’t want people to know me too much,” he explains.

“I wouldn’t even sit down and have a cool relationship with amazing producers or great film directors because I was afraid that if they spent more than two hours sitting with me they would know my nature.

“I wasted so much energy trying to manipulate my sexuality.”

Martin, who came out in 2010, is now married to Swedish artist Jwan Yosef and is father to 9-year-old twins Matteo and Valentino.

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Entertainment Reporter Karl Schmid Comes Out As HIV+ In Heartfelt Facebook Post

Reporter Karl Schmid

Karl Schmid, entertainment reporter for the Los Angeles ABC affiliate, came out as HIV positive in a thoughtful, heartfelt post on Facebook Friday night.

Hi. I’m a 37 year old HIV+ man who has been poz for almost ten years. I work in television. And on the side of the camera where, for better or worse it’s considered “taboo” for people “like me” to be “like me”. For 10 years I’ve struggled with “do I or don’t I”? For ten years the stigma and industry professionals have said, “don’t! It’ll ruin you”.

But here’s the thing. I’m me. I’m just like you. I have a big heart and I want to be loved and accepted. I may be on TV from time to time, but at the end of the day I’m just an average guy who wants want we all want. To be accepted and loved by our friends and family and to be encouraged by our peers.

So here’s what I say, stand tall, and stand proud. You can’t make everybody happy but you can make you happy. And so long as you tell the truth, you will never have to remember anything.

Labels are things that come and go but your dignity and who you are is what defines you. I know who I am, I know what I stand for and while in the past I may not have always had clarity, I do now.

Love me or hate me, that’s up to you. But, for anyone who has ever doubted themselves because of those scary three letters and one symbol, let me tell you this, you are somebody who matters. Your feelings, your thoughts, your emotions count. And don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

I’m Karl Schmid, and I’m an HIV-positive man!

Bravo to Schmid for having the courage to share his story. Even with new drugs which make having HIV more of a chronic disease than a death sentence, and the wider and wider use of PrEP to stop the spread of infection, the stigma of being HIV+ is still a very real issue for many.

The 37-year-old Australian native regularly reports from the red carpet of celebrity events and also hosts the TV show Operation Vacation on Logo.

Saturday morning Schmid followed up with an upbeat tweet thanking folks for their support and for sharing their own stories.

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“Love, Simon” Actor Joey Pollari Shares His Coming Out Story

In the new groundbreaking romantic comedy Love, Simon, actor Joey Pollari plays a potential love interest for the title character.

Although the handsome actor has been out to friends & family since 18, the former Disney star hasn’t publicly addressed the issue until now. “I think all my friends and family knew on some level. I think maybe two people were shocked.”

Pollari recently told The Advocate that his character’s coming out experience “was similar to mine.”

“The only part that was difficult was me coming out to myself. And I think that is the most difficult coming-out.

“A lot of the trouble was self-shame. I do believe a system of power, of patriarchy, of masculinity did impact me. The greatest difficulty I found was that it didn’t match my idea of myself. It seemed incongruent with the future I imagined for myself, the identity I had struck up with others. The interplay between me and women, me and men, now suddenly seemed entirely different. That just didn’t seem fair or right.”

Love, Simon is the first mainstream film to be backed by a major studio that features a gay teen as the central character.

The movie opens today nationwide. Make sure you get out there and support 🙂

Watch the trailer below.

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Nick Robinson Chats On His Brother Coming Out While He Shot “Love, Simon”

Actor Nick Robinson chatted with Ellen DeGeneres about his new coming-out/coming-of-age film Love, Simon and what it was like to have his brother come out while shooting the movie.

The movie opens this Friday nationwide.

The notices for Love, Simon have been very good. Here’s just a sample of the reviews:

“Simon is a fully realized three-dimensional character, hilariously unsteady when he tries to flirt with a landscaper and a wreck when a friend gets wind of the email exchanges. How refreshing to see a teen boy on a big screen that’s not a sleepy-eyed, monosyllabic jerk just looking to get laid.” — Us Weekly‘s Mara Reinstein

“That this story is coming from a major studio, with the gay kid depicted as an all-American everyboy and main character, rather than a comic sidekick, represents undeniably heartening progress.” — AV Club‘s Jesse Hassenger

“There’s still something undeniably powerful about ‘Love, Simon’s’ ordinariness. After all, there have been dozens of mediocre studio films about straight teen romances over the decades; it says something about the direction of the film industry to finally see one centered on a young gay man.” — The Atlantic‘s David Sims

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy shared his rave review via Twitter:

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Is GLEE Star Kevin McHale Flirting With Coming Out Or Just Flirting With The Inter-Webs?

Kevin McHale (image via Instagram)

GLEE star Kevin McHale has the folks on the inter-webs wondering if he just came out?

Or he’s simply being mysterious?

Yesterday, he shared a photo on Instagram of two male hands captioned by the American Sign Language symbol for “I love you.”

Many fans have speculated the other hand belongs to McHale’s When We Rise co-star Austin McKenzie, who starred in the Deaf West Theater production of Spring Awakening which featured ASL extensively.

Was McHale trying to come out?

A post shared by Kevin McHale (@kevinmchale) on Mar 12, 2018 at 12:19am PDT

Today, McHale shared a shirtless pic of him reading a book with another guy facing away from the camera in the background captioned: “My favorite way to be anti social #tb“.

I remember in my college days when folks were confused they would jokingly say, “It’s meaning is the same.”

I don’t know what the meaning is here, but McHale has certainly has folks attention.

A post shared by Kevin McHale (@kevinmchale) on Mar 12, 2018 at 10:08pm PDT

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Gus Kenworthy Shares His Coming Out Story With PEOPLE

In Coming Out Stories, a new video series from PEOPLE and Entertainment Weekly, 16 LGBTQ people from all walks of life share how they opened up to friends, family and the world — and how their lives changed.

Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy looks back on his coming out journey and shares the message he’d love to tell his younger self:

“I think that I would have told that younger person not to be so afraid to let everyone else know that I was gay, because it’s been incredible.

“I think if I could have told my younger self, ‘Just wait. When you’re older you’re going to out and proud and you’re going to have a boyfriend. And you’re going to be so excited to share yourself authentically with the world and it’s going to make a difference for other people.’

“I think it would have given that young kid a lot of confidence moving forward.”

Gus also explains that, even though he didn’t understand the feelings at the time, he probably knew he was gay when he was five years-old.

In lighter moments, Gus describes being in an Uber with a driver asking him “Where are the hot chicks tonight?” The 26-year-old Olympian exults in being able to respond, “Actually, I don’t know because I’m gay. Where are the dudes?”

Others sharing their stories include Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Grey’s Anatomy actress Sara Ramirez, retired NBA player Jason Collins, social media star Tyler Oakley and Brooke Guinan, a New York City firefighter who is transgender.

PEOPLE and EW partnered with GLSEN, the LGBT advocacy group that fights to make schools safe for all kids, to create Coming Out Stories.

Watch Gus below and then click over to people.com/comingoutstories for more.

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Totally Sweet Dad Scene From Upcoming LOVE, SIMON

Nick Robinson in Love, Simon

March 16 is the date we finally get to see Love, Simon which looks to be one of the first mainstream coming-of-age/coming out movies.

The flick stars completely adorable Nick Robinson (Jurassic World) as “Simon,” and Josh Duhamel and Jennifer Garner co-star as his parents.

With out director/producer Greg Berlanti directing (Dawson’s Creek, Brothers & Sisters, Green Lantern, Everwood, Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow), I know I’m going to love it.

In this newly-released clip, you get a sense of Simon’s relationship with his dad. Not only is Duhamel the daddy we all probably wished for (on many levels), he even throws in a Grindr joke for good measure.

Watch the new clip plus the latest trailer below.

Josh Duhamel in Love, Simon
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Take Two: Actor Lee Pace Comes Out (Again)

Lee Pace

Actor Lee Pace, who plays “Joe Pitt,” a closeted gay Mormon man in the Broadway revival of Angels in America caught some unexpected press last week after he hesitantly came out during a recent interview with W Magazine.

Apparently, Pace is a very private person and was surprised by reporter Brian Moylan’s question about his sexuality.

“I’ve dated men [and] I’ve dated women. I don’t know why anyone would care,” Pace said at the time. “I’m an actor and I play roles. To be honest, I don’t know what to say — I find your question intrusive.”

That answer apparently didn’t sit well with many in the LGBTQ community especially in light of Pace taking on his high profile gay role in Angels In America.

So Pace is giving the question a second take via a string of tweets wherein he says he “happily owns” being part of the LGBTQ community and that he understands “the importance of living openly.”

In a recent phone interview, I was asked questions that I wasn’t expecting and found myself momentarily at a loss for the right words. My privacy is important to me, so I protect it. When interviewed by the media, I keep the focus on my work.

As a member of the queer community, I understand the importance of living openly, being counted, and happily owning who I am. That’s how I’ve always lived my life…just as it’s been important to me to portray queer characters with dignity for my entire career: A Soldier’s Girl (Showtime. 2003). The Normal Heart (Broadway. 2011). Halt and Catch Fire (AMC. 2014-2017). Angels in America. (Broadway. NOW.)

Onward, with Pride.

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Video: Gus Kenworthy’s Road To PyeongChang “Letters”

Gus Kenworthy

In the second installment of three videos produced by sponsor Samsung, out Olympian Gus Kenworthy reflects on how letters and messages from his boyfriend, actor Matthew Wilkas, kept him inspired and on track for competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

“I am so happy for you. I am so proud of you. Because I know how hard you have worked to get here.”

“You are loved by so many people Gus,’ says Matthew, as he forwards video messages from family and friends.

The spot also deals directly with the coming out experience for gay men. Says one friend, “As a gay man growing up, I think the minute we realize we’re gay – it’s a flaw – but people when they look at you, they think ‘I can do anything and be gay and that there’s nothing wrong with me.’”

In another message, a fan named Wendle thanks Gus for being the inspiration that helped him find the courage to come out.

The good wishes serve as a sonic landscape as we watch Gus train in solitude as so many world-class athletes do.

The video is accompanied by a message from the handsome freestyle skier: “This became so much bigger than skiing. You all let me be myself and that’s all I’ve ever wanted. Thank you to my partner Samsung for helping share my story.”

Watch “Letters” below and can check out part one of the trilogy, “Roots,” here.