9 Gay Adult Performers Tell Their Comg Out Stori

Contents:

• 'TREVOR,' A MIL ABOUT A GAY TEEN, BUTS A WORLD THAT STILL NEEDS HIM
• JOHN OLIVER'S GAY RABB BOOK PARODY OUTSELLS MIKE PENCE'S ORIGAL ON AMAZON
• ‘TREVOR’ IS A GAY TEEN ON THE EDGE. LUCKILY, DIANA ROSS IS THERE, TOO.ENDLESS LOVE‘TREVOR’ IS A MIL ABOUT A GAY TEEN, BULLIED TO THE POT OF ATTEMPTG SUICI. WHAT SOMETIM LACKS AS A PIECE OF THEATER IS MORE THAN MA UP FOR BY S POWERFUL MSAGE.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED NOV. 11, 2021 9:15AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 10, 2021 10:49PM EST JOAN MARCIN SOME WAYS FEELS ODD AS AN ADULT TO WATCH THE MIL TREVOR: THE MIL, WHICH OPENED TONIGHT NEW YORK (BOOKG TO APRIL 17, 2022 AT STAGE 42). IT SEEMS TONALLY LIKE ’S REALLY AIMED AT CHILDREN OR TEENAGERS, WHOSE WORLD CENTERS. THE PARENTS AND ADULTS LOOM LARGE AS RTOON CUTOUTS, AND THE ACTN TAK PLACE MOSTLY SCHOOL HALLS AND KIDS’ BEDROOMS. FOR A MIL ABOUT A 13-YEAR-OLD GAY KID SIMULTANEOLY TERMEDLY BEG HIMSELF AND SUFFERG SOUL-STROYG HOMOPHOBIA, ALSO HAS A HARD TIME ACTUALLY SAYG BOTH THE THGS OUT LOUD. IT EDG AROUND ALL THE ISSU ’S REALLY ABOUT. THE SUBTLETY IS SUPPOSED TO BE EMBRACG, I GUS, BUT FEELS TRATGLY TIMID. THE MAKERS MAY SAY THEIR SHOW IS SET 1981, AND THGS WERE CERTALY DIFFERENT THEN. BUT THE SHOW IS ABOUT A YOUNG QUEER KID, AND SEEMS TO BE AIMED AT KIDS OF NOW, SO REALLY WOULD BENEF OM BEG MORE BLATANT AND BLUNT. THE MIL IS RIVED OM THE 1995 AMY AWARD-WNG SHORT FILM TREVOR, OM WHICH GREW THE MUCH-VALUED TREVOR PROJECT, THE WORLD’S LARGT SUICI PREVENTN AND CRISIS TERVENTN ANIZATN FOR LGBTQ YOUNG PEOPLE. (THE MIL IS NOT AFFILIATED WH THE NON-PROF.) DPE SOCIAL PROGRS, THE TREVOR PROJECT HELPS YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL BEG ISOLATED, REJECTED, AND BULLIED BEE OF THEIR SEXUAL AND GENR INTI—AND SO IS VALUABLE TO HAVE A STAGE SHOW LIKE TREVOR HIGHLIGHTG AN ONGOG, PIERCG ISSUE. NOTE TO PRODUCERS: GIVEN THE LEVEL OF LEGISLATIVE ATTACKS AIMED AT THEM RIGHT NOW, WOULD BE GOOD TO SEE A SIAR PROJECT FOCED ON TRANS TEENS.MAYBE S MAKERS TEND TREVOR (HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER) TO BE AN ALL-PURPOSE DIFFERENT KID. HE’S VERY MP, SWEET, TELLIGENT, ALREADY OVER THE ABSURD AND NSTRAG WORLD AROUND HIM. BUT WHERE AN ADULT DIENCE MIGHT READ “NFINT GAY KID,” THE MIL REMDS THAT TREVOR ACTUALLY, LIKE MANY PEOPLE (PECIALLY KIDS), IS NOT SURE WHAT HE IS AND SURE AS HELL HASN’T PUT ANY KD OF LABEL ON ANYTHG. HE HASN’T ASSUMED ANY INTY. HAGELBERGER HAS AMAZG ENERGY; HE THROWS HIMSELF AROUND THE STAGE, HE’S FUNNY, SHARP, HE DON’T SUFFER FOOLS. AT THE BEGNG OF THE SHOW, HE DON’T SEEM HOBBLED BY ANGUISH. HIS HERO IS DIANA ROSS, AND THE SHOW’S STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IS BY YASMEEN SULIEMAN PLAYG ROSS AS A DREAM FIGURE, DISPENSG WISDOM VIA SNATCH OF HER SONGS, AND DRSED ONE SEQU-SHIMMERG KNOCKOUT GOWN AFTER ANOTHER BY STUMER MARA BLUMENFELD.TREVOR CHANG AS PROGRS—AND THE NATURE OF THE CHANGE IS DARKER AND MORE DRAMATIC THAN DIENCE MIGHT EXPECT. HE FALLS LOVE AND LT, ALL SMOOSHED TOGETHER, WH THE SCHOOL JOCK PKY (SAMMY DELL), AND AWFULNS ENSU WHEN A UPLE OF MALIGN BULLI SCHEME TO DRIVE HIM OVER THE EDGE.BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POT THE MIL MATAS THE CHEER OF A PEP RALLY WH PUMPED-UP SONGS AND CHOREOGRAPHY, AS TREVOR RALLI THE SCHOOL JOCKS, CLUDG PKY, TO PERFORM A SONG AND DANCE REVUE. AT THIS STAGE, TREVOR AS CHARACTER AND MIL SEEMS TO BE FLYG ABOVE TYPIL BOUNDARI AND CLASSIFITNS, WHOSE QUEERNS IS TRIUMPHANT AND UNFED—AND TRANSFORMATIVE FOR THOSE AROUND HIM. BUT THEN THGS TAKE A TURN, AND WHEN TREVOR’S CSH ON PKY IS REVEALED, AND HE FDS HIMSELF ISOLATED AND TEASED AT SCHOOL, HIS THOUGHTS TURN TO ENDG HIS LIFE.HERE, THE MIL CHANG PLETELY—AND GO TO AN APPOSELY DARK PLACE, HOSPAL BED AND ALL. THERE IS A TOUCHG NVERSATN WH A KD NURSE, AND A FAR TOO HURRIED ROLUTN, WHICH MOST EGREGLY LETS TREVOR’S PERSECUTORS ALMOST PLETELY OFF THE HOOK. AT LEAST LET THE GAY KID HAVE A GOOD OLD-FASHNED REVENGE PLEASE AGAST THE VILLAS, HE DO NOT HAVE TO BE NOBLE ALL THE TIME! “IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN.” IT’S UNRSTANDABLE THAT THE CREATORS OF THE MIL DON’T TAKE THE MIL DOWN THE FULL DARK ROUTE, AND SEE TREVOR END HIS LIFE. THE MSAGE, RIGHTLY, IS THAT LGBTQ KIDS SHOULD, MT, LIVE. BUT ONE WONRS ABOUT THE DRAMATIC AND DIENCE-NONTATNAL POSSIBILI THE MORE BTAL STORY TURN WOULD HAVE YIELD. AS IS, THE SHOW DO NOT ADDRS THE MAGNU OF TREVOR’S ATTEMPT TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE, AND THE BULLYG THAT LED TO . THERE ARE GENERAL DISCSNS ABOUT VALUG YOURSELF, AND EMBRACG SOME KD OF FUTURE. IT IS ALL VERY OPRAH MEETS AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL. THAT IS VALUABLE, OF URSE, AND TREVOR IS RTORED TO HIS NFINT SELF AT THE END, LOOKG AHEAD AND TO H POSSIBILI. SAMMY DELL, LEFT CENTER, HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER, RIGHT, AND THE PANY OF "TREVOR: THE MIL."JOAN MARC BUT GIVEN THE GRAVY OF THE MIL’S THEM, ALSO TIPTO AROUND THOSE THEM. IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN. IF YOU HAVE SEEN A SHOW LIKE THE BRILLIANT BETIFUL THG ON SCREEN AND STAGE, WHICH TACKL SIAR THEM, YOU FEEL THE DRAMATIC LACK TREVOR.MY ADULT DISAPPOTMENT HOW MEEK TREVOR IS AS A SHOW WAS BALANCED BY THE SIGHT OF THE MOM AND DAD ONT OF ME WH THEIR KID, ALL THREE OF THEM ABSOLUTELY ENGROSSED, AND ALSO MOM AND DAD WATCHG THEIR KID FOR THEIR RPONS, AND OCSNALLY SQUEEZG THEIR ARM WH REASSURANCE OR REGNN. THEY WERE NOT ALONE. THERE WERE OTHER FAI AND YOUNG PEOPLE THERE TOO. AND SO MAYBE TREVOR IS DOG SOMETHG FAR MORE IMPORTANT, TERMS OF PROVIDG A SENSE OF BELONGG, OR TREVOR HIMSELF AS A FIGURE ON STAGE SPEAKG VERY DIRECTLY TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE THE SHOW SEEMS TO BE ADDRSG. WHEREVER TREVOR FALLS SHORT AS A PIECE OF THEATER MAY BE MORE THAN OFFSET BY THE GOOD IS DOG. TIM TEEMAN

'TREVOR,' A MIL ABOUT A GAY TEEN, BUTS A WORLD THAT STILL NEEDS HIM

8860Parents, Fai and Friends of Lbians and Gays (natn’s largt fay and ally anizatn): Instute for Welg Rourc (ternatnal anizatn workg to make church bee welg and affirmg spac for all ngregants regardls of sexual orientatn and genr inty): welgrourc.

Sue Carnas-Soto is a Copywrer at The Trevor Project, the leadg suici preventn and mental health anizatn for lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr, queer & qutng (LGBTQ) young people. "Pri: The Story of Harvey Milk and the Rabow Flag" by Rob Sanrs and Steven SalernoThis book tells the te story of the gay pri flag, om s begng wh Harvey Milk and his dream of equaly. "I have been gay my entire life, sce I was a child.

JOHN OLIVER'S GAY RABB BOOK PARODY OUTSELLS MIKE PENCE'S ORIGAL ON AMAZON

Though some of that live big ci n feel like half of the world is gay, 's a stark difference om many livg small towns.

"I was takg my mom somewhere one day and she jt asked 'are you gay? "I was so sred of what actually meant to ll yourself gay so even the first man I dated, I still thought that afterwards I was gog to eventually meet a girl and get married bee that's what men did, " he said. "But I was steadfast that like 'I'm gay and I probably shouldn't have been talg to someone that was 20 but I'm not gog to therapy, '" he said.

‘TREVOR’ IS A GAY TEEN ON THE EDGE. LUCKILY, DIANA ROSS IS THERE, TOO.ENDLESS LOVE‘TREVOR’ IS A MIL ABOUT A GAY TEEN, BULLIED TO THE POT OF ATTEMPTG SUICI. WHAT SOMETIM LACKS AS A PIECE OF THEATER IS MORE THAN MA UP FOR BY S POWERFUL MSAGE.TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED NOV. 11, 2021 9:15AM EST / PUBLISHED NOV. 10, 2021 10:49PM EST JOAN MARCIN SOME WAYS FEELS ODD AS AN ADULT TO WATCH THE MIL TREVOR: THE MIL, WHICH OPENED TONIGHT NEW YORK (BOOKG TO APRIL 17, 2022 AT STAGE 42). IT SEEMS TONALLY LIKE ’S REALLY AIMED AT CHILDREN OR TEENAGERS, WHOSE WORLD CENTERS. THE PARENTS AND ADULTS LOOM LARGE AS RTOON CUTOUTS, AND THE ACTN TAK PLACE MOSTLY SCHOOL HALLS AND KIDS’ BEDROOMS. FOR A MIL ABOUT A 13-YEAR-OLD GAY KID SIMULTANEOLY TERMEDLY BEG HIMSELF AND SUFFERG SOUL-STROYG HOMOPHOBIA, ALSO HAS A HARD TIME ACTUALLY SAYG BOTH THE THGS OUT LOUD. IT EDG AROUND ALL THE ISSU ’S REALLY ABOUT. THE SUBTLETY IS SUPPOSED TO BE EMBRACG, I GUS, BUT FEELS TRATGLY TIMID. THE MAKERS MAY SAY THEIR SHOW IS SET 1981, AND THGS WERE CERTALY DIFFERENT THEN. BUT THE SHOW IS ABOUT A YOUNG QUEER KID, AND SEEMS TO BE AIMED AT KIDS OF NOW, SO REALLY WOULD BENEF OM BEG MORE BLATANT AND BLUNT. THE MIL IS RIVED OM THE 1995 AMY AWARD-WNG SHORT FILM TREVOR, OM WHICH GREW THE MUCH-VALUED TREVOR PROJECT, THE WORLD’S LARGT SUICI PREVENTN AND CRISIS TERVENTN ANIZATN FOR LGBTQ YOUNG PEOPLE. (THE MIL IS NOT AFFILIATED WH THE NON-PROF.) DPE SOCIAL PROGRS, THE TREVOR PROJECT HELPS YOUNG LGBTQ PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL BEG ISOLATED, REJECTED, AND BULLIED BEE OF THEIR SEXUAL AND GENR INTI—AND SO IS VALUABLE TO HAVE A STAGE SHOW LIKE TREVOR HIGHLIGHTG AN ONGOG, PIERCG ISSUE. NOTE TO PRODUCERS: GIVEN THE LEVEL OF LEGISLATIVE ATTACKS AIMED AT THEM RIGHT NOW, WOULD BE GOOD TO SEE A SIAR PROJECT FOCED ON TRANS TEENS.MAYBE S MAKERS TEND TREVOR (HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER) TO BE AN ALL-PURPOSE DIFFERENT KID. HE’S VERY MP, SWEET, TELLIGENT, ALREADY OVER THE ABSURD AND NSTRAG WORLD AROUND HIM. BUT WHERE AN ADULT DIENCE MIGHT READ “NFINT GAY KID,” THE MIL REMDS THAT TREVOR ACTUALLY, LIKE MANY PEOPLE (PECIALLY KIDS), IS NOT SURE WHAT HE IS AND SURE AS HELL HASN’T PUT ANY KD OF LABEL ON ANYTHG. HE HASN’T ASSUMED ANY INTY. HAGELBERGER HAS AMAZG ENERGY; HE THROWS HIMSELF AROUND THE STAGE, HE’S FUNNY, SHARP, HE DON’T SUFFER FOOLS. AT THE BEGNG OF THE SHOW, HE DON’T SEEM HOBBLED BY ANGUISH. HIS HERO IS DIANA ROSS, AND THE SHOW’S STANDOUT PERFORMANCE IS BY YASMEEN SULIEMAN PLAYG ROSS AS A DREAM FIGURE, DISPENSG WISDOM VIA SNATCH OF HER SONGS, AND DRSED ONE SEQU-SHIMMERG KNOCKOUT GOWN AFTER ANOTHER BY STUMER MARA BLUMENFELD.TREVOR CHANG AS PROGRS—AND THE NATURE OF THE CHANGE IS DARKER AND MORE DRAMATIC THAN DIENCE MIGHT EXPECT. HE FALLS LOVE AND LT, ALL SMOOSHED TOGETHER, WH THE SCHOOL JOCK PKY (SAMMY DELL), AND AWFULNS ENSU WHEN A UPLE OF MALIGN BULLI SCHEME TO DRIVE HIM OVER THE EDGE.BEFORE WE GET TO THAT POT THE MIL MATAS THE CHEER OF A PEP RALLY WH PUMPED-UP SONGS AND CHOREOGRAPHY, AS TREVOR RALLI THE SCHOOL JOCKS, CLUDG PKY, TO PERFORM A SONG AND DANCE REVUE. AT THIS STAGE, TREVOR AS CHARACTER AND MIL SEEMS TO BE FLYG ABOVE TYPIL BOUNDARI AND CLASSIFITNS, WHOSE QUEERNS IS TRIUMPHANT AND UNFED—AND TRANSFORMATIVE FOR THOSE AROUND HIM. BUT THEN THGS TAKE A TURN, AND WHEN TREVOR’S CSH ON PKY IS REVEALED, AND HE FDS HIMSELF ISOLATED AND TEASED AT SCHOOL, HIS THOUGHTS TURN TO ENDG HIS LIFE.HERE, THE MIL CHANG PLETELY—AND GO TO AN APPOSELY DARK PLACE, HOSPAL BED AND ALL. THERE IS A TOUCHG NVERSATN WH A KD NURSE, AND A FAR TOO HURRIED ROLUTN, WHICH MOST EGREGLY LETS TREVOR’S PERSECUTORS ALMOST PLETELY OFF THE HOOK. AT LEAST LET THE GAY KID HAVE A GOOD OLD-FASHNED REVENGE PLEASE AGAST THE VILLAS, HE DO NOT HAVE TO BE NOBLE ALL THE TIME! “IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN.” IT’S UNRSTANDABLE THAT THE CREATORS OF THE MIL DON’T TAKE THE MIL DOWN THE FULL DARK ROUTE, AND SEE TREVOR END HIS LIFE. THE MSAGE, RIGHTLY, IS THAT LGBTQ KIDS SHOULD, MT, LIVE. BUT ONE WONRS ABOUT THE DRAMATIC AND DIENCE-NONTATNAL POSSIBILI THE MORE BTAL STORY TURN WOULD HAVE YIELD. AS IS, THE SHOW DO NOT ADDRS THE MAGNU OF TREVOR’S ATTEMPT TO TAKE HIS OWN LIFE, AND THE BULLYG THAT LED TO . THERE ARE GENERAL DISCSNS ABOUT VALUG YOURSELF, AND EMBRACG SOME KD OF FUTURE. IT IS ALL VERY OPRAH MEETS AFTER-SCHOOL SPECIAL. THAT IS VALUABLE, OF URSE, AND TREVOR IS RTORED TO HIS NFINT SELF AT THE END, LOOKG AHEAD AND TO H POSSIBILI. SAMMY DELL, LEFT CENTER, HOLN WILLIAM HAGELBERGER, RIGHT, AND THE PANY OF "TREVOR: THE MIL."JOAN MARC BUT GIVEN THE GRAVY OF THE MIL’S THEM, ALSO TIPTO AROUND THOSE THEM. IT BRAVELY SETS OUT TO NONT SOMETHG, THEN SHI OM THE DARKNS OF THE NONTATN. IF YOU HAVE SEEN A SHOW LIKE THE BRILLIANT BETIFUL THG ON SCREEN AND STAGE, WHICH TACKL SIAR THEM, YOU FEEL THE DRAMATIC LACK TREVOR.MY ADULT DISAPPOTMENT HOW MEEK TREVOR IS AS A SHOW WAS BALANCED BY THE SIGHT OF THE MOM AND DAD ONT OF ME WH THEIR KID, ALL THREE OF THEM ABSOLUTELY ENGROSSED, AND ALSO MOM AND DAD WATCHG THEIR KID FOR THEIR RPONS, AND OCSNALLY SQUEEZG THEIR ARM WH REASSURANCE OR REGNN. THEY WERE NOT ALONE. THERE WERE OTHER FAI AND YOUNG PEOPLE THERE TOO. AND SO MAYBE TREVOR IS DOG SOMETHG FAR MORE IMPORTANT, TERMS OF PROVIDG A SENSE OF BELONGG, OR TREVOR HIMSELF AS A FIGURE ON STAGE SPEAKG VERY DIRECTLY TO THE YOUNG PEOPLE THE SHOW SEEMS TO BE ADDRSG. WHEREVER TREVOR FALLS SHORT AS A PIECE OF THEATER MAY BE MORE THAN OFFSET BY THE GOOD IS DOG. TIM TEEMAN

Apparently Bex Banks was the last to fd out he was gay. Though he was engaged gay sex, he didn't intify as gay.

At age 21, his mom had enouugh and mand an explatn for the gay porn she was fdg on the puter and phone. "Once I had the nversatn wh my mom, I had no problem sayg I was gay, " he said. "I was actually rehab when I was 16 years old and I thk a part of why I end up gog to rehab was the difficulty I had wh acceptg myself as a gay person, " Sharok said.

For him, beg gay was a ath sentence beg that he grew up the 1990s durg the HIV/AIDS epimic and a fay member died of the disease. "At that pot was kd of like an emotnal avalanche and I jt let all out and told her that I was gay. " Fran said that while they have grown to accept him, his fay still believ he shouldn't act on his homosexualy.