HW 13

Assignment Instructions:

Step 1: Answer the following questions:

1) Utilizing the content in this module, explain the difference between sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, and gender expression. Apply these terms appropriately to the individuals portrayed in the video Out in the Open. 

2) Bieschke Chapters: Bieschke, K., Perez, R., DeBord, K. (2010). Handbook of counseling & psychotherapy with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Clients. American Psychological Association.

2a) Summarize one of the identity development models presented.

You can discuss Development of Bisexual men’s identities and relationship: Chapter 5

4a) Take the Counselor Competency Quiz  Counselor Competency Scale .docx and read over the Sexual Orientation and Gender Privilege Checklist  Sexual Orientation and Gender Privilege.pdf .

4b) What was surprising in your results (from the quiz and the checklist)?

4c) What Knowledge - Awareness - Skills do you need to develop in order to practice from an affirming/affirmative place? Be specific.

Below is the transcript of the video in case you are unable to pull it up.

https://video-alexanderstreet-com.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/watch/out-in-the-open/transcript?context=channel:documentary-274

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT: 

00:00:00[sil.] 

00:00:05REAL STREAM PRODUCTIONS 

00:00:10HOMOSEXUALS AND YOU! 

00:00:15UNKNOWN Homosexuality is a recent and rapidly growing epidemic that posses' great threat for today's society. 

00:00:20[sil.] 

00:00:25UNKNOWN In of our studies one out of two people find a very thought of homosexuality, vulgar and frightening. One never knows when the homosexual is about. The homosexual disguises himself as a regular person carrying out the day to day tasks of regular citizens. But don't be fooled, our recent shows that the homosexuals sent directly from hell on a mission from saving to destroy the very foundation on which this great nation stands. 

00:00:55UNKNOWN The ultimate agenda of homosexual to give the entire world's population-Aids. They're coming, they attack without warning. You too may be infected with homosexual agenda and not even know. Here are some warning signs that you or someone will love is been affected by the homosexual agenda. Do you take pride in your appearance? 

00:01:15GAY 

00:01:20UNKNOWN Have you ever incurred an injury while playing sport and rush to your local hospital, rather than walking it off? Ladies, do you ever fantasize of anything other than the natural life of loving servitude your husband? 

00:01:35LESBIAN 

00:01:40UNKNOWN Gentleman, do you prefer to take your car to mechanic? Rather than spending hours in your garage, fixing it yourself? 

00:01:45[sil.] 

00:01:50UNKNOWN Ladies, do you spend hours fixing your car rather than talking it to a mechanic? 

00:01:55[sil.] 

00:02:00UNKNOWN A homosexual is a master of black magic. Most citizens consider homosexuality more harmful to society but adultery, prostitution and abortion combined. The homosexual's stapes for disapproving higher society by collecting a known clubs, bar, coffee shops. Some have even been known to invade whole areas of town. Commonly known as 'Gayborhoods' or 'Gay Ghettos.' The homosexuals are promiscuous creature and incapable of everlasting loving relationship with another human being, life out of the heterosexual counterparts. Be afraid, be worried, be on the watch, because the next homosexual, you see, could be coming for you. 

00:02:40OUT IN THE OPEN 

00:02:40UNKNOWN Burbank, California, home to Warner Brother Studios, Disney Studios NBC Studios and a Bob's Big Boy. A quaint suburb of bustling Los Angles with a population of 43 people. Here is an average condominium in an average part of town. An average looking door, an average looking fountain. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Here we see the photographs of two normal men living their lives like normal everyday guys. Ah, but what's this? There is something different about these two handsome fellows. For it would seem that they are in fact homosexual. That's right, two men who like each other in a more than friendly kind of way. 

00:03:40[music] 

00:03:45Matthew Smith 

00:03:45ACTOR, PRODUCER 

00:03:45MATTHEW SMITH I like walk down… oh, God, it's all so weird… and then these two big arms got behind me, it was him and had a drink in each hand, he gave me one, he gave one big hug and then went up stairs and we were going to go out and, you know, tour around the city that night went up just talking for hours, and hours, and hours, and uh… and that was it. I knew that I was in love with him. 

00:04:00UNKNOWN Love? Hmm, I been told homosexuals are incapable of feeling such things. They look noble enough but what goes on inside a homosexual household? Come with us, as we dive deeper into the mysterious world of the homosexual. 

00:04:20[music] 

00:04:25Solly Hemus 

00:04:25MATT'S BOYFRIEND 

00:04:25SOLLY HEMUS But we met through Twitter and talked through last two years just kind of on Twitter and surfing in by then he… he will say differently but he was the one that emailed me to…. asking me here. I think he's like you're cute and some… I don't know but we started talking. So, he's the one that stalking me, not other way around. 

00:04:50UNKNOWN So, it seems the homo-sexual stalks, it's made before devouring its heterosexuality and converting to his ways of the dark. As the homosexual prepares himself for a day of homosexual things, he puts in his special eyes and brushes his fangs. Everything needs to be just right for the homosexual to carry out his homosexual activities. Did I mention? He's a homosexual. 

00:05:20SOLLY HEMUS I'm Solly Hemus, I'm from Pleasanton in California. Definitely didn't come out till after high school so I was interested in screwing up, kind of knowing but not really being true to myself. To me, I don't think anything spark day, it was just something I've always known, growing up you know you get called names or being gay and I definitely had that experience as a kid growing up. 

00:05:50UNKNOWN What if other homosexuals? Are there others like him? 

00:05:55Carson Kressley 

00:05:55TELEVISION HOST 

00:05:55CARSON KRESSLEY And for a lot of people I would run into them on the streets and they would say, you know what you're the first gay guy ever really ran across or knew and you're pretty amazing, you're really cool, and you're just trying to help these straight guys uh… we like you umm…or, you know, gay kids might come up to me and the best thing in the entire world and the best thing about uh… cry for the straight guy is when a young person comes up and says I was able to talk to my family about being gay because of your show because they create a dialogue in our house, we watched it together and my family was laughing so, I knew they weren't umm… hating on the gays. 

00:06:30UNKNOWN But, what about the parents? Does a mother even know what her son is a homosexual? Does she even have an inkling? 

00:06:40MATT'S MOM 

00:06:40UNKNOWN You know, when he was two, I had an inkling. 

00:06:45ERIC & ELIZA ROBERTS 

00:06:45ACTORS 

00:06:45ELIZA ROBERTS Then my daughter was born and umm… she… umm… I knew by the time she was…. probably around 16 months old that she was gay. 

00:06:55UNKNOWN The general population refers to them as homosexuals but how do they identify themselves? 

00:07:00CARSON KRESSLEY Now, how do I identify myself? No one asked me that before. 

00:07:05AMASHA ALEXANDER SCOTT 

00:07:05LIFEWORKS YOUTH PROGRAM 

00:07:05AMASHA ALEXANDER SCOTT I identify as a transgender, male to female. 

00:07:10CARSON KRESSLEY I guess as I'm I supposed to be like a G and L or B or a T, or S? Or a Q? Or an A? um… Is there a F? What's the F for? Is that for that for friend? Fluid. Yeah, do I have? No, I don't have any Fluid, thank you though umm… I've heard of fluid. Umm… they sound very interesting! Umm… no, I am the big fat G, yes. I'm G as you can be. 

00:07:40Josh Strickland 

00:07:40ACTOR, SINGER 

00:07:40JOSH STRICKLAND I guess that was always something that really just was… so hard for me to come to terms with because I didn't feel different. I felt like I was just being myself and just being who I was and never knew that, there is anything wrong with that. 

00:07:50MATTHEW SMITH I know, I had such a different gay experience like my whole coming out was positive. When I figured out I was gay. It was okay and I know a lot of that just comes from the environment and the place that I live, which was on the northeast, which very accepted up there umm… and my parents, and my family, my friends and growing older, I just… I was Matt and that's I needed to be. 

00:08:15THE SMITH FAMILY 

00:08:15UNKNOWN How odd this family? Almost seems normal. 

00:08:20SOLLY HEMUS How did Matt come up to you all? 

00:08:20UNKNOWN For me? 

00:08:25UNKNOWN Actually, he was, yeah, we were taking a ride and uh… mom just told us that the… 

00:08:30UNKNOWN No, he told you. 

00:08:30UNKNOWN Told me that you're gay and I was like well… Maybe, we could cure able to fellow or something, you know? 

00:08:35UNKNOWN That's not what, you said… You said, I remember him say oh… I don't care, I love him anyway! He's like first stun silence. 

00:08:45MATTHEW SMITH No, wait. I like this version. 

00:08:50UNKNOWN It's interesting, right? 

00:08:50MATTHEW SMITH That's so I happened. 

00:08:50UNKNOWN No, but, you know. It was kind of like a shock, for us. 

00:08:55MATTHEW SMITH Was it? 

00:08:55CARSON KRESSLEY Okay. Here's the crazy is the coming out story. 

00:09:00Greg Louganis 

00:09:00OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST 

00:09:00GREG LOUGANIS I turned to my mom and I said, you know, Kevin and I more than just roommates, we were lovers and she said I know son. What's for dinner? 

00:09:05SOLLY HEMUS Once I met Matt, sat her down, I told her, hey, I met someone and the first thing, she said was thank God I thought you would be alone forever. 

00:09:15MIRANDA FOSTER Then I said to her, you know, like mom just saying, you know, I think I'm probably going to date a girl soon and… she would say no… no, you're not. And umm… if we were out somewhere I would purposely try to let her know like if I saw a woman that I thought was attractive, I would say mum, Like that girl, I think that girl is attractive. Oh… Miranda no. 

00:09:35CARSON KRESSLEY So, I was approaching thirty and I'm getting all this pressure from my friends, just to do it and now I've been hired to do a television show called 'Queer Eye for the Straight Guy'. Of which I'm basically one of the stars and there is a photo spread coming out on the cover of T.V. Guide. Which everybody in Allen town including my parents receives in the mail, umm… that's coming out like on a Tuesday and now it's like Saturday and I'm like I've got to tell my family. umm… So, I had them pick me up at the train station. We're driving the car. Thank God there was a torrential downpour and thunderstorm and my mom was driving her mini van and I knew that if I told her right then, there couldn't freak out or we be killed in a car accident because driving is too treacherous. So, I told her and she's like okay, next umm… So, it was one of those scenarios where like they kind of knew all along. Hello. 

00:10:30KIRA SMITH 

00:10:30MATT'S SISTER 

00:10:30MATTHEW SMITH He was since we met uh… spends weeks, I thought you knew that I was gay with my last boyfriend? 

00:10:30KIRA SMITH No, 

00:10:30MATTHEW SMITH No? 

00:10:35KIRA SMITH 'cause you weren't that connected. 

00:10:35MATTHEW SMITH We weren't that connected! But we slept in the same bed. 

00:10:40KIRA SMITH You did? 

00:10:40MATTHEW SMITH We lived in a… 

00:10:40UNKNOWN Like most homosexuals. Matthew works in the entertainment industry, fashioning, motion pictures, one can see at their local Cineplex or drive-in. 

00:10:50MATTHEW SMITH And I was thinking about what I do making movies and, and media like that's my way of expressing love, for what I believe in and for the people I believe in. Umm… I think everybody has their own way of showing… you know, or I guess everybody has their own way of showing what they love and showing who they love that they love them, and it all comes down to that and when you're good at so, you know, if you're a good writer write something, if you're a good singer, sings something, if you're a good mechanic, you know, fix… fix cars, I saw a really cool news piece from like George about some young gay kid who got beat up at college and his car got destroyed like four times in a month and this auto body shop, who I believe in one thing, it was just gay, saw the story and reached out to the kid and they built him a brand new car. So, it doesn't have to be necessarily something in the creative field, I mean whatever you're good at there's a way to show your support and your activism. 

00:11:55UNKNOWN Equipped with the tricks learned in Hollywood, the homosexual forces his agenda upon an unsuspecting world. 

00:12:00MATTHEW SMITH I have to probe my health with a lot of…, the gay rights activists. Is you can't expect, every stray person to know, what's going on in the community. Just like you can't expect summer from Cincinnati, you know, what's going on in Philadelphia, every we… you know, moment of the it's like… everybody is their in problems, everybody has their own lives and I understand that and I know that umm… so, that's what I mean, when I say like we have to change the fight or we have to change it from fight to a talk we need to communicate with each other as people umm… because I know a lot of gay people who get very upset when straight people don't know, what's going on and it's like well, I don't know what's going on the straight world, am I supposed to… you know like… Say get off your high horse. Everybody needs to go off their high horses. We all do we take you communions to get off their high horse. I need to go off my high horse. Straight people need to go off their high horse. Publicans, Democrats, every distinct, their just level, let's just get on the common ground and have a conversation, is that's really what needs to happen. 

00:13:00Patrick Burke 

00:13:00SCOUT – PHILADELPHIA FLYERS 

00:13:00PATRICK BURKE To me being straight ally is just someone who tries to stand up to the L.G.B.T.Q. community when they can. It's about eliminating casual homophobia from your everyday speech. It's about taking proactive steps joining in an organization, whether it's you can play, whether it's helping the Trevor Project whether it's P-Flag, whatever it might be, you know, there's so many numerous groups doing this work taking active steps to show members of the L.G.B.T.Q community, that you support them, you don't judge them on their orientation and I think it's important that we have the straight allies speak out umm… because we are the majority just statistically there are more of us than there are gay people and we need to stand up and let them know that's not an issue for us. 

00:13:45MATT & LAMAR'S COMPANY 

00:13:45REAL STREAM PRODUCTIONS 

00:13:45UNKNOWN Who Could imagined a world, where normal people and the homosexuals actually get along, not in this life time. 

00:13:55Lamar Billups 

00:13:55AUTHOR, PRODUCER 

00:13:55LAMAR BILLUPS I'm Lamar Billups, I'm 47 years old. I grew up on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi. 

00:14:00UNKNOWN You're straight? 

00:14:00LAMAR BILLUPS I'm straight. We had gay people in our family and there wasn't any… we just… it… didn't, the issue never came up. 

00:14:15UNKNOWN The issue may never come up for you, madam, but how are the rest of us supposed to understand how homo sexual love works? 

00:14:20MATTHEW SMITH With don't I love about him. I love every single fiber, every cell of my boy. I mean he just makes me happier than I've ever been and I've been through hell and back, and every day when I get home every morning I wake up and he's there it is just like be biggest breath of fresh air and he makes me smile and laugh, Oh God, he makes me laugh so much. Umm…I've never been happier ever and I don't think that should be nied… denied to anybody, happiness umm… I don't think it's anybody's business, who I date or who anybody dates because love is love and happiness is happiness and that's what it really comes down to… say, I love you, Matt, you're the love of my life and you mean the world to me. I love you, Solly. Keeps that. Thank you, you silly. 

00:15:10SOLLY HEMUS For what? 

00:15:10MATTHEW SMITH For the flowers. 

00:15:15SOLLY HEMUS What flowers? 

00:15:15MATTHEW SMITH The one that say in your handwriting, Matt, you're the love of my life and you mean the world to me. I love you, Solly. 

00:15:25SOLLY HEMUS Oh yeah! 

00:15:25MATTHEW SMITH Uh… you forgot? 

00:15:25SOLLY HEMUS Who did that? Weird. 

00:15:30MATTHEW SMITH That… that's very sweet and you don't have any other carnations in there. 

00:15:30UNKNOWN Well, it seems like the world of the homosexual one big happy place. So, what's the big freaking deal? 

00:15:40CARSON KRESSLEY And then this is when it gets really good. Middle school happens and then you start umm… getting called Fag. Faggots, sissy, uh… umm… homo umm… and that you know, you're just, you have no safe place to go. I mean the thing about growing up gay and the thing about bullying and the thing about umm… feeling like you're the only one. If you are the only like black kid in your class, you got home and odds are your parents are probably black too and you can identify with them. They say don't worry, we're here for you. This is your safe place. When you grow up gay, you don't have anyone to turn to because you feel like you're this deep dark secret that if you tell anybody. They, you know, the worst thing will happen, they won't love you anymore. So you can't tell your friends, you can't tell your family, you don't, you're too afraid to tell your teachers. Umm… so you're really, really alone with that. 

00:16:30SHARITA ROBERTS 

00:16:30SOLLY'S FRIEND 

00:16:30SHARITA ROBERTS How's times school for you? 

00:16:35SOLLY HEMUS First half wasn't great. Middle school sucked. Elementary school sucked and that was just because people are bullies and I blamed parents for not raising their children correctly, though. 

00:16:45SHARITA ROBERTS You were out in my school? 

00:16:45SOLLY HEMUS No. 

00:16:45SHARITA ROBERTS Oh, okay. 

00:16:50SOLLY HEMUS But definitely made fun off and horrible time in school. I'd go home and crying, all the time. 

00:16:55UNKNOWN Like verbally have…? 

00:17:00SOLLY HEMUS Oh yeah, verbally. Just verbal things feel sick, call me the F, word, call me fag, just call me uh… just… call me a girl, call me just say anything to put me down, put me in a crappy place but I hated school because of it. 

00:17:15GREG LOUGANIS You know, 'cause I did try to commit suicide, you know, when I was really young. Umm… I told my mom that I could understand how, you know, because I also suffered from depression. umm… I told my mom that I could understand how somebody could die of sadness I didn't look at suicide quite the way, that it… that it's selfish and taking your own life and that's one thing I… I just, I could see how somebody could be so sad that the alternative was you know it was better. 

00:17:50AMASHA ALEXANDER SCOTT When my mother passed away umm… when I was like 10. She had AIDS and uh… my father is in prison but that next fast home went too, I was there for six years. That's when… I want to kill myself, that's when, you know, there was just that was that for me. I was miserable every day I used to dread coming home from school, you know, 'cause this… this man, you know, he's was the devil. So yeah, he did things, you know bad things! 

00:18:35CARSON KRESSLEY I remember like in seventh grade going into the bathroom, when school would start and dry heaving and trying to frug, 'cause I was so like nervous and scared freaked out. I didn't eat anything so of course I couldn't do anything but I was just, you know, that's how like nervous I was. 

00:18:50VANESSA SELBST 

00:18:50PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER 

00:18:50VANESSA SELBST Didn't necessarily have the greatest high school experience. Umm… I came out… I didn't come up to my senior of high school and so freshman third junior. I think it was all a bit rough sometimes or get made fun of for being a pretty big tomboy a lot and I didn't have the best self-esteem because of it. 

00:19:10JOSH STRICKLAND 

00:19:10ACTOR, SINGER 

00:19:10JOSH STRICKLAND As I was getting older and learning more things I kind of felt this emptiness inside of me that I was… I don't know it was just always this whole that I was trying to fill it. 

00:19:15JARIKA SMITH 

00:19:15LIFE WORKS YOUTH PROGRAM 

00:19:15JARIKA SMITH You know, before I was like okay. I'm… I'm this person everybody made me, you have to be. You know, I'm this person that live in the two separate lifestyles all of my life and becoming that one person that they want to me come… becoming the way that they want me to walk, I'm walking that way. The way they want me to close the door, closing door that way. You know, the way they would want me to do this in life and doing it that way. The goals, they want me to reach out, reached out. But what do I want? What makes me happy? 

00:19:40JASON SOMERVILLE 

00:19:40PROFESSIONAL POKER PLAYER 

00:19:40JASON SOMERVILLE As I got older and I really started to feel more of like be loneliness and more like the… it's the desire to be in a relationship that really filled me, then I started having that… that battle and eventually the right side won. 

00:19:55UNKNOWN All these thoughts start up… and I started getting really upset about it and I'm thinking why am I upset it's not like I did, now. But I think what was happening was I start to get really afraid I'm thinking, about people being bullied, I'm thinking about AIDS, I'm thinking about, you know, how is he gonna be treated as he grows up. 

00:20:15SOLLY HEMUS There's a lot of people that made fun of me, during school that are actually out now. So, I find that kind of funny. 

00:20:20REAL STREAM PRODUCTIONS 

00:20:20UNKNOWN Uh… So if the odds stacked against him. The homosexual must create an environment, where he feels safe and is able to flourish. 

00:20:30MATTHEW SMITH But I do get to be myself here and I get to be in projects and do things that uh… support the gay community rather than, take away. 

00:20:35UNKNOWN So, why did you create this company? What was… what comes behind the company? Was it more gloomy first? Then the company? 

00:20:45MATTHEW SMITH Umm… I don't know, Lamar, what the hell were you thinking? 

00:20:45LAMAR BILLUPS I have no idea, I think it was just a moment of insanity. 

00:20:50MATTHEW SMITH We were introduced, actually totally by accident. Her sister I knew and she called me and said you have to meet, you have to assist, she's just gonna love you guys, you're gonna be best friends, she is this, she does that blah, blah, blah, and you're going to have dinner with her New Orleans which was two hours from I was living at the time, tonight at seven. So I showed up at the address at seven and Lamar opened the door and 

00:21:15LAMAR BILLUPS Didn't know who was. 

00:21:15MATTHEW SMITH Her sister and I didn't tell her that we're having a dinner. 

00:21:20LAMAR BILLUPS One other reasons we chose to do socially contour's themes in your films, is to try to give a little something back to the community and educate anyone who might be curious or maybe uncertain. 

00:21:35SOLLY HEMUS Just hanging out in the office. Everyone so accepting, no one… no one even thinks it's weird if Matt comes up and kisses me, and hugs me, and shows affection which is a weird thing in other places. 

00:21:50LAMAR BILLUPS If they can know that their allies that there are places and people that will accept them exactly as they are and then that's good, that might… you know, maybe will save a life somewhere. 

00:22:05CARSON KRESSLEY I think like a lot of gay kids, you know, I… umm…wasn't good at sports and I didn't really like fitting with a lot of the kids at school. So I kind of retreated into my own fantasy world and umm… you know, became a dreamer and became artistic and really got into, you know, umm…dressing up dolls and riding horses and like basically everything that 9 year old girls do, I was into. Umm… but I do think that it… it in a way it's a blessing because it allows you to kind of, you know, pull back and really focus on yourself and become a dreamer and day dream, and kind of create your own world. 

00:22:45GREG LOUGANIS I was able to get a great education and in… in the Theeir (ph) Department. It was… it was a great experience uh… I found other gay people and found out that I, I wasn't alone. 

00:23:00JOSH STRICKLAND At the time didn't know what it was, didn't know how to deal with it. So I just kind of dove into singing, and performing, and doing what I love to do. 

00:23:10MATTHEW SMITH An another thing that's really something I'm passion about as I think a lot of the gay media and the gay T.V. shows of the shows that have the characters in the films they only need themselves. So you have this kind of problem where. Yes, there are gay films and yes there are gay T.V. shows and gay people. But the… the problem is that they gear them towards one audience which is the L.G.B.T.Q audience. And in doing so they only need straight alliances. 

00:23:40LEX KENNEDY I feel like the world is diverse. I feel like art should be a reflection of life, and the world and I feel like it's about time that we as artists stop saying oh… the media is like it's so bad, it's so bad. Yes, it's bad but like what are we gonna to do about it? We are the reflection of it. So, we have to start putting out stuff that is a reflection of us. Which is why I'm so like excited about programs like the program that I'm involved in because it's giving that space. If… if resources are allotted and the space is given, you'll be amazed what comes from it. 

00:24:15ELIZA ROBERTS I think the media in depicting members of the L.G. always get the initials next out. Umm… umm… I think that… that it's mixed that you have, you know, luckily we have people like Jane Velez Mitchell and you know people out there Anderson Cooper umm… so, you know, it's just an understanding that there's nothing special. You don't section things often and whatever. Umm… I think that still there's too much deliberate thought that goes into it and I'm… I wish we could come back in, you know, one hundred years or whatever and see how things are going. 

00:24:50MATTHEW SMITH Unfortunately, the way the media spins things and even the politicians themselves spin things is that everything's fine. 

00:25:00KEATON SIMONS 

00:25:00MUSCIAN 

00:25:00KEATON SIMONS I think the media does, you know, sometimes there's a very, very, good jobs. Sometimes a very, you know, very accurate. Sometimes really horrible and inaccurate. And I mean media is interesting in that way, you know, there's a… there's a lot of power, a lot of freedom and… and I… you know, it can be used to…to do a lot of good and but it can also be used to a lot of love harm. Umm… you know, I think… I think in general it just… it comes down to the same kind of thing, I think that's… it depends on who's… who's pulling the strings and who's paying the checks. 

00:25:35LEX KENNEDY I feel like the media is cater to one specific audience. And, that would be white males 18 to maybe 50. I would say 45, so, that's the audience. So, everything is going to be geared towards that audience. 

00:25:50VANESSA SELBST The gay people are portentous caricature is like if they're gay. It's because that's the funny thing about their, you know, about their person and you know that changing more now, you're seeing more and more things like that that are, you know, people are just gay because they just are and, that's great…. great and it's great to see those portrayals. In terms of media of gay people like real life gay people. Umm… they're sure saying it more definitely like more actors and actresses are coming out and there's, you know, I don't know I mean I think we're on the right road to get there nut it's still… it's still hard. 

00:26:25LEX KENNEDY So everything that's outside of that, you're not going to see and if you do, it's going to be skewed because it's coming from that perspective. 

00:26:35SOLLY HEMUS They never just portray a gay person as a normal human being that happens to be gay. They have to be super flame boy and… Put an image in everyone's head that if you're gay, you love unicorns and marching in parades. 

00:26:55UNKNOWN It appears that the homosexual's needs are much the same as regular people. The longing for companionship, love, and family seemed to be strong desires, almost, no more. 

00:27:10MATTHEW SMITH Would do you think if I was trans? 

00:27:10UNKNOWN I'm might just probably just be fine one of those. Share clothes with you or make up, or what ever, you know, Sally is adorable and he's got his quirky sense of humor, as does Matt. I hope that they stay together I hope as long as they're happy and they get along and, you know, they're enjoying their lives, that's what's important and you should… they should if they want to get married, that's fine, you know. 

00:27:40ELIZA ROBERTS My daughter's thinking about it now. She doesn't want to carry but she definitely wants kids and she'd like to be related to one of her children. 

00:27:45KEATON SIMONS For me my… my girlfriend and I are absolutely like not planning on getting married until… the gay marriage is legal. I mean there's no, I don't know how, I don't know if I would be able to feel okay about getting married if… if… if my sister was not legally able to do the same thing. It just doesn't make any sense to me. 

00:28:10SOLLY HEMUS I feel the whole thing with political and the marriage stuff, it's… it's unfair definitely for the gay community, they can't even get married but if you're straight, you can get married twenty times and have twenty divorces and that's okay in the eyes of the government and eyes of the church going people that are against us and it's unfair and I know it will change one day. It's just gonna be a process and I feel people need to understand like we're human too and it should be… just it's a right. I'm human, I've rights. I should be able to have the same rights as everyone. 

00:29:05UNKNOWN Religion, I think it's mostly man-made control systems that people have put in place from maybe true spiritual things that have happened over the ages but I think people family manipulate everybody by saying God wouldn't like this or you're going to hell for this if you're gay. 

00:29:25MATTHEW SMITH I can tell that's the funniest to be, to coming out of funniest thing. 

00:29:25UNKNOWN You know, in my mind is, you know, I think there's a lot of truth in the bible and all these religious doctrines they study comparative religions and I was stunned by how similar are their stories, also similar in how they manipulate stories to control people. So in my mind, you know, all the doctrines say the God made man in his own image and women or whatever. 

00:29:45MATTHEW SMITH Can I review the funniest thing ever? 

00:29:50UNKNOWN Yes. 

00:29:50MATTHEW SMITH This is great, I feel… 

00:29:50UNKNOWN God in… the his own image then there are gay people so… 

00:29:55UNKNOWN uh-huh… 

00:29:55MATTHEW SMITH Let me tell it twice, Ericka, this is the various things that Bible bands. Okay, Leviticus-19:27, bans cheating. Leviticus-19:16, bans gossip, Exodus-20:8 bans football on Saturday's, leviticus-11:10 bans eating lobster, Leviticus-11:7 bans eating pork. Leviticus-19:9 dance cotton polyester blend, so we're all going to hell and Leviticus-15:19 bans associating with women who are having their periods. 

00:30:25JOSH STRICKLAND I still am a Christian and I still believe in God and all that stuff but I really do think that were put here for a reason and were made in His image and there's no reason why we should feel like we can't be who we are. 

00:30:35AMASHA ALEXANDER SCOTT I love God, you know, I'm so spiritual, I listen to my gospel music and I read my Bible. 

00:30:40SOLLY HEMUS I don't think, I would ever get married or ever have children, but soon as we met like I think… we already talking about that a week to it so I guess we're for marriage now. Alright, I could see that happening. So, I'm totally for it. I think if you want to get married and have children, have children, married, very honestly. 

00:31:00MATTHEW SMITH It's Weird seeing two moms and a kid. It's weird seeing two dads and a kid. It's really, really strange. I mean this is because of the aware culture defines traditional parenting. It's bizarre. I mean it's the same thing I think that people went through, you know, and maybe still go through in certain areas, when they see a black man and a white woman or a black woman and a white man with a child. There is that… there's that feeling I'm not comfortable with this. This is weird. This looks funny. 

00:31:30UNKNOWN Marriage, children, the homosexual cannot create a healthy family environment without the use of black magic and now they're trying to poison the sacred institution of marriage. 

00:31:40UNKNOWN A Marriage, the age old institution between God, a man and ah… ah… I don't even know anymore. 

00:31:55REV. DAVE STAMBAUGH 

00:31:55FIRST METHOD EPISCOPAL CHURCH OF HOLLYWOOD 

00:31:55REV. DAVE STAMBAUGH The Bible says there's a lot of thing's, you can't be and can't do. There's a number of different ways to look at a lot of those passages. There are books uh… written by people that are much smarter than me that that go into great detail on… on how to read those passages in different ways we can… we can understand those passages and certainly if you… if you look at a literal understanding of a word on a page that might be what it says but I know there's a lot of people that eat selfish too and there's that's… that's a shame, there's a lot of people that have tattoos, you know, under this collar I've got a couple tattoos as well and so. So there's a number of things that the Bible says but there's a big difference between what the Bible says and what the Bible means. And so we have to be very careful to understand, those… those different ways of reading the Bible and understanding what the Bible actually says, you know, when… when you walk into a place and you see other gay couples, you see lesbian couples, you see… you know, two mom's and some kids, you know, two dads and some kids, it just changes everything. It changes your whole perception of what Church can be. 

00:33:05SOLLY HEMUS Wait, but being gay I thought God hates us. We are not lot even… touch a Bible. 

00:33:10MATTHEW SMITH Yeah, I know, that's… that's that… 

00:33:10REV. DAVE STAMBAUGH That's the one down the street. That's the church that was you, you know, if you guys ever, you know, get to the point where you know, you start talking about, you know, marriage and being, you know, really seriously together, you know, unfortunately in California, we can't do that but there's New Jersey, Kansas is to be a little bit of a grants for happening and so as that spread and as that gets a gaining… gaining some momentum. 

00:33:40MATTHEW SMITH But it's so funny because we were ready to get a place like when we started looking actually last weekend and finally again ah… I just…it's… it's… it's been a combination of a couple differ factors but it's really like to me, it's the biggest house that he's been able to live with my family and he's still here. I mean… 

00:34:00REV. DAVE STAMBAUGH When you seek that much dirty laundry and you're still sticking around, that's a… that's settled… 

00:34:05MATTHEW SMITH That's a…why? 

00:34:05UNKNOWN So, there are certain states, where the homosexual can be legally married. There are also states where an employee can be terminated simply because of their sexual orientation. Here is a very real example. 

00:34:20UNKNOWN Dear former employee. Due to your recent decision to disclose your sexual orientation, it is within our right to release you from your employment immediately. Sexual orientation is not currently protected from employment discrimination under federal law. Since your choice of lifestyle is in stark opposition to the values of this firm and its employees, we've decided to release you from your position effective on receipt of this letter. Thank you for your understanding. 

00:34:50REV. DAVE STAMBAUGH Two years ago, we had some banners on our fence line supporting marriage equality uh… that got vandalized. Uh… people kind of cut out the word equality and said, you know, we believe in marriage and so… so we replaced those banners and those banners got vandalized and so… so our… our message to the community at that point was that, you can… you can cut the word equality out of our banner but you'll never be able to cut uh… the, the message out of who we are, that we will support marriage equality. 

00:35:25MATTHEW SMITH If everybody just stopped caring so much about what two people do alone for maybe like what… ten and twenty minutes, you know what I mean like at night like who give… Who gives a crap? Why are we making this a political issue? 

00:35:35UNKNOWN It's not an issue for like straight people to go around thinking, I'm straight, I'm straight, I'm straight. Gay people don't go around thinking, I'm gay, I'm gay, I'm gay. 

00:35:45MATTHEW SMITH Right, that's what I've always say… 

00:35:45UNKNOWN So why are straight people think that gay people are making a political statement, just being who they are? 

00:35:50MATTHEW SMITH Guess, I'm kind of like you would call an accidental activist. I… kind of I don't have a problem, I don't know what the way to put is, it's like I did… I didn't understand my feeling about uh… L.G.B.T. Activism. I think as a kid and even as a teenager like I… I thought actually I am scholar repelled by it, but it wasn't because I didn't believe it and I wasn't secretly really grateful to know that there were people out there who were fighting for me and not just me but everybody in the community but I think there is something a little off putting about it and that's why I felt that sort of I don't like… hetties(ph) are repelled but it was sort of like I was repelled not just towards activists but other, you know, even gay guys and stuff and a lot of people say, oh… it's 'cause, you know, maybe you're self loath… self loathing but I wasn't self loathing. Um… but I kind of ended up figuring out that it meant was how I feel now, which is… for sort of I guess a… a more mature version of what I was when I was younger, which is that umm… it's… it's just the old methods of activism were what turned me off and it's that militaristic sort of umm… almost aggression that comes along with a lot of the almost, I'd say that 1960s style of activism that really, I don't feel this effective because it's like when you think about it, if something really annoys you or bothers you and I'm talking about the people who are very against the, you know, the…the L.G.B.T. community. Umm… if something really annoys you or repels you uh… what's gonna make you more annoyed, you know, it's like when it's in your face and it's constantly just, you know, there and it almost doesn't give you a chance to breathe and I feel like that what's happening now is, its sort of maturing and it's and…and… and especially with social media and social media activism. There's just a new way to have this fight and the fight is becoming smarter and it's more about showing that we're part of and not separate then, and I think that… I think that's one of the biggest problems that a lot of the groups have a what…whatever they're fighting for is… is… is creating this separation, when in reality we all just want to be loved and embraced. 

00:38:15UNKNOWN It seems to homosexuals as much to lose simply by being open about their sexuality. 

00:38:25DJ PAULV 

00:38:25BORN THIS WAY BLOG 

00:38:25DJ PAULV I knew I was gay from the time I was about five. Now, you have to remember we don't know what the word means. And we don't know that it means sexuality. We don't know what our parts do and that's why I get so upset when they challenge us when we say we know, like how did you know what five you want to have sex with a man and it's like no, no. It's not about sex. It's about umm… an innate attraction, a connection. You can put your finger on it, it's there. 

00:38:55MATTHEW SMITH I knew when I was really young that I wanted to be around men and I remember being three and four and drawing, whenever my mom used to do crafts up in this little room and like I was I would draw pictures and I drew a picture once of a naked guy. And she was like no… no… we don't to draw naked people. Since that I came with this up cartoon a comic called butt man. And it was all… it was that the, they just had their heads and then like they had big butts in the front instead of, what should be in the front, it's butt man about butt women, I did this whole thing but I was kind of fascinated with the male form, I guess in whatever way when I was a child. 

00:39:35UNKNOWN When he was about two. I realized that there was a good chance he may be gay. It could have something to do with fact that he wanted to be carrot when he grew up. Oh yeah… He wanted to be a carrot I asked him? What do you want to be when you grow up and I'm expecting you know fireman, cowboy. He wants to be a carrot and I'm like no, there's no future in carrot, you'll end up in a soup or something or a rabbit will eat you and then he, he kind of got over that and then… and I have no idea what he meant by that, it was just a silly thing to say he was always like a little wise ass, I guess. Coming up with strange things to say but I notice that… I don't know he just seemed to be different, you know, not differently in flamboyant I mean he was too but he just had a different sensitivity about him. Like he could kind of read my mind it seemed to me, he could talk, he was very in talk, baby talk, he pretty much talked like his voice of course was baby voice but, umm… you know, he sounded he would ask me things like Mommy what is God? And, you know when I was up in the sky with Jesus in the castle, and I would… We never really umm… were church goers, basically very spiritual I would say but not churchgoers. So I don't know where he got the stuff basically but it was funny and then he liked to umm… he liked to draw, he liked to paint, he liked to dance, like to sing, and it just seemed to me that his attention wasn't going towards the typical male… male stereotype like I had grown up with two brothers and It was totally different energy about him but that was fine and I even told his father I said, you know there's a really good chance that Matt might be gay and he said that's okay, we will just love him anyway, you know, like as if there was a choice. 

00:41:25CARSON KRESSLEY I knew there was something wrong with me but I just… I wasn't quite sure what it was but I knew the other little boys in the first grade weren't into the Six Million Dollar Man like I was umm… they were like did you like that Sean Mike, I would love Steve Austin. Umm…So I definitely knew that I was different. 

00:41:40SOLLY HEMUS If someone said something like when I was younger in school or something I would definitely… I've would… was not a confrontational person so I would just hurt me and I would cuddle off and be upset but there's definitely times growing up. I would go home just crying. Cry myself to sleep. Umm… But I found as I've gotten older, some of the people to that I've grown up with that I… I have said things like that called me names and different situations. I still know them and I run into them, I'm actually really good friends and this one kid back, definitely called me a faggot or I don't know even… couldn't tell you how many different things he would probably call me. He's one of my best friends, now. 

00:42:30Cassandra Church 

00:42:30ACTOR, MATT'S CO-WORKER 

00:42:30CASSANDRA CHURCH He's like a breath of fresh air. He's awesome, Solly, We all love Solly and when Solly is here things actually… Matt actually functions better when it's always around and Solly kind of lights a fire under his ass and motivates him more I think. And that's the difference. Matt couldn't function as highly as he is now like he couldn't work as hard as he is now, he couldn't be here as much as he wanted to be here and he was always dealing with so many conflicts that he found himself having to walk out of the office all the time. I didn't see any difference in their relationship to any straight relationship actually. I've found myself relating a lot, I've worked with people that I dated before and it's the same thing you always see I mean any people who… people in relationships. You're talking about two… two human beings and their lives coming together. It's not gender specific, you know, anyone who spends that much time together it reveals a lot if you're spending every moment with someone, all the little stuff starts to show I think being in a relationship with someone reveals yourself to you. 

00:43:40SOLLY HEMUS I'm sure I've said stuff to people. It's just a weird self defense mechanism that when you're lying to yourself for so long, you just put up these walls and don't want to hear anything about what's really going on in here, in your heart. 

00:43:55MATTHEW SMITH We were… We're holding hands and what happens is its subtle and it's so weird because it reminds me of being in high school or middle school and… and having to hide myself because we were really happy in just, you know, holding hands then see maybe like a really straight looking guy. They never happens wrong, when meant for me. Umm…or like maybe a group of guys and we've have never actually never talked about it but it's just very naturally if he'll do something funny and then will stop holding hands. We both know it's happening and it happens a lot, you know, the way… they'll pass by, will hold hands again and then I'll get nervous and I'm like, oh my God, what you know… we're this… what is especially in crowds and there's more people I find it, you know, almost like I'm judging myself and that's something I'm still working on with myself right now because I love holding his hand, I kiss him in public, I'll… you know, further restaurant, I'll… we will… kiss on lips, we're not making out but, you know I'll be keep holding hands and you can tell, there are people who just don't care, they're people who love it, you know, I think it's really cute. 

00:44:55BEN MILLIKIN 

00:44:55MATT'S CO-WORKER 

00:44:55BEN MILLIKIN I don't find it weird at all, when you guys do. 

00:44:55MATTHEW SMITH Yeah and you're straight. 

00:44:55BEN MILLIKIN It's not weird at all. 

00:44:55MATTHEW SMITH It's… it's… Does it seem like we're… 'cause…I…it's something in my head all the time that I'm always wondering like what do people think? 

00:45:05BEN MILLIKIN I don't think it's weird, I don' think that you guys are… you guy's are together, that's what together people do. So I don't think it's weird at all. I mean like you… I had… remember, when you told me that you were first started here and you told me, you were and I was like. Are you? Okay! 

00:45:20MATTHEW SMITH I had to say that's shocking to me, that you didn't know before that, I had like four employees that have said what? I had one guy who was completely like four and I'm really 'cause I think I'm gayest thing it's ever walked here but okay. 

00:45:35SOLLY HEMUS I Feel like I don't have to lie, I just feel like it was just a big lie over the last 20 year precious in my life and it's like a lie. I did have a girlfriend, think the last one was high school… high school maybe after college for little bit but. 

00:46:00UNKNOWN Did she know? 

00:46:00SOLLY HEMUS No, I think I still was struggling with accepting it umm… I'm trying to think here, it's just something I hate, thick part of me maybe wanted… to be straight and I just let my emotions and my worries of what people think, get in my way and will not, well, let me to waiting so long and not accepting it. 

00:46:40UNKNOWN You said you wanted to be straight. Did you feel like your life would be better if you were? 

00:46:45SOLLY HEMUS Like… it's so weird question. 'Cause I'm trying I'm like… that's always something that you hear too and I don't know I think if I played straight for my life then it would be horrible. I don't think if I would ever be happy. Trying to keep up with the lies and not being honest with myself, I think it would let me down umm… I mean stuff like something you always hears, you're gay it's your life's gonna be a lot harder, which I've learned that… that's not true umm… it's a false… false thing to say to people. You can be gay and be normal and life is hard for everyone so. 

00:47:50AMASHA ALEXANDER SCOTT I remember showing up umm… for Christmas. I showed up on Christmas, uncle told me to come, he said don't worry about them, you know, and I was still a guy this time and he said just show up, don't worry, they're not gonna say anything, you know, they're gonna be fine with it. So, I showed up and umm… my grand mother, you know, 86 year old woman, you know, she told me to get out, you know, this is in front of everybody, you know, all the family, she's like get out, you know, going to hell, umm… she… she… I know better than that and she prays that I dream something in the bible and yeah, she told me I was going to hell and I needed to get out, I just couldn't believe that like I showed up, you know, for Christmas, you know, as the same person I was, but she told me to get out and umm… yeah, these last couple of years, I've been by myself 'cause I don't have a family to go to. 

00:49:05LEX KENNEDY When I finally came out so to speak or just didn't give flying whatever and brought my girlfriend home umm… which was in 2006, me and my mom got into physical altercation, she was really upset, she kicked me out of the house um… it was really… it was really dark and difficult time for me, so she and I didn't speak for very long time umm… I was on my on the… on my excuse me, I'm on the streets umm… luckily though, I was resident assistance so umm… I had a place to stay on campus umm… but after school let out, I was basically homeless but one of my friends allowed me to stay with him. Umm… In a… after about an year and half, she and I started talking again, I think she just came to realize that I'm gonna be who I'm. 

00:49:55MATTHEW SMITH So be mister comfortable and super okay with everything, you come out of fifty was back in the closet within two years, proverbially, I mean, I had very close friends and family would tell about it but the there is this… always this sort of unspoken thing in town that you can't be out and be gay or lesbian or being a living man or women, you can't, it doesn't happen, people are not accepting of it umm… you could be funny, like Allen and you could lose terrific ten years like Allen and are gonna come back in this whole different version of yourself umm… but you just aren't gonna work so I found myself, I mean, so stressed and so overwhelmed, just constantly 'cause then it's not just like, okay, I'm gonna go to audition with all these bros who are always like, hey, What's up man, it was, I'm gonna have to act and then act til top of acting. 

00:50:40JOSH STRICKLAND Both my parents actually asked me, I mean, like it wasn't umm… I guess people just always thought I was gay, I don't know, I mean that you… I guess as a speaking voice or it's just being in the odds or something like that, you know. It's just always the speculation but I think my parents were the most important people that I really wanted to come out too, for say, you know, and they always… they would just ask because I mean, I always just being who I'm anyways, you know, I never wanted to cover up or anything like that so they would just asked me, I think, one day in the supermarket and that the candy I love all places so it's just kind of, you know and it was I think difficult at first for a parent to hear that but it wasn't anything bad. I think that the… they finally felt maybe a weigh lifted off themselves, you know that they didn't have to wonder anymore, know or and it was… I think just really nice for them to see my being who I was and it's been an amazing relationship ever since. My dad never been more loving in his life and they want me to be happy and I'm very… I consider myself one of the lucky ones, I guess that some people have very bad, situations where their parents turn on them or they just shut out or they don't have anybody go to and, and I… I was very lucky. 

00:51:55JAMES HEALEY 

00:51:55POLITICAN 

00:51:55JAMES HEALEY She called me one day and she says, so is there something you wanna tell me and I said I don't know what you're talking about and she say's… oh you know, my secretary was helping me set up this… there old profile, we found your profile and I read something interesting on it and I didn't what she was referring to and she said read it to me and I've said oh, I think I found the right one, God don't let me screw this up and that was my quote on my profile and so she says, so what does mean and instantly defense kicks him and you shut it down and you said nothing mom, it's just a quote that I have on there and that's it. Umm… she goes as sure don't want to talk about anything? I said no, just boom… Without even thinking it was just natural instinct to say no and pass it off. So we started talking about something else for couple of minutes and then I thought to myself, you know, she asking, she wants to know and now is the time to do it and so all the sudden midstream sentence of an unrelated topic. I said yes, I do and I'm. And she said what? Yeah, I do have somebody in life and yes, I'm gay and she kind of went silent for second and she said I thought so your dad and I thought so. And that was about, you know, then we started talking about it and she said, you know, umm… the hardest thing about this process of you being in the closest for me, was that as your mother? I missed out on half of your life. 

00:53:20GREG LOUGANIS I felt like my dad's non-involvement in their dance, acrobatics, gymnastics, where's more a comment on, he thought it was… those were sissy things to do to so umm… once I started into diving then he got really, really involved. Umm… and that was "Okay" umm… and so, you know, it was… it was… hard 'cause I was trying to gain his approval umm… through my diving and a lot of… a lot of diving came from a very desperate place, you know, I felt that if umm… you know that I was only worthy of being loved, my dad's love, if I want, it was, you know, receiving the silver medal where it's kind of a public humiliation in front of the world, you know, that I failed and so that was really hard for umm… 16 year old to kind of take in umm… and you know, I did try to committing suicide after that because I felt well, there is no reason for me to being here and I'm not worthy of it, any other prays that I'm getting, guess I wasn't allowing any of the… the good stuff to come in. 

00:54:45DEANDRE RANDOLPH 

00:54:45LIFE WORKS YOUTH PROGRAM 

00:54:45DEANDRE RANDOLPH When I was… when I was a senior in high school, I told my dad, I was like um… so I might be bisexual, you know, just to, you know, he's…'cause I knew, I wasn't bisexual, just… 

00:54:55UNKNOWN Trying to self in the blow. 

00:55:00DEANDRE RANDOLPH Yeah, exactly, and he…You know, he just kind of shutdown and he's like, you know, we didn't talk for a year and umm… yeah, that was hard umm… my mom, when I told her um… she laughed, she didn't believe it umm… she didn't deal with the like we just kind of act like it never happened. 

00:55:20CLEO ANDERSON 

00:55:20LIFE WORKS YOUTH PROGRAM 

00:55:20CLEO ANDERSON It was a pretty rough going in elementary school at the point which I actually got beat up by 5 boys in first grade and it is sort of went down hill from there to the point which I missed about a year, maybe year half with the schooling in total, in my entire elementary school life, from not going school from being suspended because clearly If I hit somebody back, I would surely expected to do. Umm…that was my talent from first grade, elementary school to fifth grade, it was fights and bullies and getting picked on for being the only girl, being picked on for being black, being picked up for being smart, it was rough. 

00:56:00MARK MORALES 

00:56:00BANKER 

00:56:00MARK MORALES I really felt, you know, ashamed, you know, that of what did it happen, maybe it was my fault because I really didn't have anybody to talk to about it. 

00:56:05MATTHEW SMITH What was like a high school for you like, it was ever like was it ever like what people do think, you want to Catholic school, alright. like I mean today. What did they say about gay people? 

00:56:10UNKNOWN They kind of had shown them, you know. 

00:56:15UNKNOWN In the seventy's there was only beginning… 

00:56:15UNKNOWN They kind of put them aside, you know, it's just like nobody want to, they never wanted to talk though. 

00:56:20MATTHEW SMITH Did you go to school with anybody that was gay? 

00:56:25UNKNOWN I can remember a couple… 

00:56:25MATTHEW SMITH With a shun. 

00:56:25UNKNOWN Yeah, they were like kind of like put in a corner, you know, like people wouldn't talk to them. 

00:56:30UNKNOWN They didn't use word gay. They use the word faggots. 

00:56:35UNKNOWN Yeah, oh yeah… that was… 

00:56:35UNKNOWN Basically, they are freaks. 

00:56:40UNKNOWN Exactly. 

00:56:40UNKNOWN Were Sissy's. 

00:56:40MATTHEW SMITH Until fifth grade when I was talking to my friend in the lunch line. Her name is Nicole and this kid Anthony came up to me and he literally just pushed my lunch tray up and said faggot. And I just… I just broke. I mean that was that… that was the first time anybody had ever called me a faggot. And I mean it sounds silly now but when you're, you know, 9 years old and you're not even sure the word means. I had to ask people what it meant and they said I mean you're gay. I said oh, it's okay my friends are trying to make me feel better but it actually made me question myself, it says, in spite I don't get along with all these guys, is this what they think of me. I mean, you know, the emotional, the mental torture that you go through from just that one word, it is awful and I did. I had girlfriends all through elementary school I had, you know, Caitlyn, Tori and Lisa, I would have had appeared since I was in kindergarten. 

00:57:40UKNOWN To be perfectly honest with you. I was pretty much picked on from first grade to the time I left my school and it was a constant and, you know, unbearable but it was enough that I… I always had this feeling, you know, if someone would call me something or you know, push me or punch me or whatever this feeling of what did I do? What did I ever do to you? I'm… I'm just me. 

00:58:05MATTHEW SMITH It's like I'm made fun of even more for being the sissy artsy boy, who's now a faggot and, you know, I actually realized that I was gay all my own by the time I was in sixth grade but I didn't want to tell anybody umm… but they sure told me, they told me all the time. 

00:58:25[sil.] 

00:58:30MATTHEW SMITH I remember this one kid, I was so proud of myself I had umm… I got this brand new leather like Calvin Klein backpack in this Pekoe and umm… I looked so sharp, you know, and I got on the school bus and he picked on me all the time and I was so proud of myself, I thought I dressed up all nice and, you know, that will impress my teachers 'cause they were like my only friends in school and umm… since I got on the bus he said, you're a faggot, and I kind of quietly cried, the whole ride to school and when I got to school I threw the backpack away. I never felt so compelled to hide again I came out of the closet when I was fifteen and I was back in the closet by the time I was sixteen, proverbially. Some people knew they were close to me but I lied to my doctors, which I never should have done. I lied to you family, I lied to friends out here, I had best friends when I was sixteen, seventeen, living in L.A. and they didn't know I was gay. 

00:59:30GREG LOUGANIS You know what after each suicide attempt. It was… it got even darker it was like oh, my God, you can't even do that right. 

00:59:40DANIEL HERNANDEZ 

00:59:40LIFE WORK YOUTH PROGRAM 

00:59:40DANIEL HERNANDEZ At the beginning of my high school and my freshman year, I weighed over two hundred and ten pounds, it hurts to know that now not only the outside world like the actual sexual world like umm… tease me, as I was already a gay, you're not allowed but also the gay, well, which is because you're fat, you're not like, it was like two worlds such as like, you know, came to me, when I was like wow, I don't… where do I belong in the end. 

01:00:05MATTHEW SMITH I was molested twice as child. I was molested by a family member and I was molested by someone from theater. Umm… I was young, young like four, when the family member molested and that was really difficult. It also compounded it, when I was thinking about if I was gay or not, if it was because of that and I've been into lot of therapy to deal that, umm… I was also molested by someone who is only about six or seven years older than me but when you're eleven, that's a big age difference and he would go stag in between shows and, touch me and fondle me and do horrible things to me and I was I was just a child and that just added this whole other dimension to trying to figure out who I was. 

01:01:05UNKNOWN Did you feel like it was your fault? 

01:01:10MATTHEW SMITH No, I know it's his fault. Umm… I did feel like maybe because I wanted to be his friend, at first that may be that let him on and all these horrible things but, you know, I was terrified to tell anybody, you know, his family was little big in theatre and it was disgusting. When I finally told to my mom, she wanted to kill him and I didn't let her sue or anything. Umm… It makes me throw up thinking about it, it's… It damaged me, so much sexually that when my first boyfriend and I got together, I couldn't even get erection for the first three months and bless his heart he stayed with me everyday, and tell me he loved me and tell me you're gonna get through it and finally we were able to have sex but I was so terrified and my body was still in such shock. Just so many years later that it wasn't working. 

01:02:05AMASHA ALEXANDER SCOTT The thing about foster parents is they tell you, you know, don't say anything, you know, don't tell them what's going on because, you know, they're going to take you away from us and you want to go here and they're going to do this to you and this that to you and, you know, I was just… I was just young and naïve, you know, I didn't think about it and so that was already happening to me from all the stuff they said, you know, your gonna get raped, you're gonna beat up and all this stuff, all that was already happening but I just was scared. 

01:02:35MATTHEW SMITH I shut myself down when it would happen. And finally it stopped and, and I told my parents and it was dealt with. It's not why I'm gay. I've heard some perspectives that are interesting that I think are kind of accurate, you know, predators are predators, what did the predators look for? They look for easy prey, predators look especially sexual predators look for kids who are gay because it messes with their mind and you can tell the kids a gay a long time when they were young, especially fair in your family. And excuse me, I believe that… that man knew we had an inkling that I was and just took good advantage of me. It's not why I'm gay. I know, I was gay I was two, you know, before I was ever molested and those people are ignorant. Those people are ignorant, that say that because you were molested you're gay and for those of you out there, who are and these people out there that are thinking that, that's why you're gay and hating yourself for it, be strong that a therapy. I went to therapy for… for many years. I'm very grateful for because it helped me understand that I am who I am and it has nothing to do with those crappy people of you let, scumbags, define who you're. Then you need to look at yourself in the mirror, I know that's hard sometimes and I know that's harsh but, you know, it's the truth we're who we are. Gay people don't choose to be gay and has nothing to being that have been worst. 

01:04:20UNKNOWN It's not a choice. It's how they're… how are you born. Umm… and I don't know why it has to be an issue. 

01:04:25UNKNOWN My sister and I came up to my parents simultaneously without the other person knowing it, within like a week of each other which is partially why my parents might have found issues. Umm… like we both had no idea about the other person until we told each other like down the roll, later. You know, a couple weeks after we had both told my parents. So it's tough, you know, it's a tough… tough situation for everybody but, you know, for me at least I've always been the type of like, you know, do what makes you happy and God bless you. 

01:04:55CARSON KRESSLEY But I do understand that everybody has to come out in their own due time. And the thing I would tell young people all the time, it's like absolutely coming out is so important because umm… coming out is so important because you are now a person to somebody, maybe he doesn't know any gay people. Or might be a brother, or a sister, or a daughter or co-worker, or friend umm… but the next time a gay issue crosses their path he'll say oh wait a minute, I know, so and so, and, they're a great person. Why should they have equal rights or why should they be bullied or why should they not to be allowed to get married or why they should not whatever because now they identify with someone and gay has a name the face, it matters with them. 

01:05:40DEANDRE RANDOLPH A year and half after I moved here, you know, we were on like, kind of strain terms and she called me and it was like, Deandre, I was uh-huh, I was in the little flock, Serena, she was like Deandre… Deandre umm… do you so think you're gay? I was like, maa (ph) I know I'm gay and she's like hmm… uh… I accept you. I apologize for my reaction that wasn't the greatest, you know, I love you. Don't let anyone with or what did she said I don't want to get this wrong, she's like don't let anyone treat you like you're worthless, you're worth a lot to me and you should know that you're gonna be uh… you're going to be worth so much to who ever your… whoever you would love and caught to me crying in the middle of a block bluster, and I think I don't wanna ask her if I'm okay, you know, just having, you know, my mom told me that she accepts me, you know that's like the gay man's best, you know, dream, you know. 

01:06:40VANESSA SELBST The experience that I had was, once I came out I was bullied far less. Because umm… I think people fear gender difference more than they fear sexual… sexuality difference, I mean, I think people when they see a woman that is confident and aggressive and athletic, you know, traditionally more masculine qualities. That's threatening to them especially guys, when you know they need… they want women to be, you know, historically want guys want women to be like subservient and, you know, basically, in a… in a less… more passive position and so, you know, I think gender difference is what people… people had to fear off and once like I came out and people, it sort of put it in context for people, in a way that well now, it's not okay because now, it's not okay to make fun of her for being gay. It was more okay to make fun of me when I was like that weird, you know, tomboy or a straight girl or something. 

01:07:30ELIZA ROBERTS Then she said to me, you know, everybody thinks I'm gay and I don't really know why I'm gonna have a wedding and… and I said really wear a wedding gown and she's like yeah, I said okay, whatever you gonna do, but you do realize I really mean it. Whatever you gonna do is great. 

01:07:45UNKNOWN So what seem, the rumors of the homosexual recruiting heterosexuals are false and that perhaps in fact they are people like you and me. 

01:08:00SOLLY HEMUS Surprisingly, I have not had any negative… anything negative happen since I've come out, ever on I know has been completely supportive of it literally or just like hey, I'm gay and a girl just went, okay, what's next? 

01:08:20UNKNOWN It's heartening to see people having the courage to be who they are, you know, and I think that's a really healthy thing, and I think pretty soon it's going to come to the point where the rest the world is gonna have to catch up or get over themselves because there's just, you know, what… it's not affecting their life, live your life the way you want to, let everybody else live the life they want to, so, we went to Santa Monica for the day, when we were walking on the pier and I see all these little people pushing babies in the coaches along the pier and I just like blurted out, I think it was just like a dead sounds and it's like this is boring and I just said when I'm gonna get a grand gayby. Grand gayby, and I'm they're just like doubled over laughing and I didn't think all that was all that funny but I guess 'cause they were just so quiet and you had to be there kind of thing I guess, but so that Solly called his mother immediately and told her, I'm like oh my God, she's gonna think I'm crazy. 

01:09:20UNKNOWN Have you met Solly's mother? 

01:09:20UNKNOWN Not, yet, I hope to though. 

01:09:25[sil.] 

01:09:30MATTHEW SMITH Hi. 

01:09:30UNKNOWN Hello! 

01:09:35UNKNOWN Hi. 

01:09:35MATTHEW SMITH Hi, mom. 

01:09:40UNKNOWN hello, honey … 

01:09:40MATTHEW SMITH How are you? 

01:09:40UNKNOWN I'm good. 

01:09:40MATTHEW SMITH Hi, honey. 

01:09:40UNKNOWN Hi 

01:09:40MATTHEW SMITH Okay, this is my mom, this is my little sister. Okay, mom this is Jane. 

01:09:40JANE Hi. 

01:09:45UNKNOWN Mom and mom. 

01:09:45MATTHEW SMITH Mom and mom. 

01:09:45KIRA SMITH Hi Claira and Tiffany, nice meeting you. 

01:09:50MATTHEW SMITH And this is my… 

01:09:50TIFFANY Hi, mamma! And, 

01:09:50UNKNOWN How are you tiffany? 

01:09:50UNKNOWN That's alright, tonight I switch places 

01:09:55MIKE Hi, I'm mike. 

01:09:55UNKNOWN Hi, how are you? 

01:09:55MATTHEW SMITH And this is my sister Kira. 

01:10:00MIKE How are you? 

01:10:00MATTHEW SMITH I got… Are you guys hungry? 

01:10:05TIFFANY Not yet. 

01:10:05MIKE I'm good. 

01:10:05MATTHEW SMITH Looks like we're starving. 

01:10:10TIFFANY Oh yeah? 

01:10:10UNKNOWN Yeah. 

01:10:10MATTHEW SMITH You look great. 

01:10:10TIFFANY Thank you. 

01:10:10MATTHEW SMITH You look beautiful, I love it. 

01:10:10TIFFANY Thank you. 

01:10:15Solly & Matt's families 

01:10:15UNKNOWN Could it be that the first meeting of the families is no different than that of a heterosexual couple? 

01:10:20MATTHEW SMITH I'll have serpacine (ph) lobster, please? 

01:10:25UNKNOWN I wasn't surprised. 

01:10:25TIFFANY Do you mind, please? 

01:10:25MATTHEW SMITH Uh… it's for two seconds… 

01:10:30UNKNOWN Which is horrible. 

01:10:30UNKNOWN And then I had like… 

01:10:35UNKNOWN Still the same one I was really…. 

01:10:40MATTHEW SMITH Weekends she comes to our house. 

01:10:40JANE HEMUS 

01:10:40SOLLY'S MOTHER 

01:10:40JANE HEMUS I was really happy about it when Solly, he umm… I knew something was up because I could… I could hear him on the phone late at night talking and laughing and I'm like, who's he talking to? And then, umm… one day he just said, mom, I've something to tell and I'm like great, now, what? And he said no, no. it's a good thing, it's a good thing and umm… he said I met somebody and then I went like yeah? Then he said yes, he's name is Matt, Matt Smith and I was oh… so you got, so great, I just… I was so happy, started crying. Oh, so happy for him. 

01:11:20TIFFANY PAPPAS 

01:11:20SOLLY'S SISTER 

01:11:20TIFFANY PAPPAS I'm confused? You guys are in a relationship? 

01:11:25MATTHEW SMITH Did you know, that means it's guy? 

01:11:25SOLLY HEMUS Bloody crap, what? 

01:11:25MATTHEW SMITH I did it again, I'm sorry. 

01:11:30UNKNOWN When did he first tell you that he was gay? Did you have an appointment for before told you? 

01:11:35JANE HEMUS Oh, yeah. Oh yeah. 

01:11:35UNKNOWN Like how old… how old he was when you thought he would be? 

01:11:35JANE HEMUS I knew, Solly was probably about 6 years old, when I kind of mother's intuition, I went I think he's gay. 

01:11:45UNKNOWN I was kind of like, he was two and thought the same thing and… 

01:11:45JANE HEMUS Umm… You know, I answer phone and he started talking and I to Jason, is he gonna tell it? Like that you know. Like he's finally gonna tell us, you know, and Jason was like, yeah, you know, always that he didn't and I probably said, I started crying, I got all teared up 'cause I just felt like this, you know, you finally get be who you're and then immediately went to the computer, Google Maps… 

01:12:10MIKE HEMUS 

01:12:10SOLLY'S FATHER 

01:12:10UNKNOWN so, what was your take behind the gayish situation, as you wanna call? What was your feeling? 

01:12:15MIKE HEMUS It was tough. 

01:12:15SOLLY HEMUS I know. 

01:12:20MATTHEW SMITH Thought about in a good way. 

01:12:20MIKE HEMUS Yeah, it was hard. But, I knew it was coming, but I didn't wanna… 

01:12:30MATTHEW SMITH Admit it. 

01:12:30UNKNOWN And you had a brother that died of HIV or AIDS? 

01:12:35MIKE HEMUS Yeah. 

01:12:35UNKNOWN And I can't imagine what you were thinking if you had a brother that died, he was very brother. 

01:12:40MIKE HEMUS Yeah, that was exactly, it was hard, it was hard… 

01:12:40UNKNOWN How old was your brother, when he died? 

01:12:45MIKE Well, he's thirties, wait no, he's, yeah, no he's under than I am, he was and uh… pretty much so hard 'cause I went through it all with him. 

01:12:55UNKNOWN Yeah. 

01:12:55MIKE I took it… 

01:12:55UNKNOWN So that…that makes it, that's more complicate how it feel with something like that. So that mean that's always with you, you know, but I don't think, I mean I think it's sort of… it's so hard that I'm used to be because a lot more… 

01:13:15MIKE Oh yeah, no, I was… everybody understands it more of that yeah, it was… it was really hard for me… It was really hard. 

01:13:25SOLLY HEMUS I text message a lot of people. I'd definitely call but me and people told my parents and everything but it got to a point or it's just ridiculous. I was just guy still sure that people are watching us, right now going oh… he came out the closet because you just forgot to tell people you're like oh yeah, 'cause it was so easy. I just… this hard horrible thing that I put in my head built up to nothing. When it came to the end of the day it was just simple coming out to everyone. 

01:14:00PATRICK BURKE When it was time for him to come out to me, was Christmas and we were coming in from a road trip, I'd been out scouting and I had a bunch of bags in the car and I said come on Luke, I need your help bringing some stuff in and he said I've some really important that I want to tell you, I said what? He said, I'm gay and I say serious or joking it's just… seeing or you trying to see what my reaction might be or is this a serious conversation, he said no, I'm serious. I'm gay. So, I gave him a hug and I said I love you in this, you know, I don't care. And I said grab one of those bags we went back inside and open the door and I said Mom, you owe me twenty bucks I always told you, he was gay. 

01:14:35KEATON SIMONS Come over I say to kids being bullied, you know, I would just say to really remember that it's not… it's not personal it's… it's… it's their problem. It's not your problem. Is nothing wrong with you and there something wrong with them, you know, and like… and to really know that and understand that and… and, you know, that's to diminish or to deny, the hardship that somebody undergoes when they're being bullied for something particularly, something they cannot change but, I think it's essential that you realize that sorry this is who I'm, there is nothing wrong with me, the fact that you think there's something wrong, it means there's something with you. 

01:15:20PATRICK BURKE The You Can Play Project is our campaign to end homophobian sports and it was inspired by my late brother Brendon, who was the first person to come out as openly gay who was really affiliated with the National Hockey League. The idea behind it is very simple if you can play, you can play. If you're good enough to play them regardless of your sexual orientation, you get to be on the team. 

01:15:40AMASHA ALEXANDER SCOTT I would just say be fearless, oh…I think that's one of the biggest thing I've learned, is to be fearless because after you've been through so much, you know, you feel like it's is it, it's… it's… there's no more hope but just I would just say to them, do it, you know, own it, go after it, don't worry about what people are going to say, don't worry about being rejected. That's going to happen and if you go in with that understanding you know the outcome is going to be so much more greater, no one chooses to be gay, there might be some people that choose, for the most part I didn't choose to be gay, I didn't, and I will take that with me to the grave. I didn't choose that because no one chooses to be depressed everyday, no one chooses to not know who they are, no one chooses to… to be laughed at, you know, to be teased no one chooses that. It will be that much more easy to just to be straight. So, how can someone say that it's a choice and I just feel like that's what the parents thinking, I would just say to them, please just take time out. Don't… don't judge them. Don't judge, you know, just be there, be loving and supportive. You may not have to agree with it but just be there, the support. 

01:17:00ERIC ROBERTS So the only thing that… that we can do, as parents or as siblings or friends is to accept it, because if you don't, what have we done? 

01:17:15CARSON KRESSLEY I think the most important thing for kids to know umm… if they are feeling like they're the only, you know, gay kid around, they're being bullied, and they have no place to turn to, is that there's always somebody out there that cares about you umm… and there is a whole other network of support, and maybe its… you're having a hard time finding them right now but umm… there are resources out there. There's the Trevor Project, there are teachers, there are counselors, there's people like me, umm… there's a whole world of umm… people out there that are wanting to give you the love and support that you need and sometimes takes a while to find that but literally don't give up because there's a whole world out there waiting for you. 

01:17:55UNKNOWN When, when I came time to post, I had written it, I'd spent so much time looking over being chosen perfect. I was like literally about… about the click the mouse and I turned to Vincent and I go, you sure I'm gay right? And he's like yep. Once I got, I guess have to click so I had post and went to dinner and by the time I got back, I had so many messages already of support. 

01:18:15MATTHEW SMITH You know, a lot of people get very upset. One… one the gay community compares their civil rights movement to the civil rights movement in the 60s with African-American people. Umm…but I've seen a lot of really good articles and talked to a lot of really intelligent people, who believe that it's very similar and the reason I think that we use that as an example of what we're going through isn't because we're trying to compare necessarily the heartache and the history but I think because we're hope fully trying the compare the outcome because the outcome was pretty good as far as the African-American civil rights movement goes I mean they're… they're accepted, they're free, they can do everything that everyone else can do and I understand the… the pieces of the puzzle that are not the same but like I said it's I think, it's more of a hopeful uh… thing that we want… we want that for us. 

01:19:15JOSH STRICKLAND And I think that… that is the moral in life, we really all should just be happy for each other and… and support each other whoever we are. 

01:19:20REV. DAVE STAMBAUGH I'm always reminded of this… this simple question that uh… that Jesus was asked, someone asked Jesus what is the greatest commandment. What is the greatest command, what's the… what's the best thing if we could only focus on one thing? What would that be Jesus, tell me what the secret is, and Jesus says it like this, he says the greatest commandment is this, love God with your heart, soul, mind and strength and the second is like it. Love your neighbor as yourself, that would always strikes me about that story's that Jesus was asked for one commandment. But he's given two answers. He says there's, two commandments that are the greatest. So, that tells me one of three things either Jesus can't hear, Jesus can't count or loving God and loving your neighbor are so inextricably linked that you simply can't do one without the other. 

01:20:25UNKNOWN Don't give up hope, be proud and hold your head up and remember who you're. 

01:20:35UNKNOWN The advice, every gay kid has to keep inside their heart is they're gift to his world. They're here for a reason. Every human is here for a reason. Every human has an impact on this giant world on some level. And even if you can't grasp it or touch it or feel it, when you're a kid just know that even what you're doing as a kid has an impact on this world. 

01:21:05UNKNOWN If you need role models now there are places to look for role models. Umm…you know, there's all this mentoring going on and mentoring programs and finding somebody that's like you. Somebody that you can, you know, really deal with and talk to and, you know, is in a place where you would like to be and finding out how they got there and what you need to do to get there. 

01:21:30UNKNOWN It's important to remember that and to not allow somebody told you, no, you can't do this or you shouldn't run for office. Can you imagine the scandal that's going to come out because you're gay? Okay, well, I said the scandal comes out because you deny you're gay when you're gay. I said, I'm not going to jam it down anybodies throat because again that's not who I represent, I represent James Healey but am I gay? Absolutely, am I proud of who I am? Absolutely, and have I developed and… and made that person. Yes, I have and I take full responsibility and accountability for that. 

01:22:05GREG LOUGANIS Wouldn't it be great if it was like a non-issue. I mean that's, that's the goal, that's the dream. It's like okay, just happened to like men. Sorry, you know, and with no apology, really. 

01:22:20VANESSA SELBST And a lot of times people just don't know anyone that's gay and that's why they think those things, but people are people and I think real human interaction is so much stronger than any preconceived notions that people have and if someone loves you and they know you, 95, 97% of time, they're going to accept you for who you are and, you know, I think that's a really important thing. It's hard to believe that started when you hear people making negative comments but it really is the truth, and I just seen it time and time again where people come out they say I really thought this was going to be a problem with, you know, this… this and that I have that's really conservative and she turned around and she said I love you no matter what and, you know, you're hearing those stories over, and over, and over again, its… you know, it's really powerful. 

01:23:05UNKNONW What would be your advice to gay youth? 

01:23:05MATTHEW SMITH In what respects? 

01:23:10UNKNOWN Umm… 

01:23:10MATTHEW SMITH Just like… 

01:23:10UNKNOWN Just learning from your experiences, and if you could tell yourself back in those early days to do something… to. 

01:23:20MATTHEW SMITH I'm going to take it one step further umm… to the street youths out there who are going to be the parents of the gay kids. Learn to love yourself now because it will allow you to love your kids whether they're gay or straight and I would love nothing more than there to be millions of parents like mine out there, when I'm old, who are having kids because it won't matter whether they're gay or straight. The gave youth are in totally different time now than even I was just 15 years ago and umm… there's a lot more acceptance and there's a lot more going on for them, socially and culturally than… than we could have ever dreamed of. So, my focus, right now is towards the straight kids, who are going to be having the gay kids eventually because they're the ones that are gonna decide whether or not there are this many suicides, and these kids do feel accepted or not accepted or, you know, in society politically, media wise, you know, the… they're statistically…there are just more straight people. So I would like to reach out to all of those straight kids and say we are no different and your kids aren't different and if you know gay kids they're not different, We are all unique and we all need to explicit our flaws, all of us 'cause, otherwise we're just sheep just like everybody else. 

01:24:35UNKNOWN Have you guys watched many carpets? Is it different like just the way the actions between, you know, two gay men on the carpet, and I mean you feel awkward or it is completely natural? 

01:24:45UNKNONW Oh, hi. 

01:24:45UNKNONW Hi… 

01:24:45SOLLY HEMUS It feels pretty natural, I mean… 

01:24:45MATTHEW SMITH I'm really gay. So I don't care, it was… it was much harder hiding it, actually. But when I was younger than it is now. 

01:24:55UNKNONWN The bottom line is our strongest position is our truth. 

01:25:00ELIZA ROBERTS I think there… we need to see, so many more people out there, who are openly gay and who are doing admirable things and open those doors so wide so that finally, you just sort of these people kind of give up their weapons of hates and just lay them down and say forget it, it's too big of fight, I can't fight it. 

01:25:20JAMES HEALEY My name is James Healey. 

01:25:25PAUL V My name is Paul V. 

01:25:25VANESSA SELBST My name is Vanessa Selbst. 

01:25:25PATRICK BURKE Uh, my name is Patrick Burke. 

01:25:25CARSON KRESSLEY My name is Carson Kressley. 

01:25:30GREG LOUGANIS My name is Greg Louganis. 

01:25:30MIRANDA FOSTER My name's Miranda foster. 

01:25:30ELIZA ROBERT I'm Eliza Robert's 

01:25:30KEATON SIMONS My name's Keaton Simons. 

01:25:35ERIC ROBERTS I'm Eric Roberts. 

01:25:35JASON SOMERVILLE I'm Jason Somerville. 

01:25:35JOSH STRICKLAND I'm Josh Strickland. 

01:25:40BE OPEN. 

01:25:40KIRA SMITH I'm not insulting you, you know me. 

01:25:45MATTHEW SMITH No, they're are not. No. 

01:25:45OUT IN THE OPEN 

01:25:50If you or someone you know is in danger of hurting themselves or others, call the Trevor Project Lifeline: (866) 488-7386 

01:25:50Additional Resources are available at 

01:25:50www.thetreverproject.org 

01:25:50www.glaad.org 

01:25:50To find LGBTQ mentors near you, go to www.lifeworksla.org 

01:25:50Directed by 

01:25:50MATTHEW SMITH 

01:25:50Written by 

01:25:50CHRIS HAYNES 

01:25:50BEN MILLIKEN 

01:25:50MATTHEW SMITH 

01:25:50Executive Producer 

01:25:50LAMAR BILLUPS 

01:25:50Produced by 

01:25:50MATTHEW SMITH 

01:25:50Produced by 

01:25:50BEN MILLIKEN 

01:25:50Produced By 

01:25:50CASSANDRA CHURCH 

01:25:50Produced by 

01:25:50SCOTT UPSTON 

01:25:50GENNA WALSH 

01:25:50Director of Photography 

01:25:50XARENI PENICHET 

01:25:50Editing by 

01:25:50CHRIS HAYNES 

01:25:50Original Music by 

01:25:50DAVE BEUKERS 

01:25:50Associate Producers 

01:25:50CHRIS HAYNES 

01:25:50XARENI PENICHET 

01:25:50JOSHUA GANNON 

01:25:50ALICE RALSTON 

01:25:50EMILY SAWDY 

01:25:50Production Assistant 

01:25:50Sharita Roberts 

01:25:50Interns 

01:25:50Lex Kennedy 

01:25:50Blake Cordova 

01:25:50Janella Lacson 

01:25:50Haley Litzsinger 

01:25:50Heather Knoblach 

01:25:50Laura Cain-Williams 

01:25:50Nicole Avenia 

01:25:50Additional Camera 

01:25:50Scott Miller 

01:25:50Additional Camera 

01:25:50Michael Sorensen 

01:25:50Edited by 

01:25:50Chris Haynes 

01:25:50Assistant Editor 

01:25:50Barry Sales 

01:25:50"In the hall of the mountain King" 

01:25:50Kevin MacLeod(incompetech.com) 

01:25:50Narrated by 

01:25:50Christ Haynes 

01:25:50Cast 

01:25:50Matthew Smith 

01:25:50Solly Hemus 

01:25:50Hunter Chapman 

01:25:50Lamar Billups 

01:25:50Alice Ralston 

01:25:50Barry Sales 

01:25:50Ben Milliken 

01:25:50Scott Upston 

01:25:50Cassandra Church 

01:25:50Amasha Alexandra Scott 

01:25:50Carson Kressley 

01:25:50Cleo Anderson 

01:25:50Daniel Hernandez 

01:25:50Deanna Psilopoulos 

01:25:50Deandre Randolph 

01:25:50Dijon Hawkins 

01:25:50Eliza Roberts 

01:25:50Eric Roberts 

01:25:50Frank Smith 

01:25:50Gregory Louganis 

01:25:50James Healy 

01:25:50Jane Hemus 

01:25:50Jarika Smith 

01:25:50Jason Summerville 

01:25:50Jason Strickland 

01:25:50Keaton Simons 

01:25:50Kira Smith 

01:25:50Lex Kennedy 

01:25:50Mark Morales 

01:25:50Mike Hemus 

01:25:50Miranda Foster 

01:25:50Patrick Burke 

01:25:50Sarita Roberts 

01:25:50Tiffany Pappas 

01:25:50Vanessa Selbst 

01:25:50Special thanks 

01:25:50World Series of Poker Academy 

01:25:50Mario's 

01:25:50Zach's Café 

01:25:50Lifeworks 

01:25:50Outset 

01:25:50GLAAD 

01:25:50Michael Ferrera 

01:25:50Moyra 

01:25:50Daryl Parker 

01:25:50Rico Simonini 

01:25:50Matt Kane 

01:25:50L.A Gay & Lesbian Center 

01:25:50RealStream Productions is the author of this motion picture or the purpose of copyright and other laws. 

01:25:50This motion picture is protected pursuant to the provisions of the laws of the United States of America and other counties. Any unauthorized duplication, distribution and/or exhibition of this motion picture may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution. 

01:25:50Characters and incidents portrayed and the names herein are fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character of history of any person is entirely coincidental and unintentional. 

01:25:50No animals were harmed in the making of this film. 

01:28:35END TRANSCRIPT