'Bachelor' Colton Unrwood's gay reveal plit his past — but don't erase

Contents:

• BACHELOR ARIE LUYENDYK LLS FOR SHOW TO FALLY ST A GAY LEAD AFTER 27 SEASONS OF HETEROSEXUAL RELATNSHIPS
• COLTON UNRWOOD, FORMER 'BACHELOR' STAR, OUT AS GAY
• 'BACHELOR' COLTON UNRWOOD'S GAY REVEAL PLIT HIS PAST — BUT DON'T ERASE
• 'THE BACHELOR' HAS A TROUBLED HISTORY WHEN TO GAY ROMANCE. IT'S NOT ALONE
• BACHELOR'' NATN STARS REACT TO COLTON UNRWOOD COMG OUT AS GAY: 'YOU HAVE MY LOVE AND SUPPORT'

BACHELOR ARIE LUYENDYK LLS FOR SHOW TO FALLY ST A GAY LEAD AFTER 27 SEASONS OF HETEROSEXUAL RELATNSHIPS

Colton Unrwood beme the first openly gay man Bachelor Natn April 2021. The outlet reported that the rtrag orr was dropped that later, April 2021, Unrwood me out as gay durg an terview on "Good Morng Ameri. "This mak him the first former lead to be part of the LGBTQ+ muny, and the first gay man volved wh the May 2023, Unrwood married polil strategist Jordan C.

COLTON UNRWOOD, FORMER 'BACHELOR' STAR, OUT AS GAY

In a brief vio clip, a woman narrat as Marv Gay mic plays the background. Sun exclively would be "amazg" to have a "gay Bachelor. It'd be amazg if they had a gay bachelor.

Former "Bachelor" star Colton Unrwood revealed that he is gay a taped terview wh "Good Morng Ameri" anchor Rob Roberts that aired Wednday. And I’m gay, and I me to terms wh that earlier this year, and I’ve been procsg and the next step all of this was sort of lettg people know, " Unrwood, 29, told Roberts. ""I'm proud to be gay, " Unrwood said later the terview.

In an terview wh Entertament Tonight last year, he said that "The Bachelor" helped him realize that he was not gay, after stgglg wh his sexualy. And a book he published 2020, "The First Time: Fdg Myself and Lookg for Love on Realy TV, " he revealed that growg up, people would qutn whether he was gay, sce he was a virg and a football player.

'BACHELOR' COLTON UNRWOOD'S GAY REVEAL PLIT HIS PAST — BUT DON'T ERASE

The tth is, I was a virg bachelor bee I was gay and I didn't know how to handle , " Unrwood told Roberts.

"He said his Catholic upbrgg and athletic life ma him supprs his sexualy, even though he knew he was gay his hman year of high now, Unrwood said he is closer to God than ever before. "And I know even sayg that now as a gay man, people are gog to be like 'how is that even possible? '""I ed to wake up the morng and pray for him to take the gay away, " Unrwood explaed.

“There was qutns there, ” he admted, sayg that when he was young he had Googled, “Am I gay? I’m gay and I me to terms wh that earlier this year, " he told rponse to the revelatns has been predictably msy and tratg to wa disurse has largely spl to two mps: Colton Unrwood is Good or Colton Unrwood is tth is, of urse, somewhere between. Should he really be jumpg immediately to the public sphere as a gay in figurehead — and profg off of that role, as he will reportedly be dog a new Netflix doceri?

'THE BACHELOR' HAS A TROUBLED HISTORY WHEN TO GAY ROMANCE. IT'S NOT ALONE

) My clatn is to say probably uld qutn the homophobia and misogyny that still fd their way to so many locker Unrwood do have a platform, one that uld make a difference if he uld qutn the strgent and hateful, harmful moral judgments of the relig stutns he was brought up . He uld qutn the prevailg and eply harmful cultural nceptn of “tradnal” masculy — a brand of masculy that is often prented opposn to uld qutn the homophobia and misogyny that still fd their way to so many locker rooms. He uld qutn the way men are raised to view women as objects and tools of their own personal uld qutn why cis, whe, gay men are still so often at the foreont of queer reprentatn popular uld even qutn the anchise that is so wedd to heterosexualy the public imagatn that beg st as s lead ma him feel like he had found a shortcut to livg as a straight man.

“The Bachelor’s” Colton Unrwood on Wednday revealed that he's gay an emotnal terview wh Rob Roberts on “Good Morng Ameri. ” Compared wh the anchise's past handlg of the subject of gay romance, was a major step forward. “And for me, I’ve ran om myself for a long time and I’ve hated myself for a long time, and I’m gay.

BACHELOR'' NATN STARS REACT TO COLTON UNRWOOD COMG OUT AS GAY: 'YOU HAVE MY LOVE AND SUPPORT'

(Na Prommer / EPA-EFE / Rex / Shutterstock)In fact, “The Bachelor” has prevly e unr fire for ments that proment personali om the anchise have ma regardg LGBTQ people and relatnships tryg to protect that 2014, Season 18 “Bachelor” Juan Pablo Galavis was lled out for sayg a potential “Bachelor” stallment built around same-sex romance would not be “a good example for kids” and ed the word "pervert" reference to gay people. In a 2014 terview wh New York Tim Magaze, Harrison si-stepped a qutn about whether there should be a gay “Bachelor” by tryg to make a qutn about bs cisns and parg love to pizzas and hamburgers. But stead of lettg the foc of the show be one man’s search for love, "Boy Meets Boy" clud a twist: some of the nttants were straight 's 2003 gay datg seri "Boy Meets Boy.

" (Glenn Campbell / Bravo)The twist was ially a secret to Jam, the lead, as well as the gay nttants, which meant the gimmick was purely for the dience to try to figure out each nttant’s sexual orientatn. Given the homophobic stereotyp that exist around ceful gay men, this cel twist meant creatg a game out of straight men tryg to trick a gay man for a sh prize.