‘Power Rangers’: David Yost on Why a Gay Superhero Is a Step Forward – The Hollywood Reporter

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Origal Blue Power Ranger reveals that he was harassed on set for beg gay

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ORIGAL BLUE POWER RANGER DAVID YOST ON GAY REPRENTATN NETFLIX'S POWER RANGERS RNN SPECIAL

David Yost, who left the '90s show after facg harassment for beg gay, wr that the Lnsgate reboot "really stepped up to the plate." * billy power rangers gay *

Origal Blue Power Ranger David Yost on gay reprentatn Netflix's Power Rangers rnn special "It's taken a long time to get there, " says the actor, who me out as gay after leavg Mighty Morph Power Rangers 1996. In the begng, I certaly didn't want people to know that I was gay, " he said. ""I put myself through nversn therapy bee I didn't wanna be gay.

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When I first moved to Hollywood the ‘90s to be an actor, was still nsired taboo to be gay, pecially if you wanted to be a leadg actor TV seri or film.

If you were gay, you certaly were not allowed to make public. I was stgglg so much wh who I was and not wantg to be gay bee of what society was tellg me — that ’s not a good thg, that ’s agast God, that you are somehow different. There were ments at work that were ma about me terms of beg gay or “beg a faggot, ” and as time went on jt got old and I was tired of listeng to .

I was dog any and everythg I uld to get rid of beg gay.

ORIGAL BLUE POWER RANGER REVEALS THAT HE WAS HARASSED ON SET FOR BEG GAY

As the Mighty Morph Power Rangers celebrat s 20th anniversary, David Yost, the actor who played the origal Blue Ranger, shar the story of how he overme bullyg Hollywood, suicidal tennci, and a nervo breakdown on the road to acceptg himself as a gay man. * billy power rangers gay *

I n remember lyg bed my first night the hospal, and sayg, “God, if you give me my md back, I will be gay.

I remember listeng to my peers talkg about him and sayg really horrible thgs about gay people. People always ask me, “Wouldn’t be great if there’s a gay character on one of the Power Rangers TV seri?

The more Hollywood puts lbian, gay, bisexual and transgenr, qutng, tersex characters a film or TV show, helps people unrstand and see that people are jt people. Warng: The article ntas referenc to homophobia and suici. David Yost, who played Billy, the Blue Ranger, knew he was gay while workg on the show and had to take preutns to make sure no one would fd out.

GO, GAY POWER RANGER!

“I said I’m not gonna be gay, I’m gonna foc on my reer. Yost rells overhearg producers and -stars watchg footage of him and throwg out homophobic slurs. The emotnal toll Yost alt wh exemplifi what was like for many gay people Hollywood at the time.

“Everybody thks everybody Hollywood is accepted and s great to be gay. That homophobia me to a head durg productn of the show’s fourth season, Power Rangers Zeo. It was a major step down for the character and Yost feels was part bee many the productn staff believed that bee he was gay he uldn’t be a superhero.

” However, durg a panel at Power Morphin 2012, Pagter played d clips om behd the scen on the show cludg one that featured a homophobic slur.

BLUE POWER RANGER REVEALS THAT HE QU THE SHOW OVER HARASSMENT AS A GAY ACTOR

The harassment Yost faced sent him to a eper darkns and he spent many years tryg to “get rid of” his sexualy, cludg many versns of the horrific “Pray the Gay Away.

While gay character and relatnships, nor a gay actor like Yost, weren’t acceptable on the seri, straight characters and relatnships were. Marchand, who was an out lbian at the time, and the other wrers knew a gay Ranger was never a possibily at the time but 2004’s Power Rangers Do Thunr they troduced Hayley, the team’s rint tech expert. We were startg to thk, uld we, any pacy, troduce a gay character on this show?

In an terview wh Den of Geek, Marchand crg at the memory, parg to the famo Hays Co of early Hollywood that effectively banned direct reference or posive portrayal of gay characters films outsi of ep subtext. The memory also provok great tratn om Marchand who knew that many executiv at Disney durg that time were gay but, “ jt wouldn’t have flown.

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