In a society where most are expected to be straight, n be difficult to take a step back and tly ask if you’re gay, straight, or somethg else. There's no "right" way to e to terms wh your orientatn. But there are a few thgs you n do to explore your feelgs and help figure thgs out. Here's how.
Contents:
- ‘I AM GAY – BUT I WASN’T BORN THIS WAY’
- WAS CARY GRANT THE FIRST ACTOR TO SAY "GAY" ONSCREEN?
- I WAS MARRIED WH 2 KIDS WHEN I REALIZED I’M GAY
- BRGG UP BABY – I JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN
- BEE I JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN...
- HE JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN: CARY GRANT AND THE SCREWBALL COMEDY
- GAY
- I JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN!
- JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
- HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE GAY, STRAIGHT, OR SOMETHG BETWEEN?
- “I’M HERE TODAY BEE I’M GAY.”ELLT PAGEIN FEBARY 2014, JUNO AND INCEPTN ACTOR ELLT PAGE ME OUT AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S THRIVE NFERENCE LAS VEGAS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SPEECH TOOK PLACE… READ MORE FEB. 2, 20141 VIEWER8 CONTRIBUTORS“I’M HERE TODAY BEE I’M GAY.” LYRICSHELLO! WOW. THANK YOU.THANK YOU CHAD, FOR THOSE KD WORDS AND FOR THE EVEN KR WORK THAT YOU AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATN DO EVERY DAY ON BEHALF OF THE LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR YOUNG PEOPLE HERE AND ACROSS AMERI.IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO BE HERE AT THE GURAL TIME TO THRIVE NFERENCE. BUT 'S A LTLE WEIRD, TOO. HERE I AM, THIS ROOM BEE OF AN ANIZATN WHOSE WORK THAT I EPLY, EPLY ADMIRE. AND I’M SURROUND BY PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEIR LIFE’S WORK TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE'S LIV BETTER— PROFOUNDLY BETTER. SOME OF YOU TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE. SOME OF YOU HELP YOUNG PEOPLE HEAL AND TO FD THEIR VOICE. SOME OF YOU LISTEN. SOME OF YOU TAKE ACTN. SOME OF YOU ARE YOUNG PEOPLE YOURSELV… WHICH SE, ’S EVEN WEIRR FOR A PERSON LIKE ME TO BE SPEAKG TO YOU.IT'S WEIRD BEE HERE I AM, AN ACTRS, REPRENTG—AT LEAST SOME SENSE—AN DTRY THAT PLAC CSHG STANDARDS ON ALL OF . AND NOT JT YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT EVERYONE. STANDARDS OF BETY. OF A GOOD LIFE. OF SUCCS. STANDARDS THAT, I HATE TO ADM, HAVE AFFECTED ME. YOU HAVE IAS PLANTED YOUR HEAD, THOUGHTS YOU NEVER HAD BEFORE, THAT TELL YOU HOW YOU HAVE TO ACT, HOW YOU HAVE TO DRS AND WHO YOU HAVE TO BE. AND I HAVE BEEN TRYG TO PH BACK, TO BE THENTIC, TO FOLLOW MY HEART, BUT N BE HARD.BUT THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. IN THIS ROOM, ALL OF YOU, ALL OF , N DO SO MUCH MORE TOGETHER THAN ANY ONE PERSON N DO ALONE. AND I HOPE THAT THOUGHT BOLSTERS YOU AS MUCH AS DO ME. I HOPE THAT THE WORKSHOPS YOU’LL GO TO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS GIVE YOU STRENGTH. BEE I N ONLY IMAGE THAT THERE ARE DAYS—WHEN YOU'VE WORKED LONGER HOURS THAN YOUR BOSS REALIZ OR R ABOUT, JT TO HELP A KID YOU KNOW N MAKE . DAYS WHERE YOU FEEL PLETELY ALONE, UNRMED, OR HOPELS.I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE THIS ROOM WHO GO TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY AND GET TREATED LIKE SH FOR NO REASON. OR YOU GO HOME AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU N'T TELL YOUR PARENTS THE WHOLE TTH ABOUT YOURSELF. BEYOND PUTTG YOURSELF ONE BOX OR ANOTHER, YOU WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE. ABOUT LLEGE OR WORK OR EVEN YOUR PHYSIL SAFETY. TRYG TO CREATE THAT MENTAL PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE—OF WHAT ON EARTH IS GOG TO HAPPEN TO YOU—N CSH YOU A LTLE B EVERY DAY. IT IS TOXIC AND PAFUL AND EPLY UNFAIR.SOMETIM 'S THE LTLE, SIGNIFINT STUFF THAT N TEAR YOU DOWN. I TRY NOT TO READ GOSSIP AS A LE, BUT THE OTHER DAY A WEBSE RAN AN ARTICLE WH A PICTURE OF ME WEARG SWEATPANTS ON THE WAY TO THE GYM. THE WRER ASKED, “WHY DO [THIS] PETE BETY SIST UPON DRSG LIKE A MASSIVE MAN?”*PSE*BEE I LIKE TO BE FORTABLE. THERE ARE PERVASIVE STEREOTYP ABOUT MASCULY AND FEMY THAT FE HOW WE ARE ALL SUPPOSED TO ACT, DRS AND SPEAK. THEY SERVE NO ONE. ANYONE WHO FI THE SO-LLED ‘NORMS’ BE WORTHY OF MENT AND SCTY. THE LGBT MUNY KNOWS THIS ALL TOO WELL.YET THERE IS URAGE ALL AROUND . THE FOOTBALL HERO, MICHAEL SAM. THE ACTRS, LAVERNE COX. THE MICIANS TEGAN AND SARA QUN. THE FAY THAT SUPPORTS THEIR DGHTER OR SON WHO HAS E OUT. AND THERE IS URAGE THIS ROOM. ALL OF YOU.I’M SPIRED TO BE THIS ROOM BEE EVERY SGLE ONE OF YOU IS HERE FOR THE SAME REASON.YOU’RE HERE BEE YOU’VE ADOPTED AS A RE MOTIVATN THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THIS WORLD WOULD BE A WHOLE LOT BETTER IF WE JT MA AN EFFORT TO BE LS HORRIBLE TO ONE ANOTHER. IF WE TOOK JT 5 MUT TO REGNIZE EACH OTHER’S BETY, STEAD OF ATTACKG EACH OTHER FOR OUR DIFFERENC. THAT’S NOT HARD. IT’S REALLY AN EASIER AND BETTER WAY TO LIVE. AND ULTIMATELY, SAV LIV.THEN AGA, ’S NOT EASY AT ALL. IT N BE THE HARST THG, BEE LOVG OTHER PEOPLE STARTS WH LOVG OURSELV AND ACCEPTG OURSELV. I KNOW MANY OF YOU HAVE STGGLED WH THIS. I DRAW UPON YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR SUPPORT, AND HAVE, WAYS YOU WILL NEVER KNOW.I’M HERE TODAY BEE I AM GAY. AND BEE… MAYBE I N MAKE A DIFFERENCE. TO HELP OTHERS HAVE AN EASIER AND MORE HOPEFUL TIME. REGARDLS, FOR ME, I FEEL A PERSONAL OBLIGATN AND A SOCIAL RPONSIBILY.I ALSO DO SELFISHLY, BEE I AM TIRED OF HIDG AND I AM TIRED OF LYG BY OMISSN. I SUFFERED FOR YEARS BEE I WAS SRED TO BE OUT. MY SPIR SUFFERED, MY MENTAL HEALTH SUFFERED AND MY RELATNSHIPS SUFFERED. AND I’M STANDG HERE TODAY, WH ALL OF YOU, ON THE OTHER SI OF ALL THAT PA. I AM YOUNG, Y, BUT WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT LOVE, THE BETY OF , THE JOY OF AND Y, EVEN THE PA OF , IS THE MOST CREDIBLE GIFT TO GIVE AND TO RECEIVE AS A HUMAN BEG. AND WE SERVE TO EXPERIENCE LOVE FULLY, EQUALLY, WHOUT SHAME AND WHOUT PROMISE.THERE ARE TOO MANY KIDS OUT THERE SUFFERG OM BULLYG, REJECTN, OR SIMPLY BEG MISTREATED BEE OF WHO THEY ARE. TOO MANY DROPOUTS. TOO MUCH ABE. TOO MANY HOMELS. TOO MANY SUICIS. YOU N CHANGE THAT AND YOU ARE CHANGG .BUT YOU NEVER NEED ME TO TELL YOU THAT. THAT’S WHY THIS WAS A LTLE B WEIRD. THE ONLY THG I N REALLY SAY IS WHAT I’VE BEEN BUILDG UP TO FOR THE PAST FIVE MUT. THANK YOU. THANK FOR SPIRG ME. THANK YOU FOR GIVG ME HOPE, AND PLEASE KEEP CHANGG THE WORLD FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME.HAPPY VALENTE’S DAY. I LOVE YOU.22EMBEDCANCELHOW TO FORMAT LYRICS:TYPE OUT ALL LYRICS, EVEN REPEATG SONG PARTS LIKE THE CHOSLYRICS SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN TO DIVIDUAL LUSE SECTN HEARS ABOVE DIFFERENT SONG PARTS LIKE [VERSE], [CHOS], ETC.USE ALICS (<I>LYRIC</I>) AND BOLD (<B>LYRIC</B>) TO DISTGUISH BETWEEN DIFFERENT VOLISTS THE SAME SONG PARTIF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND A LYRIC, E [?]TO LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT OUR TRANSCRIPTN GUI OR VIS OUR TRANSCRIBERS FOMABOUTGENI ANNOTATN3 NTRIBUTORSIN FEBARY 2014, JUNO AND INCEPTN ACTOR ELLT PAGE ME OUT AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S THRIVE NFERENCE LAS VEGAS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SPEECH TOOK PLACE BEFORE PAGE ME OUT AS TRANSGENR DECEMBER 2020.EXPAND +2SHAREASK A QUTN ABOUT THIS SONGASK A QUTN *WHEN DID ELLT PAGE RELEASE “"I'M HERE TODAY BEE I'M GAY."”?CREDSRELEASE DATEFEBARY 2, 2014TAGSNON-MICNEWS EXPAND COMMENTSADD A MENTSIGN UP AND DROP KNOWLEDGE ?GENI IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF MIC KNOWLEDGE, CREATED BY SCHOLARS LIKE YOU WHO SHARE FACTS AND SIGHT ABOUT THE SONGS AND ARTISTS THEY LOVE.SIGN UPGENI IS THE WORLD’S BIGGT LLECTN OF SONG LYRICS AND MIL KNOWLEDGE
‘I AM GAY – BUT I WASN’T BORN THIS WAY’
Jaguars assistant Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's pro sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer. * because i just went gay *
You so obvly nnot be gay, was her implitn, bee this is good was 2006, a full five years before Lady Gaga would set the Born This Way argument atop s unassailable cultural perch, but even then the popular unrstandg of orientatn was that was somethg you were born wh, somethg you uldn’t change.
But what feels most accurate to say is that I’m gay – but I wasn’t born this people may fd their sir changg directn - and n't jt be explaed as experimentatn (Cred: Ignac Lehmann)In 1977, jt over 10% of Amerins thought gayns was somethg you were born wh, acrdg to Gallup. Throughout the same perd, the number of Amerins who believe homosexualy is “due to someone’s upbrgg/environment” fell om jt unr 60% to ias reached cril mass pop culture, first wh Lady Gaga’s 2011 Born This Way and one year later wh Macklemore’s Same Love, the chos of which has a gay person sgg “I n’t change even if I tried, even if I wanted to. ”People who challenge the Born This Way narrative are often st as homophobic, and their thkg is nsired backwardAs Jane Ward not Not Gay: Sex Between Straight Whe Men, what’s tertg about many of the claims is how transparent their speakers are wh their polil motivatns.
WAS CARY GRANT THE FIRST ACTOR TO SAY "GAY" ONSCREEN?
* because i just went gay *
In fact, the homophobic and non-homophobic rponnts he studied shared siar levels of belief a Born This Way Samantha Allen not at The Daily Beast, the growg public support for gays and lbians has grown out of proportn wh the rise the number of people who believe homosexualy is fixed at birth; would be unlikely that this small change opn uld expla the spike support for gay marriage, for stance.
“It don’t seem to matter as much whether or not people believe that gay people are born that way as do that they simply know someone who is currently gay, ” Allen spe of the studi, those who ph agast Born This Way narrativ have been heavily cricised by gay activists. The efforts are potentially harmful, acrdg to the APA, “bee they prent the view that the sexual orientatn of lbian, gay and bisexual youth is a mental illns of disorr, and they often ame the abily to change one’s sexual orientatn as a personal and moral failure.
The APA, for example, while notg that most people experience ltle to no choice over their orientatns, says this of homosexualy’s origs:“Although much rearch has examed the possible geic, hormonal, velopmental, social and cultural fluenc on sexual orientatn, no fdgs have emerged that perm scientists to nclu that sexual orientatn is termed by any particular factor or factors. ”Siarly, the Amerin Psychiatric Associatn wr a 2013 statement that while the of heterosexualy and homosexualy are currently unknown, they are likely “multifactorial cludg blogil and behavral roots which may vary between different dividuals and may even vary over time.
I WAS MARRIED WH 2 KIDS WHEN I REALIZED I’M GAY
From 1894, when the very first gay film premiered to this year when a mastream children's movie featurg a ma character who is queer beme available to stream, look back at the history of * because i just went gay *
” Acrdg to LeVay’s rearch, a specific part of the bra, the third terstial nucls of the anterr hypothalam (INAH-3), is smaller homosexual men than is heterosexual as they might, scientists have stggled to inty any particular gen that nsistently predict the directns of our love and sire (Cred: Ignac Lehmann)Read moreYou n spot the problem wh this study a e away: were the gay bras LeVay studied born that way, or did they bee that way? Bis the dividual criqu leveled agast each new study announcg some gay gene disvery, there are major methodologil cricisms to make about the entire enterprise general, as Grzanka pots out: “If we look at the raveno pursu, particularly among Amerin scientists, to fd a gay gene, what we see is that the ncln has already been arrived at.
BRGG UP BABY – I JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN
”Gay or not, our sir are oriented and re-oriented throughout our liv (Cred: Ignac Lehmann)In fact, the straight-intified men Ward studied for her book sometim found themselv suatns that sparked the sire for homosexual sex: aterni, ployments, public rtrooms, etc. I’m claimg that at some pot durg llege, my sexual and romantic sir beme reoriented toward menThkg back to my llege romanc wh women and men, I n beg to unrstand how my own experienc might have helped me to ‘cultivate’ my sire for homosexualy.
“Limg our unrstandg of any plex human experience is always gog to be worse than allowg to be plited, ” he gay rights activists pared sexualy to relign - a ccial part of our life that we should be ee to practise however we like (Cred: Ignac Lehamann)So what are we to do wh the Born This Way rhetoric? [As a pot of tert, a reliance on lgual obscury helped wrers slip another gay term past censors The Malte Faln 3 years later by scribg Wilmer, a character nsired by many to be gay, as a 'gunsel', a Yiddish word for a young homosexual pann:]. Democratic printial ndidate Pete Buttigieg – who, like me, is his late 30s and, like me, me out publicly jt a few years ago – put this way: “It’s hard to face the tth that there were tim my life when, if you had shown me exactly what was si me that ma me gay, I would have cut out wh a knife.
BEE I JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN...
” While those makg films prr to 1934 enjoyed more eedom their abily to pict some obv—and even blatant—homosexual characters, the tablishment of the Productn Co Admistratn (PCA) put an end to such overt thematic elements subsequent movi. Therefore, screwball films, practilly anarchic their general revelg utter chaos and nfn, were able to play wh the nventns of male-female relatnships, often vg qutns of genr reversal through cross-drsg motifs and, by extensn, elicg imprsns of homosexual attractn—all the tert of a few lghs. Rather, through a seri of misunrstandgs, the generally male characters were given some of the distguishg “fey” hallmarks of the stereotypil homosexual person an attempt to both unrme and ridicule the character bee, as we all know, masculy and gayns nnot exist (this sadly speaks volum toward the prevailg public imprsn of homosexualy at the time, as somethg to be mocked and nigrated rather than rpected).
Acrdg to Gay Histori and Cultur: An Encyclopedia (1999), throughout the early twentieth century, the term “gay” served as a kd of word by which homosexuals secretly intified themselv to one another while hidg their te sexual nature om others.
Perhaps the most monly touted one is that the morn e of gay om a clippg of gayt, a slang term among hobos and erants meang a boy or young man who acpani an olr, more experienced tramp, wh the implitn of sexual favors beg exchanged for protectn and stctn. The term was often ed disparaggly and dat to at least 1893, when appears the November issue of Century magaze:The gay-ts are men who will work for “very good money, ” and are ually the Wt the tumn to take advantage of the high wag offered to laborers durg the harvt disparagg sense n be seen this catn om the 10 Augt 1895 issue of Harper’s Weekly:The hobo is an exceedgly proud fellow, and if you want to offend him, ll him a “gay t” or a “poke-outer.
HE JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN: CARY GRANT AND THE SCREWBALL COMEDY
1795:Those bulli who live upon whor of fashn, affect the drs and airs of men of rank and fortune, and by stttg ocsnally by the si of a gay lady, add a nsequence to her and themselv, and duce the ignorant cully to thk that miss nfers her favours on gentlemen om Mary Robson’s 1799 The False Friend:“That’s not my bs, ” replied the bailiff. The lyrics do not explicly lk the word wh homosexualy, but they n be terpreted that way, pecially if sung by a man drag:It’s about a chap, perhaps you know, I’m told he is ‘Nobody’s be, ’But maybe you all knew that before, He’s a lively clerk a Dry-Goods Store. Augt Dolph is his name, From Skiddy-ma-dk they say he me, He’s a handsome man and he’s proud and poor, This gay young clerk the Dry-Goods ’s easy to dismiss the homosexual implitns the song as a 21st century reterpretatn of a mid-19th century song, but the ia of the effemate store clerk was a popular subject of parody the 1860s.
This le is probably a double entendre tend to slip past the term remaed slang wh the homosexual muny until the late 1960s, when the Stonewall rts and the rise of homosexual rights activism brought this sense of gay to wir ’s probably worth mentng that there is a false acronymic orig for gay floatg about, that stands for Good As You. -- Jaguars assistant strength and ndng ach Kev Maxen has bee the first male ach major Amerin men's profsnal sports to publicly e out as gay, tellg he ma the cisn bee he didn't want to hi who he is any longer and to possibly spire others siar 's a cisn and move that drew praise and support om owner Shad Khan, who was a vol and emphatic supporter of a cy ordance that expand protectns on the grounds of sexual orientatn, genr inty and genr exprsn. While gay characters were equently ed for lghs or not explicly stated to be queer most early mastream Hollywood films, a brief relaxatn Germany's film productn the early 20th century allowed for LGBTQ+ classics like Anrs als die Anren and Mädchen Hollywood, the strict Hays Co forba explic pictns of homosexualy on film for three s, durg which there were a slew of queer-d villas.
GAY
The history starts 1894, wh the very first gay film, and ends 2021 wh a mastream children's movie featurg a ma character who is may also like: Bt Emmy-nomated shows of all time1894: 'The Dickson Experimental Sound Film' as first gay filmAlso known as "The Gay Brothers, " this short film showed two men dancg together. 1919: 'Anrs als die Anren' advot for LGBTQ acceptanceAnrs als die Anren (a German film whose tle translat to Different om the Others) is one of the olst survivg movi wh a gay protagonist and was ma durg a rare perd where German film censorship was relaxed after World War I. 1922: Gay llaboratn durg the filmg of 'Salome'Charl Bryant's adaptatn of gay wrer Osr Wil's play of the same name reportedly featured several queer llaborators—namely, bisexual lead actrs Alla Nazimova and set signer Natacha Rambova (her mored lover).
I JT WENT GAY ALL OF A SUDN!
Although one uld argue that such a gelg terview procs was exploative, Holliday's mgs about his life, dreams, and art the face of societal anti-Blackns and homophobia provi the kd of tersectnal look at LGBTQ+ inty that '60s media sorely may also like: 30 Stunng Photos From the Goln Age of Jazz1968: 'The Killg of Sister Gee'Produced durg the fal months of the Hays Co, Robert Aldrich's film about the breakdown of an agg lbian TV actrs clud a lbian sex scene that broke down a major taboo associated wh the Co's erasure of gay characters onscreen.
JAGS' MAXEN IS FIRST MALE AMERIN PRO SPORTS ACH TO E OUT AS GAY
"1982: 'Makg Love' sets out to produce gay role molsGay screenwrer Barry Sandler cid to wre a script about a married man who realiz he's gay and falls love wh another man, an effort to make up for the many negative gay film stereotyp om prev s. 1986: 'Partg Glanc' als wh the AIDS crisisGay first-time director Bill Sherwood's Partg Glanc is regard as the first film to al wh the AIDS crisis, which had a vastatg impact on gay and bisexual men particular the late 1980s and early 1990s.
' mak drag mastreamStarrg major Hollywood actors like Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, and Wley Snip as drag queens, To Wong Foo was the rare explicly gay stud film that rose to the top of the box office durg s first two weeks theaters.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU’RE GAY, STRAIGHT, OR SOMETHG BETWEEN?
2005: Audienc n't qu 'Brokeback Mounta'Ang Lee's film about the long-term secret romance between two wboys (played by Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger) ma history as one of the first big, mastream movi that centered on a gay love story. 2019: A rerd year for reprentatn, wh notable asterisksGLAAD, the LGBTQ+ media advocy anizatn, puts out a yearly report on queer reprentatn media, and s report on 2019 showed hopeful signs that media is beg more clive, wh a rerd number of gay characters on-screen.
Part of the explanatn is geic, but bee most intil tws of gay people are straight, heredy don’t expla “why” qutn is important bee “there is a strong rrelatn between beliefs about the origs of sexual orientatn and tolerance of non-heterosexualy, ” acrdg to the report thors, who are om seven universi spanng the globe. But gaps will rema, such as why some firstborn sons are gay, why some intil tws of gay sons are straight, and why women are gay, to name jt a review-paper thors do le out one explanatn for homosexualy, however: That tolerance for gay people enurag more people to bee gay.
“Homosexual orientatn do not crease equency wh social tolerance, although s exprsn ( behavr and open intifitn) may do so, ” they reasong—that a tolerant society somehow enurag homosexualy to flourish—has been ed to support anti-gay legislatn Uganda, Rsia, and elsewhere. Worst of all, though, the shame attached to the memori of those first tim marred how I would approach sex for was listeng to Years & Years’ new song “Sanctify, ” and seeg the band’s out gay sger Olly Alexanr talk about how the song was spired his sexual trysts wh straight men, that I realized that the feelgs are way more mon than people let on. Sure, I know all about gay guys havg sex wh straight guys, but felt reassurg to see him scribe the “sat and sner role” he embodied durg those experienc, and to hear the uncertaty and melancholy weaved to the than anythg though, was the repeated lyril mantra of “I won’t be ashamed.
“I’M HERE TODAY BEE I’M GAY.”ELLT PAGEIN FEBARY 2014, JUNO AND INCEPTN ACTOR ELLT PAGE ME OUT AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S THRIVE NFERENCE LAS VEGAS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SPEECH TOOK PLACE… READ MORE FEB. 2, 20141 VIEWER8 CONTRIBUTORS“I’M HERE TODAY BEE I’M GAY.” LYRICSHELLO! WOW. THANK YOU.THANK YOU CHAD, FOR THOSE KD WORDS AND FOR THE EVEN KR WORK THAT YOU AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN FOUNDATN DO EVERY DAY ON BEHALF OF THE LBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENR YOUNG PEOPLE HERE AND ACROSS AMERI.IT IS SUCH AN HONOR TO BE HERE AT THE GURAL TIME TO THRIVE NFERENCE. BUT 'S A LTLE WEIRD, TOO. HERE I AM, THIS ROOM BEE OF AN ANIZATN WHOSE WORK THAT I EPLY, EPLY ADMIRE. AND I’M SURROUND BY PEOPLE WHO MAKE THEIR LIFE’S WORK TO MAKE OTHER PEOPLE'S LIV BETTER— PROFOUNDLY BETTER. SOME OF YOU TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE. SOME OF YOU HELP YOUNG PEOPLE HEAL AND TO FD THEIR VOICE. SOME OF YOU LISTEN. SOME OF YOU TAKE ACTN. SOME OF YOU ARE YOUNG PEOPLE YOURSELV… WHICH SE, ’S EVEN WEIRR FOR A PERSON LIKE ME TO BE SPEAKG TO YOU.IT'S WEIRD BEE HERE I AM, AN ACTRS, REPRENTG—AT LEAST SOME SENSE—AN DTRY THAT PLAC CSHG STANDARDS ON ALL OF . AND NOT JT YOUNG PEOPLE, BUT EVERYONE. STANDARDS OF BETY. OF A GOOD LIFE. OF SUCCS. STANDARDS THAT, I HATE TO ADM, HAVE AFFECTED ME. YOU HAVE IAS PLANTED YOUR HEAD, THOUGHTS YOU NEVER HAD BEFORE, THAT TELL YOU HOW YOU HAVE TO ACT, HOW YOU HAVE TO DRS AND WHO YOU HAVE TO BE. AND I HAVE BEEN TRYG TO PH BACK, TO BE THENTIC, TO FOLLOW MY HEART, BUT N BE HARD.BUT THAT'S WHY I'M HERE. IN THIS ROOM, ALL OF YOU, ALL OF , N DO SO MUCH MORE TOGETHER THAN ANY ONE PERSON N DO ALONE. AND I HOPE THAT THOUGHT BOLSTERS YOU AS MUCH AS DO ME. I HOPE THAT THE WORKSHOPS YOU’LL GO TO OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS GIVE YOU STRENGTH. BEE I N ONLY IMAGE THAT THERE ARE DAYS—WHEN YOU'VE WORKED LONGER HOURS THAN YOUR BOSS REALIZ OR R ABOUT, JT TO HELP A KID YOU KNOW N MAKE . DAYS WHERE YOU FEEL PLETELY ALONE, UNRMED, OR HOPELS.I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE THIS ROOM WHO GO TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY AND GET TREATED LIKE SH FOR NO REASON. OR YOU GO HOME AND YOU FEEL LIKE YOU N'T TELL YOUR PARENTS THE WHOLE TTH ABOUT YOURSELF. BEYOND PUTTG YOURSELF ONE BOX OR ANOTHER, YOU WORRY ABOUT THE FUTURE. ABOUT LLEGE OR WORK OR EVEN YOUR PHYSIL SAFETY. TRYG TO CREATE THAT MENTAL PICTURE OF YOUR LIFE—OF WHAT ON EARTH IS GOG TO HAPPEN TO YOU—N CSH YOU A LTLE B EVERY DAY. IT IS TOXIC AND PAFUL AND EPLY UNFAIR.SOMETIM 'S THE LTLE, SIGNIFINT STUFF THAT N TEAR YOU DOWN. I TRY NOT TO READ GOSSIP AS A LE, BUT THE OTHER DAY A WEBSE RAN AN ARTICLE WH A PICTURE OF ME WEARG SWEATPANTS ON THE WAY TO THE GYM. THE WRER ASKED, “WHY DO [THIS] PETE BETY SIST UPON DRSG LIKE A MASSIVE MAN?”*PSE*BEE I LIKE TO BE FORTABLE. THERE ARE PERVASIVE STEREOTYP ABOUT MASCULY AND FEMY THAT FE HOW WE ARE ALL SUPPOSED TO ACT, DRS AND SPEAK. THEY SERVE NO ONE. ANYONE WHO FI THE SO-LLED ‘NORMS’ BE WORTHY OF MENT AND SCTY. THE LGBT MUNY KNOWS THIS ALL TOO WELL.YET THERE IS URAGE ALL AROUND . THE FOOTBALL HERO, MICHAEL SAM. THE ACTRS, LAVERNE COX. THE MICIANS TEGAN AND SARA QUN. THE FAY THAT SUPPORTS THEIR DGHTER OR SON WHO HAS E OUT. AND THERE IS URAGE THIS ROOM. ALL OF YOU.I’M SPIRED TO BE THIS ROOM BEE EVERY SGLE ONE OF YOU IS HERE FOR THE SAME REASON.YOU’RE HERE BEE YOU’VE ADOPTED AS A RE MOTIVATN THE SIMPLE FACT THAT THIS WORLD WOULD BE A WHOLE LOT BETTER IF WE JT MA AN EFFORT TO BE LS HORRIBLE TO ONE ANOTHER. IF WE TOOK JT 5 MUT TO REGNIZE EACH OTHER’S BETY, STEAD OF ATTACKG EACH OTHER FOR OUR DIFFERENC. THAT’S NOT HARD. IT’S REALLY AN EASIER AND BETTER WAY TO LIVE. AND ULTIMATELY, SAV LIV.THEN AGA, ’S NOT EASY AT ALL. IT N BE THE HARST THG, BEE LOVG OTHER PEOPLE STARTS WH LOVG OURSELV AND ACCEPTG OURSELV. I KNOW MANY OF YOU HAVE STGGLED WH THIS. I DRAW UPON YOUR STRENGTH AND YOUR SUPPORT, AND HAVE, WAYS YOU WILL NEVER KNOW.I’M HERE TODAY BEE I AM GAY. AND BEE… MAYBE I N MAKE A DIFFERENCE. TO HELP OTHERS HAVE AN EASIER AND MORE HOPEFUL TIME. REGARDLS, FOR ME, I FEEL A PERSONAL OBLIGATN AND A SOCIAL RPONSIBILY.I ALSO DO SELFISHLY, BEE I AM TIRED OF HIDG AND I AM TIRED OF LYG BY OMISSN. I SUFFERED FOR YEARS BEE I WAS SRED TO BE OUT. MY SPIR SUFFERED, MY MENTAL HEALTH SUFFERED AND MY RELATNSHIPS SUFFERED. AND I’M STANDG HERE TODAY, WH ALL OF YOU, ON THE OTHER SI OF ALL THAT PA. I AM YOUNG, Y, BUT WHAT I HAVE LEARNED IS THAT LOVE, THE BETY OF , THE JOY OF AND Y, EVEN THE PA OF , IS THE MOST CREDIBLE GIFT TO GIVE AND TO RECEIVE AS A HUMAN BEG. AND WE SERVE TO EXPERIENCE LOVE FULLY, EQUALLY, WHOUT SHAME AND WHOUT PROMISE.THERE ARE TOO MANY KIDS OUT THERE SUFFERG OM BULLYG, REJECTN, OR SIMPLY BEG MISTREATED BEE OF WHO THEY ARE. TOO MANY DROPOUTS. TOO MUCH ABE. TOO MANY HOMELS. TOO MANY SUICIS. YOU N CHANGE THAT AND YOU ARE CHANGG .BUT YOU NEVER NEED ME TO TELL YOU THAT. THAT’S WHY THIS WAS A LTLE B WEIRD. THE ONLY THG I N REALLY SAY IS WHAT I’VE BEEN BUILDG UP TO FOR THE PAST FIVE MUT. THANK YOU. THANK FOR SPIRG ME. THANK YOU FOR GIVG ME HOPE, AND PLEASE KEEP CHANGG THE WORLD FOR PEOPLE LIKE ME.HAPPY VALENTE’S DAY. I LOVE YOU.22EMBEDCANCELHOW TO FORMAT LYRICS:TYPE OUT ALL LYRICS, EVEN REPEATG SONG PARTS LIKE THE CHOSLYRICS SHOULD BE BROKEN DOWN TO DIVIDUAL LUSE SECTN HEARS ABOVE DIFFERENT SONG PARTS LIKE [VERSE], [CHOS], ETC.USE ALICS (<I>LYRIC</I>) AND BOLD (<B>LYRIC</B>) TO DISTGUISH BETWEEN DIFFERENT VOLISTS THE SAME SONG PARTIF YOU DON’T UNRSTAND A LYRIC, E [?]TO LEARN MORE, CHECK OUT OUR TRANSCRIPTN GUI OR VIS OUR TRANSCRIBERS FOMABOUTGENI ANNOTATN3 NTRIBUTORSIN FEBARY 2014, JUNO AND INCEPTN ACTOR ELLT PAGE ME OUT AT THE HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN’S THRIVE NFERENCE LAS VEGAS. PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS SPEECH TOOK PLACE BEFORE PAGE ME OUT AS TRANSGENR DECEMBER 2020.EXPAND +2SHAREASK A QUTN ABOUT THIS SONGASK A QUTN *WHEN DID ELLT PAGE RELEASE “"I'M HERE TODAY BEE I'M GAY."”?CREDSRELEASE DATEFEBARY 2, 2014TAGSNON-MICNEWS EXPAND COMMENTSADD A MENTSIGN UP AND DROP KNOWLEDGE ?GENI IS THE ULTIMATE SOURCE OF MIC KNOWLEDGE, CREATED BY SCHOLARS LIKE YOU WHO SHARE FACTS AND SIGHT ABOUT THE SONGS AND ARTISTS THEY LOVE.SIGN UPGENI IS THE WORLD’S BIGGT LLECTN OF SONG LYRICS AND MIL KNOWLEDGE
While gay characters were equently ed for lghs or not explicly stated to be queer most early mastream Hollywood films, a brief relaxatn Germany’s film productn the early 20th century allowed for LGBTQ+ classics like “Anrs als die Anren” and “Mädchen Uniform. (The Essanay Film Manufacturg Company) 1916: ‘Behd the Curta’ employs the first gay gag 1916: ‘Behd the Curta’ employs the first gay gag | In the Charlie Chapl edy, a stagehand mocks the actor’s character for supposedly kissg another man. (Lone Star Corporatn) 1919: 'Anrs als die Anren' advot for LGBTQ acceptance 1919: 'Anrs als die Anren' advot for LGBTQ acceptance | “Anrs als die Anren” (a German film whose tle translat to “Different om the Others”) is one of the olst survivg movi wh a gay protagonist and was ma durg a rare perd where German film censorship was relaxed after World War I.
(Paramount Pictur) 1922: Gay llaboratn durg the filmg of ‘Salome’ 1922: Gay llaboratn durg the filmg of ‘Salome’ | Charl Bryant’s adaptatn of gay wrer Osr Wil’s play of the same name reportedly featured several queer llaborators — namely, bisexual lead actrs Alla Nazimova and set signer Natacha Rambova (her mored lover). ”] (Kurt Hutton // Getty Imag) 1938: ‘Brgg Up Baby’ ‘gay’ a queer ntext 1938: ‘Brgg Up Baby’ ‘gay’ a queer ntext | In one scene om the 1938 screwball edy “Brgg Up Baby, ” the word “gay” was ed a queer ntext for likely the first time (possibly thanks to queer performers’ e of “gay” as a slang term).
” (RKO Rad Pictur) 1941: A newly queer-d villa ‘The Malte Faln’ 1941: A newly queer-d villa ‘The Malte Faln’ | “For all s efforts, the Productn Co didn't erase homosexuals om the screen; jt ma them harr to fd, ” “The Celluloid Closet” stat. ) 1948: Gayns and murr lli Hchock’s ‘Rope’ 1948: Gayns and murr lli Hchock’s ‘Rope’ | Loosely based on the Leopold and Loeb murr se, Aled Hchck’s “Rope” tells the story of two heavily d gay men who murr one of their classmat for the sheer thrill of .