But this brilliant gay male American actor and drag performer, whose real name is Clinton Leupp, can also be quite serious and I had to share this entry from Coco’s blog posted in its entirety:
Thursday, September 30th, 2010 6:31 PM: Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, Billy Lucas, their names and faces have been swirling in my mind with a mix of both grief and anger. All four committed suicide within a month’s time due to bullying because tlook at their photos, at those beautiful sweet faces, and I want to go back in time. I want to reach through those photos and pull each of them into my world so I can sit with them and tell them that there is life after their teens, that there are people out there who will love and support you and raise you up and celebrate you. People who want to make this world a better place for you so that you can in turn use your talents to make it a better world for others.
This may sound corny, but I have said it for years that one of the reasons I wanted to create Coco was so that I could celebrate the very things I was taught to hate about myself so that future generations of gay kids wouldn’t have to go through what I went through.
In fact, my heart has soared more than a few times when I’ve gotten emails from teenagers, and one eleven-year-old boy, who have thanked me for being “out” and inspiring them to be themselves. However, today my heart sinks that these four young people fell through the cracks.
I remember all too well the years of bullying that I silently endured. I never told my parents, not once, that I was being called names like fag, homo, and gay. I was so afraid they would ask me if what the other kids were calling me was true.
I can remember trying to navigate new ways to walk to school so that I could avoid the kids that made fun of me. I remember praying incessantly to be spared going to hell for being gay as I was being taught at Catholic school.
Everyday was filled with anxiety and waiting for the next attack. This occurred daily from second grade on. It is for this reason I shut down, I was unable to learn, and basically was robbed of my education.
I can only remember twice in all those years, once in fourth grade and again in High School, where a teacher actually stood up for me.
I lived for summers as they offered a bit of a break from the daily abuse. I can remember lying in my bed, frozen with fear that I would always be alone, having to hide who I truly was, having to continue to make excuses as to why I didn’t want to date girls, that I would forever be made fun of because of my effeminate ways, my hard S’s, and big hips! I cried one night when I realized that the only one that I knew of that loved me unconditionally was my dog. And like a good friend she stood by my side as I wept.
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