Actor Charlie Carver Comes Out as Gay
Teen Wolf actor Charlie Carver came out yesterday on Instagram.
Carver shared five emotional posts on Instagram, explaining his decision to come out and to live openly and authentically. Each post was a picture of an image that read, “Be who you needed when you were younger.”
“As a young boy, I knew I wanted to be an actor…It was around that age that I also knew, however abstractly, that I was different from some of the other boys in my grade,” he wrote in his first post. “Over time, this abstract ‘knowing’ grew and articulated itself through a painful gestation marked by feelings of despair and alienation, ending in a climax of saying three words out loud: ‘I am gay.’”
The 27-year-old actor is best known for his roles in Teen Wolf, Desperate Housewives and The Leftovers.
“I now believe that by omitting this part of myself from the record, I am complicit in perpetuating the suffering, fear, and shame cast upon so many in the world,” he continued. “So now, let the record show this — I self-identify as gay … I owe it to myself, more than anything, to be who I needed when I was younger.”
Coming out – whether it is as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or allied – matters. When people know someone who is LGBTQ, they are far more likely to support equality under the law. Beyond that, our stories can be powerful to each other.
Whether it’s for the first time ever or the first time today, the experience of coming out and living openly covers the full spectrum of human emotion — from fear to euphoria. Coming out — whether it is as LGBT or allied — is a deeply personal journey for each individual.
Learn more about coming out at HRC’s Coming Out Center
Earlier today, @CharlieCarver came out publicly as #gay. Tap twice to thank him for living openly and authentically. For more coming out resources, visit HRC.org/comingout. #LGBT #LGBTQ #CharlieCarver #Repost @charliecarver: Pt 1: “Be who you needed when you were younger”. About a year ago, I saw this photo while casually scrolling through my Instagram one morning. I’m not one for inspirational quotes, particularly ones attributed to “Mx Anonymous”- something mean in me rebukes the pithiness of proverbs, choosing to judge them as trite instead of possibly-generally-wise, resonant, or helpful. And in the case of the good ol’ Anonymous kind, I felt that there was something to be said for the missing context. Who wrote or said the damn words? Why? And to/for who in particular? Nonetheless, I screen-capped the picture and saved it. It struck me for some reason, finding itself likeable enough to join the ranks of the “favorites” album on my phone. I’d see it there almost daily, a small version of it next to my other “favorites”; I’d see it every time I checked into the gym, pulled up a picture of my insurance cards, my driver’s license…. Important Documents. And over the course of about-a-year, it became clear why the inspirational photo had called out to me. As a young boy, I knew I wanted to be an actor. I knew I wanted to be a lot of things! I thought I wanted to be a painter, a soccer player, a stegosaurus… But the acting thing stuck. It was around that age that I also knew, however abstractly, that I was different from some of the other boys in my grade. Over time, this abstract “knowing” grew and articulated itself through a painful gestation marked by feelings of despair and alienation, ending in a climax of saying three words out loud: “I am gay”. I said them to myself at first, to see how they felt. They rang true, and I hated myself for them. I was twelve. It would take me a few years before I could repeat them to anyone else, in the meantime turning the phrase over and over in my mouth until I felt comfortable and sure enough to let the words pour out again, this time to my family…
A photo posted by Human Rights Campaign (@humanrightscampaign) on
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