On October 11
millions of openly gay Americans will reflect on the day
they took those brave first steps out of the closet,
providing support and encouragement to others who have
yet to find their voice. On the second day of our
coming-out series, Brooke Knows Best star Glenn
Douglas Packard (pictured), SAGE executive director
Michael Adams, and Family Equality Council executive
director Jennifer Chrisler share their coming-out
stories.
On October 11
millions of openly gay Americans will reflect on the day
they took those brave first steps out of the closet,
providing support and encouragement to others who have
yet to find their voice. On the second day of our
coming-out series, Brooke Knows Best star Glenn
Douglas Packard (pictured), SAGE executive director
Michael Adams, and Family Equality Council executive
director Jennifer Chrisler share their coming-out
stories.
***
Glenn Douglas Packard, actor-dancer (Brooke Knows Best)
The coming-out
story that sticks out the most for me would be my national
coming-out on Brooke Knows Best. When Hulk
Hogan, an icon in the wrestling industry who has a
lot of straight men looking up to him, asked on a
scale from 1 to 10 how gay I am, it was simple to
answer because I know who I am. So I
responded -- 10!
Because I
grew up a small-town farm boy in Michigan, I think a
lot of young men in the smaller states and
towns across America responded to learning
more about my story -- they no longer felt so alone,
because even though there are a lot of us in major cities
like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami, there are still
a ton of young men scared to come out and feeling very
alone in those other areas. By my standing up to the
Hulk, they saw that they too could be open about who they
are, and it has been nice to be able to inspire
others.
I’ve also
heard from a lot of straight men who had seen the episode,
and because Hulk was OK with me, it's opened their
eyes to realize that we are out there and it's OK to
be a bit more open-minded to the gay community.
When the first
episode of Brooke Knows Best aired, I had to
come out to my whole family in Michigan, from Grandma to
nephews to aunts and uncles, and it has been something I've
wanted to do for so long. I was a family secret and
wanted to bring my two worlds together. Because of my
coming out on the show, it has brought my family
closer together and they are 100% cheering me on!
***
Michael Adams, executive director, Services and
Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE)
Meeting my first
boyfriend when I was 21 triggered my coming out, and
that happened in Lima, Peru. I had taken a break from
college to spend a year abroad and “find
myself” -- and boy, did I!
Oscar and I met
on the street during my first week in Lima, when I was
lost and asked him for directions. I was so naive back
then it didn’t dawn on me that he was gay
(though it certainly dawned on me that he was
cute). Up to that point I’d had very little
interaction with gay people; in fact, I’d
never been in a gay bar. So, my first gay bar, my
first drag show -- many “firsts” took place
during my eight months living in Peru.
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