Alyson Stoner is opening up about the harsh realities of coming out as queer in Hollywood.
The Cheaper by the Dozen alum stopped by the I’m Literally Screaming with Spencewuah podcast earlier this month, where they opened up about coming out — and the RIDICULOUS consequences they suffered for doing so. As you may know, Alyson came out in a 2018 Teen Vogue essay, sharing at the time that they’d fallen in love with a woman. Now, five years later, The Suite Life of Zack & Cody alum embraces their queer identity more than ever, indicating in their Instagram bio that they use they/them pronouns. However, Alyson wasn’t always as confident as they are now.
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The Disney star opened up about their reasons for coming out in the first place:
“It was really nerve-racking, and the reason I ended up doing it was because my girlfriend at the time, we reached a point in our relationship where it felt like it was a disservice to her for her to be hidden. That didn’t feel good for her, it didn’t feel fair. And even though there were other pressures and considerations for me to be public, I felt like, okay, I want to do this.”
The 29-year-old revealed that they spoke with their manager at the time, who wildly enough was the Jonas Brothers’ dad, Kevin Jonas Sr., and he expressed a bit of hesitation with the decision:
“But I spoke to my managers about it, who happened to be Christians, and full transparency, Kevin Jonas, the dad, was my music manager at the time. And so, he’s a former pastor, and so I was like, okay, I know that there’s a potential risk here, and he was very loving, and supportive, and helpful in me understanding that, like, there are risks if I do this, it’s only my choice, but it could affect not only peoples’ perception, but also, like, hireability for jobs.”
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What a sad thought… Just because they were choosing to be authentic about their identity. Alyson sadly added:
“I did end up getting fired from a childrens’ show because they felt that I was unsafe now that they knew I was queer, to be around kids. So there was, like, definitely discrimination there…
UGH! And of course anti-LGBT sentiment has only grown in those five years as right-wingers encourage campaigns of hate. After Bud Light, it’s easy to imagine a children’s program not wanting to take a chance!
Does Alyson regret it? Nope!
“…the beauty far outweighs the hate comments and death threats. It was intimidating and also liberating.”
How messed up! It’s amazing that Alyson maintains such a positive attitude. Watch their full interview (below):
Back in 2021, the Camp Rock star opened up about undergoing “dangerous” conversion therapy prior to coming out because they “had internalized some of the harmful beliefs and misconceptions about LGBTQ people and identities.” How far they’ve come now! We’re so glad they’re confident and comfortable with their identity.
Thoughts, Perezcious readers? Let us know in the comments down below!
[Images via Past Your Bedtime & Disney/YouTube]
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