Charlie Carver just shared some VERY big news!
On Monday, the 27-year-old decided now is the time to publicly come out as gay! The brunette babe took to Instagram to make his emotional announcement in a series of five posts.
In each one, the actor shared the same photo of a board that simply read “be who you needed when you were younger.”
Related: THIS Hunger Games Star Came Out As Bisexual!
The Teen Wolf alum explained that he usually avoids posting inspirational messages like this, but this one really resonated with him.
The California native revealed that he knew he was gay since he was 12 years old, saying:
“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.”
The former Desperate Housewives star also opened up about what it was like to come out to his family, adding:
“For me, and my family, it was a precious conversation, one where I felt that I’d begun to claim myself, my life, and what felt like the beginning of a very-adult-notion of my own Authenticity. For that, and for them, I am forever grateful.”
But while he shared his story, The Leftovers actor seriously stressed that you should only come out to people who will love and support you, rather than turn their backs on you or potentially cause you harm, expressing:
“If you feel like you want to Come Out, make sure first and foremost that you have a support system and will be safe. I would never encourage anyone to Come Out only to find themselves in harm’s way ├óΓé¼ΓÇ£ a disproportionate number of Homeless American (and Global) Youth are members of the LGBTQ community who were kicked out of their families and homes out of hate and prejudice.”
Charlie also admitted why — even though he had been out to his loved ones and close confidantes — he chose to keep his sexuality private when he rose to fame, confessing:
“In this way, the distinction between public and private has become blurry, begging questions like ‘to what extent do I share myself? Do what extent do I have to?’ When it came to this differentiation of public/private, I was of the opinion that my sexuality could stay off the table.”
He clarified that he didn’t like that sharing that information would draw attention to his identity as something unusual, saying:
“Even the words ‘Coming Out’ bothered me. I took issue with them insofar as that ‘Coming Out’ implied being greeted with attention, attention for something I would prefer to be implicitly just Human, an attribute or adjective that was only part of how I saw my whole self. I did not want to be defined by my sexuality.”
The celeb was also concerned that coming out would negatively affect his career, adding:
“If I Came Out, I feared I would be limiting myself to a type, to a perception with limits that I was not professionally comfortable with. And I created in my imagination an Industry that was just as rigid in this belief as well.”
And since he was happy and out privately, he didn’t think it was necessary to open up about his sexuality to the general public.
However, he eventually began to feel like his silence was hurting the LGBT community, explaining:
“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. In my silence, I’ve helped decide for to you too that to be gay is to be, as a young man (or young woman, young anyone), inappropriate for a professional career in the Arts.”
So, Charlie officially announced that he’s gay, saying:
“So now, let the record show this- I self-identify as gay. And does that really matter anymore? As a young man, I needed a young man in Hollywood to say that- and without being a dick about it, I owe it to myself, more than anything, to be who I needed when I was younger.”
We’re just so proud that he wanted to be open and honest about who he really is! Ch-ch-check out his full essay (below)!
[Image via Charlie Carver/Instagram.]