In his upcoming memoir titled ‘Transparent’, the popular 45-year-old newscaster reveals that he was sexually molested as a child and discusses how he was shaped by his painful past. He tells the NY TIMES that he was concerned about revealing this part of himself to the world, especially in the black community because the lifestyle is thoroughly shunned upon:
“People are going to say: ‘Oh, he was molested as a kid and now he is coming out.’ I get it.[...]I’m scared. I’m talking about something that people might shun me for, ostracize me for.”
“It’s quite different for an African-American male. It’s about the worst thing you can be in black culture. You’re taught you have to be a man; you have to be masculine. In the black community they think you can pray the gay away.[...]You’re afraid that black women will say the same things they do about how black men should be dating black women. I guess this makes me a double minority now.”
“I think it would be great if everybody could be out, but it’s such a personal choice. People have to do it at their own speed. I respect that. I do have to say that the more people who come out, the better it is for everyone, certainly for the Tyler Clementis [the Rutgers student who committed suicide after being outed on the internet] of the world.[...]I abhor hypocrisy. I think if you’re going to be in the business of news, and telling people the truth, of trying to shed light in dark places, then you’ve got to be honest. You’ve got to have the same rules for yourself as you do for everyone else.[...]I think if I had seen more people like me who are out and proud, it wouldn’t have taken me 45 years to say it ….to walk in the truth.”Don Lemon also sent an email to Monsters & Critics, revealing that he was once terrified to tell his mother that he was gay, but after he mustered up the courage, his life began to change in a positive way.
Today I chose to step out on faith and begin openly living my own truth. And let me say right up front that I hope many of you will be inspired to do the same thing in your daily lives. Some of the things I’ve chosen to reveal in my book Transparent were very difficult to share with even those closest to me.
There was a time when I was terrified of revealing these things to the person I love most in this world – my own mother. But when I finally mustered the courage to tell her that I had been molested as a child and that I was born gay, my life began to change in positive ways that I never imagined possible. Yet I still chose to keep those secrets hidden from the world. I, like most gay people, lived a life of fear. Fear that if some employers, co-workers, friends, neighbors and family members learned of my sexuality, I would be shunned, mocked and ostracized. It is a burden that millions of people carry with them every single day. And sadly, while the mockery and ostracizing are realized by millions of people every day, I truly believe it doesn’t have to happen and that’s why I feel compelled to share what I’ve written in Transparent.
As a journalist I believe that part of my mission is to shed light onto dark places. So, the disclosure of this information does not inhibit in any way my ability to be the professional, fair and objective journalist I have always been.
My book is dedicated to the memory of Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi, who jumped to his death from a bridge after his dorm mates streamed his private business over the Internet for the world to see. Tyler might still be with us today if more gay men and women had chosen to live proudly and openly. It is also dedicated to the millions of young, gay people who believe they are alone when dealing with their own sexual identities. You are not alone! There are people, like me and many others, who are thriving in their personal and professional lives and although we sometimes have a hard time with it ourselves, we are here to show you by example that you too can overcome any obstacle as long as you stay strong and, most of all, stay alive.”Don Lemon’s colleagues knew about his four year relationship with his boyfriend, a CNN producer, but until now he has guarded his personal life from the public. He was told by other anchors that he shouldn’t talk about such things as it may turn off television viewers and take the attention away from his performance.
With love and honesty,
Don Lemon
Source: Necole Bitchie.com
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