You’re going to be OK.” There was nothing like that when I was a kid. That’s why it was so important to do this video: I wanted to tell gay kids, “You’re fine. It was almost like, being gay, I was walking around with this cancerous tumor I couldn’t shake. At our church it was a big topic, with talk of “sexual deviants.” Honestly I was terrified. At the time AIDS was starting to become a headline. He was definitely one of my best friends and a sweet guy. I would love to say this boy and I ran off into the sunset together, but the reality was that I thought life would be over if anyone ever found out about my relationship, or what I perceived as a relationship. My dad viewed my masculinity, or lack thereof, in a very negative way. I don’t think he’s even out of the closet now. Our relationship was more pubescent and secretive. I did fall in love with the son of a fairly famous preacher in the area-but we did not have the big huge moment the boys have in the video. My dad ran the sports ministry and prison ministry: He was a tough dude. Michael Serrato: Yes, I grew up within an evangelical church in Long Beach, Southern California.
The Daily Beast: You really did fall in love with the son of a preacher man?
