“Being bi isn’t all of my identity, nor is it the most important part of my identity.”
Andi Mack star Joshua Rush has come out as bisexual.
“I’m bi. And now that I’ve said that, I have a few things to rant about,” he tweeted on 6 August. “There are more important things to talk about than me liking a whole bunch of genders, but I do want to share a few things with you guys.”
The 17-year-old actor said that despite playing the first ever gay Disney Channel character, it was difficult for him to come out. “How ironic, isn’t it, that me, playing that character, never had mustered up that courage?” he said.
“Instead of feeling the courage to tell you today that I am an out and proud bisexual man because of the character I played for four years, I feel that courage thinking of all of you, who felt emboldened by Cyrus to come out.”
He recalled when a close friend came out to him in the fifth grade, “well before” he had an idea of his own identity and sexual orientation, and admitted to having internalised homophobia while starring on Andi Mack.
“Being bi isn’t all of my identity, nor is it the most important part of my identity,” he continued before adding “trans women of color still have a life expectancy of THIRTY FIVE YEARS and that is absolutely unacceptable.”
See his tweets below.
https://twitter.com/JoshuaRush/status/1158769731396100097
https://twitter.com/JoshuaRush/status/1158769732767637506
https://twitter.com/JoshuaRush/status/1158769734176956419
https://twitter.com/JoshuaRush/status/1158769735334543362
https://twitter.com/JoshuaRush/status/1158769736920027143
https://twitter.com/JoshuaRush/status/1158769737779863554
Andi Mack came to an end last month after three seasons.
The comedy-drama, which followed the title character and her friends as they attend middle school, received acclaim from fans and critics for its LGBTQ storylines – specifically for its handling of Cyrus’ coming out journey.
Cyrus’ sexuality was first addressed in the show’s second season when Andi discovered they both have a crush on the same boy. Later, Cyrus came out to his friend Buffy, telling her he feels “weird” and “different”. Her response was perfect.
“Cyrus, you’ve always been weird. But you’re no different,” Buffy said. “You’ll be okay, I promise.” Tears? Maybe.
Then earlier this year, Cyrus became the first ever Disney character to say the words “I’m gay”. Before this, he had never actually explicitly said he identified as LGBTQ, so it was, without-a-doubt, a landmark moment for queer representation.
Unfortunately, the show was cancelled soon after. But in the series finale – which aired 26 July – the show’s writers made sure Cyrus received his happy ending, pairing him with his friend TJ.
Read the full story here.
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