Tim Gunn Tells Story of Struggle Early in Life with Sexuality

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Summary: Tim Gunn, one of the judges on “Project Runway,” tells the story of his struggle with sexuality early in life in the video embedded in this post.

Tim Gunn is known for his work on Lifetime’s “Project Runway” and the Disney Junior’s “Sofia the First.” Now, he has a new video flying around the internet about his struggle early in life with his sexuality. Even though he did not know what sexuality was, he knew he was not like his father, but more like his mother.

  

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The video, embedded in this post, is very poignant.

“The first real awareness that I had of LGBT activism was Stonewall and by then I was a maturing teen. I was tremendously antisocial. I felt very exposed. I felt desperately insecure. And I hated the world. I reached a point in my teens where I just was to be blunt, tired. I was tired of feeling so out of place in the world. I was tired of all the anxiety and emotional pain. I was just tired. And I thought, “What’s going to make tomorrow any different than today?” The answer in my head was absolutely nothing. And I thought I cannot. Do not want to go on like this. I collected every pill that I could find in the house. And I took all of them that night. I was unconscious the next morning. My parents came. We went off to meet with a psychiatrist at Yale. I was there for two years and three months. It was a long haul. When I was hospitalized homosexuality was considered a disease. And in fact there were young people, a little older than I, who were in the hospital because they were homosexual. That was yet another reason why I thought this has to be suppressed. I mean I can’t possibly awaken to these feelings.”

Gunn’s closing statement from the video is incredibly powerful:

“We are in mid-town Manhattan. And we are in my show room with my Tim Gunn collection. When you have something you really love and are passionate about, explore it. You may become incredibly good at it. And those accomplishments they’re like badges. And badges of courage. And they help us navigate the world. And it gives you a sense of self confidence and self esteem that is invaluable. You can’t possibly put a price on that.”

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Image credit: manikmag.com