A Canadian news anchor and morning show personality has come out as gay.
It has only been a couple of days since Coming Out Day, but perhaps the multiple coming out stories (like the ones of Instinct Magazine writers, editors, and the owner) has helped some people find the courage to coming out. At the very least, Leslie Roberts came out because of the day.
Leslie Roberts is a morning show anchor for CTV in Ottawa, Canada. And, Roberts came out as gay on Coming Out Day.
According to CTV News itself, Roberts had always been open to friends, family, and colleagues. He was never in the closet. But, he never talked about his sexual orientation in the public eye either.
“I’m a news anchor who just happens to be gay. I’m not a gay news anchor,” Roberts said when coming out. “I’ve never worked at a place that has been more inclusive and welcoming.”
Talking to his own news channel about coming out, Roberts says that he first met some pushback to the idea of coming out.
“I was married at the time. I had a young daughter. And the first thing everybody said was this is career suicide. This will not connect with the viewers. This will mean the end of your career in television. Things have changed.”
Why today? Because, says Leslie, the fight is not over. pic.twitter.com/71PjRVMGeo
— CTVMorningLiveOttawa (@CTVOttMornLive) October 11, 2019
That said, he felt compelled to do it otherwise and was met with support from the newsroom.
“I owed it to the audience to be more authentic. I also owed it to my soul. The truth is, if I knew then what I know now, I know I would not be alone.”
Roberts then shares his opinion on how parents can support recently out or struggling to come out youth.
“Love them,” he suggested. “Support them. Talk with them and know that it’s going to be ok.”
And speaking to those younger people directly, Roberts said:
“And to the kids who are watching, I say go for it. It’s never been a better time.”
Source: CTV News
