News anchor Jason Hackett came out as gay on live television on KARE 11’s ‘Sunrise’, where opened about his sexuality via a powerful and heartfelt statement.
“Coming out to people is never easy for me, I’m so nervous right now… this is no doubt the most people I’ve ever come out to at once. But what… everyone here on Sunrise strives for is authenticity, and I can’t preach that without being my authentic self. I want to say a big thank you to KARE 11 for allowing me the space, more than any other station that I’ve worked at in the past 13 years, to just be me,” Hackett expressed.
Moreover, the news anchor told Lavender Magazine that he was “around fifth or sixth grade” when he realized that he is gay. He then “spent many years trying to deny it or trying to change it or trying to fix it, not accepting it.”
It wasn’t until he was in college when he found a way to live as a gay man. For a bit of background on his family, Hackett shared:
“My parents are Jamaican immigrants, and Jamaica is not known for being a very friendly country when it comes to the LGBTQ community. I mean, you read of the horrible things with people being dragged and beaten in the streets, kids living in sewers and gutters because their parents don’t accept them, just horrible.”
He continued by admitting that his parents “had a bit of a misunderstanding when it comes to being gay, and they had a certain idea for what they wanted for me. And that obviously clashed with who I am and how I was born.”
“But at the end of the day, and my mom told me this recently, ‘I love you and you are my son.’ And I don’t think she’s at that place of full acceptance, but at least I’ve laid out, ‘This is where my life is and this is who I am, and that’s not going to change.’ And it’s a process, I know she’s not there yet, but I hope that she will be one day. And I know at the end of the day, she has my best interest in heart, and she loves me,” Hackett further told the outlet.
Sources: thepinknews.com, lavendermagazine.com
Jason Hackett is missed at KOCO in Oklahoma City. I stopped watching the morning news after he left. Jason is always smiling on screen. I know no one is happy all of the time, but Jason appears to come closest to the state of perpetual happiness. Plus, he’s just so damned cute! I was always tempted to email him at KOCO to tell him how much he was appreciated, but I never did. I regret that and wish him all the luck and love in the world. I believe he deserves it.