Did you forget about former model JP Calderon? I didn’t, especially considering his coming out story, which was showcased on national television, helped me realize that maybe it wasn’t that scary to live my life authentically.
JP Calderon was a professional, nationally ranked volleyball player and coach prior to being broadcast on mainstream media. He competed in Survivor: Cook Island (2006), where he was the fourth person voted off the island, and participated in The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency for three seasons.
With the encouragement and support of the acclaimed former supermodel, Calderon came out publicly and, in doing so, became the first man in history to be featured on the cover of Instinct Magazine twice. Yes, that is a shameless plug of this website.
To his credit, JP was also tapped to co-star in another reality show in 2011, A-List: Los Angeles, but the project never materialized.
JP, now age 49, appears to be happily living his best life outside of the limelight. If social media is any indication, his life is full of family, friends, the outdoors, vacations, dogs and trying new things. He currently works as a representative/spokesperson for beauty line SENTE Skincare.
While his contributions to gay history simply cannot be ignored, I’m happy to see he’s thriving in whatever avenues he wishes to pursue.