Another YouTuber has come out as LGBTQ and this time its Dan Howell.
The British internet celebrity honored Pride Month by releasing a video expressing that, “Basically, I’m gay.”
i always wanted to upload this next video in the month of june ..it ended up taking an entire year longer than i thought but here we are again and now it is time
— Daniel Howell (@danielhowell) June 13, 2019
The 28-year-old is best known for his comedic YouTube channel which has built over 6.5 million subscribers. And most of those subscribers, plus plenty of other internet users, welcomed Howell’s coming out news with great applause. Howell’s video holds the No. 1 trending spot on YouTube and has accumulated more than 4.1 million views since being published.
“This really feels like a new chapter for me,” wrote Howell in a tweet after the announcement. “i doubted all my life that the world would change to be a place i could personally feel open and accepted and that’s because of all of you. thank you.” [sic]
this really feels like a new chapter for me. i doubted all my life that the world would change to be a place i could personally feel open and accepted and that’s because of all of you. thank you. pic.twitter.com/IONmKeygR2
— Daniel Howell (@danielhowell) June 13, 2019
To express his coming out, Howell released the 45-minute video below. In it, he talks about his childhood experience of being bullied in school for seeming gay.
“That was the first time I’d ever heard that word,” Howell recalled. “Well, I don’t know what the heck gay means, but apparently it means people kick you on the floor, so that ain’t good.”
Dan also expressed how people’s insistent need for him to come out or confirm their suspicions after closely working with other YouTuber Phil Lester caused him increased stress (something singer Shawn Mendes has also expressed).
“We love working together, and when all these opportunities came for Dan & Phil, we were really excited, but I was also scared, as people clearly knew I wasn’t straight. And I hadn’t told my family that. None of my old friends knew about this, and what me and Phil had was ours and personal, and yet some people were trying to get access to it for their own satisfaction. … So I just shut down.”
But now, Howell has decided to come out. He’s doing so not only for his own mental health but also to help those who are closeted and need a role model to look up to.
what a great day to be gay
— Daniel Howell (@danielhowell) June 14, 2019
