I’m not going to assume my future kids’ sexualities, and I hope someday it will be the norm. When you are in the closet, even if you have parents who you believe will be accepting, it hurts every time someone asks about a girlfriend or shoots down your comments about wedding planning because “the bride’s family plans the wedding.”
Almost every millennial gay guy knows perfectly that feel, in my case I knew that feeling of the male underwear aisle since I was like 5 or 6 years old.
I grew up as a gay boy in the 60’s and 70’s. The only thing we had back then was the Sears catalog underwear ads. You have no idea how lucky you were growing up when you did.
When I turned 13 it's like the switch flipped on. I found my self looking closely at shirtless pictures of guys. Then at 14 I saw porn and was frustrated that the woman was in the way. Then I knew there was no doubt.
Your story about your camp swim coach brought back a memory for me. It was the summer of ‘64. I was 9 years old and learning to swim for the first time. I was terrified of the water until I saw my instructor *Jeff* Suddenly I was WAY interested in learning how to swim. Jeff was probably 17 or 18 with a killer body. My 9 year old heart was his for the rest of the summer. Oh, and I’m a damn fine swimmer too. Thanks Jeff, wherever you are 😉
at school we had to collect the waste paper of the whole community. And I remember the pile of that one house, where it had "interesting" magazines in it. We took them apart and gazed at them on the way home. Eventough I was wondering, why my friends wanted to look at those girls, when there were even naked boys in it... Couldn't understand back then...
I think my parents found out i am gay when my dad saw me playing sims 2 and my visiual me was living in a house with 4 others guys and all wearing just underwear 😂😂😂😂
@@valmiro4164 I played sims not that long ago now. And I had gay couples 🤣. Maybe a few years back I just didn’t check. But I definitely checked when I last played 😂
Relationships between gay men and their straight fathers can sometimes be very difficult and awkward. Nice to hear your story. I’m sure many viewers can relate to your experiences and find inspiration from this 🙌💯😎👍
@@ChhzCpeon0 I'm 14 and I couldn't care less what my step dad thinks about me being gay. After all, hes not my real family. And my dads brother is gay so he'll probably be fine. I havent come out yet tho. And I dont plan to until I'm 16 or over.
When Andrew is all dorky and being so silly it's so unbelievably cute. He has such a vibrant personality that is so open, and I want to give him all of my attention. Seeing his energy and his smile is so refreshing, and I just love listening to him.
Andrew, Please, please, please consider reading the book "Gay is a Gift." It is such an inspiring and uplifting book about being gay. Love you! 💜💙💚🌈💚💜❤
@@JoaquinLomeliJr It is about how being gay makes us special and how those "gifts" translate into everyday life. It is about how gays have appeared throughout history, but were called different terms. That being gay was not always thought of as negative and as something to use as an insult towards another. That is a very limited explanation, but it covers some of the topics included.m
@@JoaquinLomeliJr I found it on Amazon, which you can get in paperback or Kindle addition. I honestly felt so much stronger and confident about who I am after reading the book. I hope you experience the same thing!
that is an amazing suggestion!!! we would love to read that book! also if you are into Disney there is an amazing book called tinker bells and the Evil queens that talks about Disney and LGBTQ+ sexuality
When you said you woke up and felt joy because you are gay, it really hit me how lucky we are! Thank you so much for sharing that perspective, because now I think of it that way and damn if it doesn't change my outlook!
When watching movies with my sisters, they'd mention how hot the lead actor was, and in my mind I was agreeing. Then they would mention how beautiful X actresses was, and I couldn't care less about her looks.
I subconsciously knew that I was gay in my early mid teens, but I lived in an area that you absolutely could not be out in and also I wanted a family, as my father left when i was young, so I convinced myself daily that I was straight. I never even admitted to myself in my own brain that I was gay until around 30 or so and am still closeted to this day. Maybe one day I can be out and not ashamed
John, I did the same as you and came out to myself at about the age of 40. Then I came out to family and friends about 10 years later. Now I am totally out to anyone who matters to me. It is great to be out, but I think each person must wait until he's ready and he will know when that is. Thanks, bro.........Ray
John, don't let your life get away from you, it's yours and you only get one chance at completing yourself so fuck being afraid take a deep breath and come on out
@@allenelliott9729 It's a process that each person can't rush. It will happen when it happens. He's not letting anything get him and he needs to come to terms with everything before he can make a decision as big as this. 💖💖🥰💖
so many things... but one of my most MOST vivid revelations moment was when the coolest and most popular guy in school had to hold me in swimming class as we were doing these mock rescue exercises. he held me in his arm and I layed on his torso with my head on his shoulder against his wonderful tan wet skin, I felt his soft warm breath and the fabric of his swimsuit. it was so amazing and I became so flustered... I knew something major had happened, like a key had been turned to unlock something.
@@tastedivinefury2198 I lived in Italy back then. he was the embodiment of the Italian 'stronzo' with his Vespa, his gift for football, and his attitude, but he was always kind and respectful. one of my high school crushes for sure (I always crushed on the sporty cool asshole guy, the one all the girls liked, and dreamt that they were secretly gay, and we'd be doing ridiculous things together, like rockclimibing or judo fighting and they would teach me techniques like carving wood with a knife and it would be our secret lol lol ) funny thing is that this fantasy almost came true with the last high school crush who was actually gay, but completely closeted. but that's another story.
For me it was the old zest soap commercials. The guy with the towel. I was looking mighty hard to try and get a glimpse of what was under that towel😅😅😅
I knew what gay was when I was 12 or 13 and I hit puberty when I was 11. (All of those years are different stories). The story I want to tell is when I was 8. I met this boy who lived just a few houses over from me and we would hang out all of the time. I mean, he was the cutest and most fun guy I've ever met. We would go to his house to watch Ben 10 and all I wanted was to hug him and keep seeing him laughing. I never got to see him again because we moved but he's definitely someone I would recognize in a heartbeat if I ever see him again. I'm turning 19 next month. I've had previous "gay" memories but this one is my favorite.
Heck no. Definitely not creepy. I mean I was affraid of getting caught sneaking a look when I was in the locker. But you are definitely not a creep for liking the locker room. Such a fun place. Haha
Hey Andrew great fun vlog as usual. FYI today is Honor Our LGBT Elders Day, on May 16th each year recognizes the thousands of people in the LGBT community who have paved the way for access and social acceptance. The rights and acceptance that LGBTQ individuals have today did not occur in a vacuum or happen by accident. Our LGBT elders worked hard to gain rights and social acceptance.
That's interesting. Older people don't get proper recognition even though many of them risked their safety and their lives, even in the western countries.
Thank you Charles. 65 here. I was in my share of bar raids back in the day. I went on to become a RN and my focus was the care of patients with HIV/AIDS from 1982-2003. I became radicalized because our government was doing nothing, so I marched on Washington DC several times, and Sacramento here in California. I lost most of my friends to the disease, and in the early days, most of my patients. I’m grateful I had the chance to care for my community, and see the day that people with HIV can live a healthy life. We lost so many amazing people who truly blazed a trail for the health and rights we all have today. Thank you for reminding us!
Andrew, you have it so great. When I was your age I didn't have UA-cam or even a computer to talk about what I was feeling. I just had to keep it bottled up
Honestly couldn’t stop smiling at this video!!! Mine was when I was about 7-8 dancing to Crazy In Love w a white tee as my hair doing the fan scene.... total fantasy!!!
I know a lot of gays who have said they knew their whole life. But I personally didn't realize until I was like 12 when I had an actual crush on a boy.
Oh god so many 😂. The 2001 movie "The Little Vampire" I had a crush as a kid on Rudolph the vampire kid. Zac Efron in HSM, nearly every guy in the Goosebumps tv series, ORLANDO BLOOM was a BIG ONE FOR me too. I watched all of Black Hawk Down just to look at him with a buzzcut 😂
I already knew I was gay for several years before, but I had never experienced the longing that Mark Wahlberg's Calvin Klein ad evoked in me. As close as it gets to falling in love with an image. Always enjoy your videos Andrew. You're authentic and silly in all the right ways.
Hey!! I just wanted to let you know that your videos helped me a lot with my own sexuality and you’re honestly amazing!! I hope you have a good day because you deserve it!! 😎😎😎👊
I knew when I was 12 in 7th grade. Used to run to gym class to watch the 9th grade gym helper get dressed for gym. He had a furry butt and I have been hooked every since.
I used to go to this Christian summer camp for kids from NYC when I was elementary/middle school age, and one summer I had this counselor who was an older teen boy from Australia. I was OBSESSED with him. I guess I couldn't resist the combo of an attractive, athletic guy a hot accent (which I'm a sucker for to this day). I did every activity he led (even things I wasn't into like hiking) just to have a reason to be around him. I only realize just what a huge crush I had on the guy now that I'm an adult (I don't I think I even realized at the time that what I felt about guys was attraction), but honestly, I can't blame myself haha.
I wore lime green pants almost everyday when i was 7 years old. OOF and I totally feel you about the looking up to guys as in "I want those underwear." I was obsessed with my friends instead of talking about girls and then slowly noticed I was into them
Love you Andrew! Greetings from Finland! I have watch so many of your old videos during lockdown! 😅 I had similar experiences as you mentioned in the video.
In 7th grade I was in home room. The teacher that day was one of the music teachers. In the next room over, a music class and they were playing a record of "ode to joy" from Bethoven's 9th symphony. Me: oh Bethoven's 9th. Teacher: spins around " how do you know that?" Me: just shrugs.
I remember in 7th grade I just started to really like this dude in my class. I’ve always been pretty self aware so I instantly knew I wasn’t straight and had to start trying to act straight. I also would try to justify my feelings by telling myself they were actually girls disguised as boys and that somehow I could tell. Luckily, grew up with brothers so I would just emulate them and suppress any actions I thought would be seen as not straight. Now I’m 22 and still in the closet to most of my family but I’m trying to figure out what i am. I’m emotionally unattached so it’s difficult for me to form relationships. I’ll figure it out eventually
I love the idea they were girls disguised as boys! Very creative. But don't waste time now or you'll regret it later. Find somebody and have a relationship. Even if it doesn't last.
Everyone moves at their own pace. It gets better. The world is pretty accepting now. Nothing has to be black or white, there are many shades of grey. Also, as scary as it may sound, try to find some comfort in that your family probably already knows.
openly gay life is a challenge all the time... Things seem to be made for others ..Maybe in some years from now people will be just people and there will be no stressing..
I had the same experience, when I was 17 and got an intense crush on a boy in my class. That's when I realized I'm not heterosexual (I'm bisexual). And I became depressed because I got an identity crisis and tried to deny it to myself, doing all kinds of mental gymnastics lol. But now I accept who I am. The funny thing is, I had crushes on boys sometimes, before I was 17 too, but it didn't happen often enough for me to realize what that means, so I didn't think about it and considered myself to be straight, until I was 17.
Growing up in the 1980’s I was a latchkey kid. They used to show “Phil Donahue Show” in the afternoons. One time they had an entire show with male strippers. That’s when I realized I was gay.
When I was around the age you talk about, I discovered my step-dad's stash of straight porn magazines. Naturally I was FASCINATED and I would sneak in and look at them when my parents weren't home. Of course, I had my favorite photo spreads that I'd go back to time and again and it took me years to realize that those were always couples spreads with hunky dudes in them! For years I was like, "I can't be gay because: straight porn." but the mind plays funny tricks on us, even when we think we're doing what everyone else does. :)
Watching Chris O'Donnell as Robin in the super cringey, awful batman movies in the 90s. I mean, even those films were trash, Robin in that outfit was 😍🔥👀
It's somewhat ironic that you chose a song from The Nutcracker as background music for this particular video. I remember watching The Nutcracker at a Christmas get-together at my aunt and uncles'. I was 10 years old at the time and I remember thinking how incredibly beautiful Mikhail Baryshnikov was in his ballet outfit and being impressed by his agility as a dancer. I now realize that something was definitely different about me then.
Thank you so much, Andrew. The video was a hoot. I didn't figure out that I was gay until my Master's degree. Looking back, I know that there were a lot of indications, but I was in complete denial. I didn't want to be gay, and I thought I could pray it away. None of that worked. I even had Spock as one of my heros, because Vulcans don't have emotions. I am a mostly happy gay man now, and don't understand why anyone would not just be happy with who they are. Oh, and when I play video games, I get the blonde blue-eyed Nordic looking men with muscles popping everywhere. I love those guys. Take care, Andrew. Stay safe. Be well. Big hugs.
This was a hilarious video. I did not realize you could be so funny, and be genuine at the same time. Helps to take my mind off the corona virus and American politics. I am not an American , but it is so addictive. I clearly remember the Marky Mark ads!
I would play a girl character on *RUNESCAPE, SECOND LIFE, SIMS, IMVU, ZWINKY, ECT* (I loved the feeling of a boy liking me and flirting) that's when I knew I was gay.
In high school I saw the other boys take off their shirt in the locker room and many of them had ripped bodies, and right away I knew *"YASSSSS I'M TOTALLY GAY FOR THEM"* ( lol no but seriously, I fell in love lol )
I LOVE your enthusiasm in this video, you remembered me when I realised to be gay, it was like ‘finally I found myself!’ and I was super happy with that
My dead give away was that I preferred to do gymnastics with the girls during recess rather than hang out with the boys in 3rd grade. I was swimming in girls my whole life - horrible irony.
Andrew, I appreciate your openness and you and I had so many similar experiences. I repressed them at the time they happened in my life [constantly] but now appreciate them and am happy to be gay. Thanks, bro.........Ray
Gosh Andrew, your dad sounds ADORABLE! I knew I was gay at age 5. I'm a black guy & when I was a child, I'd watch a kid tv show in the late 60's called Romper Room. I was into hair (duh) & I'd see all those cute boys in the show, with their gorgeous shiny straight blond, brown or red hair; my afro hair looked NOTHING like theirs. I remember asking my mom to perm my hair!! It got worse (lol); when I was in 1st grade, this angel of a white boy came up to me, shook my hand & introduced himself to me. I was in LOVE!! I was also into art (duh again) and I would draw him (with his chestnut brown hair styled in a pompadour) as a super hero, a cop, a cowboy; etc; in these cartoons, he would save damsels in distress (of course those damsels would me secretly in drag)! Would you believe this sweet guy's middle name is Andrew? He's an art teacher now. I wonder if he ever kept any of those drawings? Even today, he's still as beautiful as the day we met in school. Andrew, I LOVE your Waltz of the Flowers playing the background of your video. I thought, "How appropriate, music from from the NUTcracker!!" lol!! I bet you were the coolest kid ever!. Your boy scout counselor/swim coach sounds like my summer camp swim coach, I met when I was around 10 years old. When you get a chance, look up the kid tv show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968) & check out the adorable late actor Jan Michael Vincent who played Link Simmons in the series, Adventure Island. My summer camp swim coach was the spitting image of Jan Michael. I couldn't swim for SHIT! I'd flail around in the water, almost drowning, when my dream coach would jump in wearing those snug fitting red swimming trunks & swoop me up out of the water. I'd thank him, while having a wicked smile on my face!! Wow, what fun memories!!
I never pursued a relationship with a girl. Everytime my friends tried to hook me up with a girl, everytime they came up to me to tell me a girl friend of theirs liked me I would feel unconfortable and anxious because I always knew I didn't like girls and I didn't want to be forced to put on that disguise of heterosexuality. Interestingly, I was always a thin boy, and introverted. Even after puberty I retained a childish appearance but still girls were setting their eyes on me.
So was it a long search to find your recording of "Waltz of the Flowers" from "The Nutcracker" to use as background music?!.......thats hysterical!!🤣 Nothing against the music or the ballet - but it did make me LOL!
I knew I was gay when I starting falling in love with Judy Garland, and me wanting to sing “over the rainbow”! That song gives me hope when I sing it and I liked it when hot guys told me I could sing! Who doesn’t want a hot guy to think they are talented and special!!!
How would people peg me for gay when I was a kid? Dolls? Nope, I liked war games. Girls clothes, nope, mainly because there was plenty of room for flouncy and blousy men's clothes in the 70s. What gave me away, aside from fear of sports? Lucy. Nuf said.
I might sound weird here, but I used to cut out advertisements with hot men from newspaper and created a book. Since internet was still on the roll and was expensive.
I loved when you described the straight Andrew. I can imagine you just mentioned the least naughty thoughts you had and things you've done. This vid made me smile loved it 😘😘 Thank you and quite similar experience
I was like very obviously gay for a long time but it took me until I was 15 and this girl asked me out in a joke way (we were really close friends) that I realised I was not into her, I was into our mutual friend who I associated her with (who was lovely, but really straight) that i realised I was gay. Looking back, the interest in the men's underwear ads etc. was a big giveaway.
It's been awhile since I saw one of your vids and I am still in love with you! I knew that I was gay when I was 12 when I had my best friend go down on me and I went down on him. Lasted through school until I left for the US Navy in 1970.
@SabuPtolemy it was back in the stone age before DADT was over turned and clandestine was the watchword. I did have a shipmate, and we would meet when we had liberty together and could see the sights!
I love this one! Me, when I was really young I had the goofiest need to watch Mark Spitz swim in the Olympics. And then later, when these images of Calvin Klein ads by Bruce Weber came out...Ugh. Yup... the writing was on the wall!
You made me smile anyway I knew I was gay the first time I saw He man, those shorts, that sword, everytime I picked him up I would touch his and then mine...forgive me I was 12...Andrew you have a joy for life that's infectious
Apparently, I knew when I was an infant. When I was about a year old my mom took me to the movies so she could see Christopher Reeve as Superman. She said I was quiet the whole time and just stared at him. In my defense, he was a very beautiful man. To this day I become instantly smitten with any guy with the same facial structure. So yeah, I pretty much knew from birth. I had my first secret boyfriend in 1st grade but didn't openly date guys until my 20's.
When I was young, I had a crush on Bobby Brady from the Brady Bunch. Of course I didn’t know I was gay and I didn’t really realize it was a crush. Years later, I ended up working alongside the actor who played Bobby Brady! God, it was so weird. I hadn’t even come out to myself at that point in time, yet I was so nervous around him I could barely speak.
Back when I was 4 and 5 years old, we used to get the Sears And the JC Penny catalogs several times a year. Everyone in the family would look through them and pick out stuff they wanted but me, I hid in my room looking at the men and boys’ underwear pictures. They were boxers or tighty whitey briefs, but it was about how the models filled them out. Then when began going to school, I had a crush on a boy who I thought was beautiful and I remember wanting him to want to hang out with me and want to be my friend so bad. I have quite a few stories about how I knew I was gay and how sad it made me.
I had almost everything you mentioned especially the videogames part! I'm a huge videgames fan till today and I still make female avatars and feel extremely flattered when people say they thought I was actually a girl in real life :D
he said he had a lot of plants and it for some reason reminded me of a scene from SKAM France where Eliott found a bunny and he was asking Lucas if they could keep it and Lucas was like "no its gonna end up like your basil, dehydrated" I don't know why
I couldn't stop smiling through this entire video. Thanks Andrew... it was fun! Plus.. I hope you can do more videos with your Father.. He sounds really cool.
Andrew, I love this video and you really knew you was gay back then, when you was a teenager after you came out to your family for the first time until you're talking about everything in your life and I'm proud of you for being my inspiration of the LGBTQ community!!!
Your so adorable, love it, I really appreciate your authenticity with a twist of awkward shyness about you, hey man, just be yourself because everyone else is already taken.
I relate with pretty everything you said. I had very similar experiences. For me, I think it was always wanting to be friends with the cute boys in school. When I was younger, I just thought that I wanted to be friends with them because they were "cool" but now I definitely realize it was more than that. I do remember one specific situation where I was alone at recess because my best friend was sick. And this guy that I was subconsciously crushing on came over to me and played marbles with me so I wouldn't be alone. I legit remember thinking how beautiful his eyes were but I didn't catch on because I had no concept of "gay" yet. I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade.
Probably one of the things I did is romancing male characters in games. Nobody questioned it. Oh yeah then after discovering Fire Emblem, fantasising about Chrom 😂
I had ata very young age, a deep love for Cher, Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, and Bo's jeans on the Dukes of Hazzard. And there was this poster of Billy Hufsy in a towel...
And someday when growing up gay is an accepted/unnoticed option, these stories will all be just a wonderful part of growing up!
That day is coming, hopefully in our lifetime
👏🕊💜🌏🔱
I’m not going to assume my future kids’ sexualities, and I hope someday it will be the norm. When you are in the closet, even if you have parents who you believe will be accepting, it hurts every time someone asks about a girlfriend or shoots down your comments about wedding planning because “the bride’s family plans the wedding.”
Andrew, YOU'RE SO cute when you talk about those early crushes & dorky things we ALL did when we were kids... 😗❤
I would pass notes to my crushes lol
You are such a Mr. Hottie!
I knew I was gay when I walked past the underwear isle 😂
Lol I always looked at the models bulge a little too long lol
Yeah. Some of those advertisements in the aisle may have caused early puberty!😂
Yasss same
Almost every millennial gay guy knows perfectly that feel, in my case I knew that feeling of the male underwear aisle since I was like 5 or 6 years old.
Dylan IDK -- I think I knew when I couldn't walk past the underwear aisle.
I grew up as a gay boy in the 60’s and 70’s. The only thing we had back then was the Sears catalog underwear ads. You have no idea how lucky you were growing up when you did.
Kurt Anderson ...and the Montgomery Ward catalog 😉
@@gpslibra And J. C. Penney's
I can't imagine.
When I turned 13 it's like the switch flipped on. I found my self looking closely at shirtless pictures of guys. Then at 14 I saw porn and was frustrated that the woman was in the way. Then I knew there was no doubt.
frustrated that the woman was in the way lol me tho when i forget to make sure its pornhubgay lol
Aaron Lynn Honestly, same 😂
Darryl Davis More or less
Ikr women really got in the way😂😂
Your story about your camp swim coach brought back a memory for me. It was the summer of ‘64. I was 9 years old and learning to swim for the first time. I was terrified of the water until I saw my instructor *Jeff* Suddenly I was WAY interested in learning how to swim. Jeff was probably 17 or 18 with a killer body. My 9 year old heart was his for the rest of the summer. Oh, and I’m a damn fine swimmer too. Thanks Jeff, wherever you are 😉
at school we had to collect the waste paper of the whole community. And I remember the pile of that one house, where it had "interesting" magazines in it. We took them apart and gazed at them on the way home. Eventough I was wondering, why my friends wanted to look at those girls, when there were even naked boys in it... Couldn't understand back then...
SAME for me with the underwear ads. I got all red whenever I was walking thru the men underwear aisle at the store LOL
awwwwww that happens to us many many times!!!
I think my parents found out i am gay when my dad saw me playing sims 2 and my visiual me was living in a house with 4 others guys and all wearing just underwear 😂😂😂😂
Lol. 😂. Its been a while since I played Sims. It's good game. I wonder if u can make gay couples now tho. 🤔😂
@@AaronPrice0406 well more than...i even don't know how many years ago i played that game, i can say yes 😂😂
@@AaronPrice0406 pretty sure you can make gay couples since the first game
@@valmiro4164 I played sims not that long ago now. And I had gay couples 🤣. Maybe a few years back I just didn’t check. But I definitely checked when I last played 😂
Let's talk I'm looking for a date
Relationships between gay men and their straight fathers can sometimes be very difficult and awkward. Nice to hear your story. I’m sure many viewers can relate to your experiences and find inspiration from this 🙌💯😎👍
I haven't even told my stepdad and dad. Just my brother, sister and mom at home and that'll be awkward af
Christian do what feels right for you.
@@ChhzCpeon0 I'm 14 and I couldn't care less what my step dad thinks about me being gay. After all, hes not my real family. And my dads brother is gay so he'll probably be fine. I havent come out yet tho. And I dont plan to until I'm 16 or over.
When Andrew is all dorky and being so silly it's so unbelievably cute. He has such a vibrant personality that is so open, and I want to give him all of my attention. Seeing his energy and his smile is so refreshing, and I just love listening to him.
I was always Princess Peach.
MEEEEE TOOOOO
I love peaches
OMG THIS IS SO REAAL. PLAYING A GIRL, SUPPORT CHARACTER IS SO GAY!!
Andrew,
Please, please, please consider reading the book "Gay is a Gift." It is such an inspiring and uplifting book about being gay. Love you! 💜💙💚🌈💚💜❤
What's the book about?
@@JoaquinLomeliJr It is about how being gay makes us special and how those "gifts" translate into everyday life. It is about how gays have appeared throughout history, but were called different terms. That being gay was not always thought of as negative and as something to use as an insult towards another. That is a very limited explanation, but it covers some of the topics included.m
@@clm6184 oh wow it does sound interesting. Where did you find that book
@@JoaquinLomeliJr I found it on Amazon, which you can get in paperback or Kindle addition. I honestly felt so much stronger and confident about who I am after reading the book. I hope you experience the same thing!
that is an amazing suggestion!!! we would love to read that book! also if you are into Disney there is an amazing book called tinker bells and the Evil queens that talks about Disney and LGBTQ+ sexuality
When you said you woke up and felt joy because you are gay, it really hit me how lucky we are! Thank you so much for sharing that perspective, because now I think of it that way and damn if it doesn't change my outlook!
I knew I was gay since I was 5 when I had a crush on the red power ranger
Sometimes the silver one or the gold or the black ones rangers dang
dammm I think I'm the only one😂 mine was Leo(red ranger)in lost galaxy
I loved the pink one (Kimberly.) But I guess I was just stanning.
I had no chance against the green from power rangers samurai 😍😍😍
When watching movies with my sisters, they'd mention how hot the lead actor was, and in my mind I was agreeing. Then they would mention how beautiful X actresses was, and I couldn't care less about her looks.
Thats factssssss hhahaha
I knew I was gay I soon as I found this channel. I mean seriously! In what reality would you NOT want to spend a night with this man!
U gay all along bro
I subconsciously knew that I was gay in my early mid teens, but I lived in an area that you absolutely could not be out in and also I wanted a family, as my father left when i was young, so I convinced myself daily that I was straight. I never even admitted to myself in my own brain that I was gay until around 30 or so and am still closeted to this day. Maybe one day I can be out and not ashamed
I have faith that you will one day. You will see the whole world in a new way and it will be worth it. Either way, good luck to you 🥰❤️💖
John, I did the same as you and came out to myself at about the age of 40. Then I came out to family and friends about 10 years later. Now I am totally out to anyone who matters to me. It is great to be out, but I think each person must wait until he's ready and he will know when that is. Thanks, bro.........Ray
John, don't let your life get away from you, it's yours and you only get one chance at completing yourself so fuck being afraid take a deep breath and come on out
@@allenelliott9729 It's a process that each person can't rush. It will happen when it happens. He's not letting anything get him and he needs to come to terms with everything before he can make a decision as big as this. 💖💖🥰💖
Get away from him*
I was the same with those Calvin Klein underwear adds. I’d just look at them and be like... Damn!!! Were can I get me some of that 😂😂
I love that you chose "Waltz of the Flowers" from The Nutcracker as the background music!
Ohh Yea SUPER GAY..... I LOVE IT!!!
so many things... but one of my most MOST vivid revelations moment was when the coolest and most popular guy in school had to hold me in swimming class as we were doing these mock rescue exercises. he held me in his arm and I layed on his torso with my head on his shoulder against his wonderful tan wet skin, I felt his soft warm breath and the fabric of his swimsuit. it was so amazing and I became so flustered... I knew something major had happened, like a key had been turned to unlock something.
Wow, what a moment! EVERY male needs a moment like that when they are young .... especially us gay ones. 😊
A P lol same
@@tastedivinefury2198 I lived in Italy back then. he was the embodiment of the Italian 'stronzo' with his Vespa, his gift for football, and his attitude, but he was always kind and respectful. one of my high school crushes for sure (I always crushed on the sporty cool asshole guy, the one all the girls liked, and dreamt that they were secretly gay, and we'd be doing ridiculous things together, like rockclimibing or judo fighting and they would teach me techniques like carving wood with a knife and it would be our secret lol lol ) funny thing is that this fantasy almost came true with the last high school crush who was actually gay, but completely closeted. but that's another story.
A P wow I’m better not saying what I dreamt to do with my crush 🗿
@@tastedivinefury2198 Haha!
For me it was the old zest soap commercials. The guy with the towel. I was looking mighty hard to try and get a glimpse of what was under that towel😅😅😅
I knew what gay was when I was 12 or 13 and I hit puberty when I was 11. (All of those years are different stories). The story I want to tell is when I was 8. I met this boy who lived just a few houses over from me and we would hang out all of the time. I mean, he was the cutest and most fun guy I've ever met. We would go to his house to watch Ben 10 and all I wanted was to hug him and keep seeing him laughing. I never got to see him again because we moved but he's definitely someone I would recognize in a heartbeat if I ever see him again. I'm turning 19 next month. I've had previous "gay" memories but this one is my favorite.
trey lorence ...great story trey. Is he on Facebook?
@@tomt5698 I wish lol. I haven't been able to find him ever. 💖
@@treylorence5381 have you had a gay experience
I love the locker room at the swimming pool before I was out. Is that creepy. But super fit men
Heck no. Definitely not creepy. I mean I was affraid of getting caught sneaking a look when I was in the locker. But you are definitely not a creep for liking the locker room. Such a fun place. Haha
Mine "boys in shocks pictures" were Firefighters calendars... OMG I was super gay jsjajajaajj
Pablo García I know! So SHOCKING! 🤣 (Ducking)
Hey Andrew great fun vlog as usual. FYI today is Honor Our LGBT Elders Day, on May 16th each year recognizes the thousands of people in the LGBT community who have paved the way for access and social acceptance.
The rights and acceptance that LGBTQ individuals have today did not occur in a vacuum or happen by accident. Our LGBT elders worked hard to gain rights and social acceptance.
I've never heard of this day. Thanks for educating us. Respect.
That's interesting. Older people don't get proper recognition even though many of them risked their safety and their lives, even in the western countries.
Thank you Charles. 65 here. I was in my share of bar raids back in the day. I went on to become a RN and my focus was the care of patients with HIV/AIDS from 1982-2003. I became radicalized because our government was doing nothing, so I marched on Washington DC several times, and Sacramento here in California. I lost most of my friends to the disease, and in the early days, most of my patients. I’m grateful I had the chance to care for my community, and see the day that people with HIV can live a healthy life. We lost so many amazing people who truly blazed a trail for the health and rights we all have today. Thank you for reminding us!
@@ShrewdEmpath You know they hunt us for sport in Russia Today like vigilante or the Purge
I remember not knowing “gay” was a thing but always thinking it would be so cool to date a guy
I think you just describe my whole childhood 😂🤷🏽♂️
Just wanted you to know that your story is super relatable and inspiring and that ilysm!
Andrew, you have it so great. When I was your age I didn't have UA-cam or even a computer to talk about what I was feeling. I just had to keep it bottled up
Honestly couldn’t stop smiling at this video!!! Mine was when I was about 7-8 dancing to Crazy In Love w a white tee as my hair doing the fan scene.... total fantasy!!!
I know a lot of gays who have said they knew their whole life. But I personally didn't realize until I was like 12 when I had an actual crush on a boy.
Garrett Kolling Literally the same, and some say that they did not realize it until late teenage years, also slept with girls before they did :D
You’re so happy talking about things you’ve done in the past that made you realize you were gay. I love it!! 🏳️🌈
I remember walking behind a guy in college, he was wearing grey joggers/sweats and i was nursing a semi feeling very confused haha
Oh god so many 😂. The 2001 movie "The Little Vampire" I had a crush as a kid on Rudolph the vampire kid. Zac Efron in HSM, nearly every guy in the Goosebumps tv series, ORLANDO BLOOM was a BIG ONE FOR me too. I watched all of Black Hawk Down just to look at him with a buzzcut 😂
This is absolutely my favorite youtube video you have ever done. It's the most sincere, it lacks all pretense and is just a wonderful story.
I was in 5th grade walking upstairs. Infront of me was some athletic kid...I was thinking to myself "hes got a nice ass"
I'm a bottom ._.
🤣🤣 My dad signed me up for baseball and played in left field. I would spend the whole game picking flowers! That’s too funny! 🌻🌻🌻
I sooo appreciate the way you discuss this... it is such a real experience... you can really help so many people...
I already knew I was gay for several years before, but I had never experienced the longing that Mark Wahlberg's Calvin Klein ad evoked in me. As close as it gets to falling in love with an image.
Always enjoy your videos Andrew. You're authentic and silly in all the right ways.
Hey!! I just wanted to let you know that your videos helped me a lot with my own sexuality and you’re honestly amazing!! I hope you have a good day because you deserve it!! 😎😎😎👊
Put a smile on my face! Thanks, Andrew. Fun.
I knew when I was 12 in 7th grade. Used to run to gym class to watch the 9th grade gym helper get dressed for gym. He had a furry butt and I have been hooked every since.
I used to go to this Christian summer camp for kids from NYC when I was elementary/middle school age, and one summer I had this counselor who was an older teen boy from Australia. I was OBSESSED with him. I guess I couldn't resist the combo of an attractive, athletic guy a hot accent (which I'm a sucker for to this day). I did every activity he led (even things I wasn't into like hiking) just to have a reason to be around him. I only realize just what a huge crush I had on the guy now that I'm an adult (I don't I think I even realized at the time that what I felt about guys was attraction), but honestly, I can't blame myself haha.
I wore lime green pants almost everyday when i was 7 years old. OOF and I totally feel you about the looking up to guys as in "I want those underwear." I was obsessed with my friends instead of talking about girls and then slowly noticed I was into them
Love you Andrew! Greetings from Finland! I have watch so many of your old videos during lockdown! 😅
I had similar experiences as you mentioned in the video.
In 7th grade I was in home room. The teacher that day was one of the music teachers. In the next room over, a music class and they were playing a record of "ode to joy" from Bethoven's 9th symphony.
Me: oh Bethoven's 9th.
Teacher: spins around " how do you know that?"
Me: just shrugs.
I remember in 7th grade I just started to really like this dude in my class. I’ve always been pretty self aware so I instantly knew I wasn’t straight and had to start trying to act straight. I also would try to justify my feelings by telling myself they were actually girls disguised as boys and that somehow I could tell. Luckily, grew up with brothers so I would just emulate them and suppress any actions I thought would be seen as not straight. Now I’m 22 and still in the closet to most of my family but I’m trying to figure out what i am. I’m emotionally unattached so it’s difficult for me to form relationships. I’ll figure it out eventually
I love the idea they were girls disguised as boys! Very creative. But don't waste time now or you'll regret it later. Find somebody and have a relationship. Even if it doesn't last.
Everyone moves at their own pace. It gets better. The world is pretty accepting now. Nothing has to be black or white, there are many shades of grey. Also, as scary as it may sound, try to find some comfort in that your family probably already knows.
Any developments? I wanna know...
openly gay life is a challenge all the time... Things seem to be made for others ..Maybe in some years from now people will be just people and there will be no stressing..
I had the same experience, when I was 17 and got an intense crush on a boy in my class. That's when I realized I'm not heterosexual (I'm bisexual). And I became depressed because I got an identity crisis and tried to deny it to myself, doing all kinds of mental gymnastics lol. But now I accept who I am. The funny thing is, I had crushes on boys sometimes, before I was 17 too, but it didn't happen often enough for me to realize what that means, so I didn't think about it and considered myself to be straight, until I was 17.
I love this video, you're so giggly and it shows you're really having fun! The energy shows on camera.
Growing up in the 1980’s I was a latchkey kid. They used to show “Phil Donahue Show” in the afternoons. One time they had an entire show with male strippers. That’s when I realized I was gay.
When I was around the age you talk about, I discovered my step-dad's stash of straight porn magazines. Naturally I was FASCINATED and I would sneak in and look at them when my parents weren't home. Of course, I had my favorite photo spreads that I'd go back to time and again and it took me years to realize that those were always couples spreads with hunky dudes in them! For years I was like, "I can't be gay because: straight porn." but the mind plays funny tricks on us, even when we think we're doing what everyone else does. :)
Watching Chris O'Donnell as Robin in the super cringey, awful batman movies in the 90s. I mean, even those films were trash, Robin in that outfit was 😍🔥👀
Yessss
It' so nice to hear someone say they love being gay too! I was in the closet till I was 44 and damn I love being gay!
It's somewhat ironic that you chose a song from The Nutcracker as background music for this particular video. I remember watching The Nutcracker at a Christmas get-together at my aunt and uncles'. I was 10 years old at the time and I remember thinking how incredibly beautiful Mikhail Baryshnikov was in his ballet outfit and being impressed by his agility as a dancer. I now realize that something was definitely different about me then.
Thank you so much, Andrew. The video was a hoot. I didn't figure out that I was gay until my Master's degree. Looking back, I know that there were a lot of indications, but I was in complete denial. I didn't want to be gay, and I thought I could pray it away. None of that worked. I even had Spock as one of my heros, because Vulcans don't have emotions. I am a mostly happy gay man now, and don't understand why anyone would not just be happy with who they are. Oh, and when I play video games, I get the blonde blue-eyed Nordic looking men with muscles popping everywhere. I love those guys. Take care, Andrew. Stay safe. Be well. Big hugs.
This was a hilarious video. I did not realize you could be so funny, and be genuine at the same time. Helps to take my mind off the corona virus and American politics. I am not an American , but it is so addictive. I clearly remember the Marky Mark ads!
I would play a girl character on *RUNESCAPE, SECOND LIFE, SIMS, IMVU, ZWINKY, ECT* (I loved the feeling of a boy liking me and flirting) that's when I knew I was gay.
In high school I saw the other boys take off their shirt in the locker room and many of them had ripped bodies, and right away I knew *"YASSSSS I'M TOTALLY GAY FOR THEM"* ( lol no but seriously, I fell in love lol )
I LOVE your enthusiasm in this video, you remembered me when I realised to be gay, it was like ‘finally I found myself!’ and I was super happy with that
My dead give away was that I preferred to do gymnastics with the girls during recess rather than hang out with the boys in 3rd grade. I was swimming in girls my whole life - horrible irony.
Andrew, I appreciate your openness and you and I had so many similar experiences. I repressed them at the time they happened in my life [constantly] but now appreciate them and am happy to be gay. Thanks, bro.........Ray
Gosh Andrew, your dad sounds ADORABLE! I knew I was gay at age 5. I'm a black guy & when I was a child, I'd watch a kid tv show in the late 60's called Romper Room. I was into hair (duh) & I'd see all those cute boys in the show, with their gorgeous shiny straight blond, brown or red hair; my afro hair looked NOTHING like theirs. I remember asking my mom to perm my hair!! It got worse (lol); when I was in 1st grade, this angel of a white boy came up to me, shook my hand & introduced himself to me. I was in LOVE!! I was also into art (duh again) and I would draw him (with his chestnut brown hair styled in a pompadour) as a super hero, a cop, a cowboy; etc; in these cartoons, he would save damsels in distress (of course those damsels would me secretly in drag)! Would you believe this sweet guy's middle name is Andrew? He's an art teacher now. I wonder if he ever kept any of those drawings? Even today, he's still as beautiful as the day we met in school. Andrew, I LOVE your Waltz of the Flowers playing the background of your video. I thought, "How appropriate, music from from the NUTcracker!!" lol!! I bet you were the coolest kid ever!. Your boy scout counselor/swim coach sounds like my summer camp swim coach, I met when I was around 10 years old. When you get a chance, look up the kid tv show The Banana Splits Adventure Hour (1968) & check out the adorable late actor Jan Michael Vincent who played Link Simmons in the series, Adventure Island. My summer camp swim coach was the spitting image of Jan Michael. I couldn't swim for SHIT! I'd flail around in the water, almost drowning, when my dream coach would jump in wearing those snug fitting red swimming trunks & swoop me up out of the water. I'd thank him, while having a wicked smile on my face!! Wow, what fun memories!!
I never pursued a relationship with a girl. Everytime my friends tried to hook me up with a girl, everytime they came up to me to tell me a girl friend of theirs liked me I would feel unconfortable and anxious because I always knew I didn't like girls and I didn't want to be forced to put on that disguise of heterosexuality.
Interestingly, I was always a thin boy, and introverted. Even after puberty I retained a childish appearance but still girls were setting their eyes on me.
So was it a long search to find your recording of "Waltz of the Flowers" from "The Nutcracker" to use as background music?!.......thats hysterical!!🤣 Nothing against the music or the ballet - but it did make me LOL!
I knew I was gay when I starting falling in love with Judy Garland, and me wanting to sing “over the rainbow”! That song gives me hope when I sing it and I liked it when hot guys told me I could sing! Who doesn’t want a hot guy to think they are talented and special!!!
Omg I’m a singer too and that is so relatable!! Love it when that happens too😏🤣
You do realize that the expression "Friend of Dorothy" was a thing all the way back to 1940. Amazing how that movie is like catnip to gay men.
How would people peg me for gay when I was a kid? Dolls? Nope, I liked war games. Girls clothes, nope, mainly because there was plenty of room for flouncy and blousy men's clothes in the 70s. What gave me away, aside from fear of sports? Lucy. Nuf said.
Yeah ! I'm French and and thanks to a US friend, I do know what was behind the ask "Are you a firend of Dorothy ?"
The underwear section of the JC Penney catalog!
You got me screaming at some parts of the video, my God. Keep up the great vids, love them like I love you.
I might sound weird here, but I used to cut out advertisements with hot men from newspaper and created a book. Since internet was still on the roll and was expensive.
Awww... He is cute, and his personality makes him even cutter. Keep the good work. Very entertaining to watch and hear.
When I was a little bit younger, I loved starring at couples kissing at school (yes I was a weirdo) and think that I was the girl in the couple 😂😂😅😅.
You need to have a meet n greet swim party after all of this!
One word: ADORABLE 😍
I loved when you described the straight Andrew. I can imagine you just mentioned the least naughty thoughts you had and things you've done. This vid made me smile loved it 😘😘 Thank you and quite similar experience
I was like very obviously gay for a long time but it took me until I was 15 and this girl asked me out in a joke way (we were really close friends) that I realised I was not into her, I was into our mutual friend who I associated her with (who was lovely, but really straight) that i realised I was gay. Looking back, the interest in the men's underwear ads etc. was a big giveaway.
It's been awhile since I saw one of your vids and I am still in love with you! I knew that I was gay when I was 12 when I had my best friend go down on me and I went down on him. Lasted through school until I left for the US Navy in 1970.
@SabuPtolemy it was back in the stone age before DADT was over turned and clandestine was the watchword. I did have a shipmate, and we would meet when we had liberty together and could see the sights!
Aweee Andrew is just so cute. His laugh and smile are precious
I love this one! Me, when I was really young I had the goofiest need to watch Mark Spitz swim in the Olympics. And then later, when these images of Calvin Klein ads by Bruce Weber came out...Ugh. Yup... the writing was on the wall!
You made me smile anyway I knew I was gay the first time I saw He man, those shorts, that sword, everytime I picked him up I would touch his and then mine...forgive me I was 12...Andrew you have a joy for life that's infectious
Apparently, I knew when I was an infant. When I was about a year old my mom took me to the movies so she could see Christopher Reeve as Superman. She said I was quiet the whole time and just stared at him. In my defense, he was a very beautiful man. To this day I become instantly smitten with any guy with the same facial structure. So yeah, I pretty much knew from birth. I had my first secret boyfriend in 1st grade but didn't openly date guys until my 20's.
When I was young, I had a crush on Bobby Brady from the Brady Bunch. Of course I didn’t know I was gay and I didn’t really realize it was a crush. Years later, I ended up working alongside the actor who played Bobby Brady! God, it was so weird. I hadn’t even come out to myself at that point in time, yet I was so nervous around him I could barely speak.
Lol...peter was my number one, Greg did NOTHING for me
Omg I used to love looking at the underwear ads when I was younger! 😂
Staring at guys as they entered the pool to “check” out the competition
I totally have the exact same dilemma when I play games! Powerful woman or hot guy? 😂
Back when I was 4 and 5 years old, we used to get the Sears And the JC Penny catalogs several times a year. Everyone in the family would look through them and pick out stuff they wanted but me, I hid in my room looking at the men and boys’ underwear pictures. They were boxers or tighty whitey briefs, but it was about how the models filled them out. Then when began going to school, I had a crush on a boy who I thought was beautiful and I remember wanting him to want to hang out with me and want to be my friend so bad. I have quite a few stories about how I knew I was gay and how sad it made me.
Haha! The story about cat fishing the guy in the video game sent me! Omg that's tooo funny XD
I had almost everything you mentioned especially the videogames part! I'm a huge videgames fan till today and I still make female avatars and feel extremely flattered when people say they thought I was actually a girl in real life :D
I love that you shared this!!!! I literally was obsessed with gymnastics and barbies :/
he said he had a lot of plants and it for some reason reminded me of a scene from SKAM France where Eliott found a bunny and he was asking Lucas if they could keep it and Lucas was like "no its gonna end up like your basil, dehydrated" I don't know why
I couldn't stop smiling through this entire video. Thanks Andrew... it was fun! Plus.. I hope you can do more videos with your Father.. He sounds really cool.
Andrew, I love this video and you really knew you was gay back then, when you was a teenager after you came out to your family for the first time until you're talking about everything in your life and I'm proud of you for being my inspiration of the LGBTQ community!!!
Your so adorable, love it, I really appreciate your authenticity with a twist of awkward shyness about you, hey man, just be yourself because everyone else is already taken.
I'm currently 16, and I already have so many hints that I'm gay lmao. I'm into dresses, skirts, and long hair oml.
You have inspired me to love myself and accept who I am Andrew thank you ❤️ ❤️
its really those boxer/briefs boxes :o
So true! It's not the underwear, it's the box/model/marketing. Marketers figured that out in the late 1970s.
I was the same I don't know what it was about boys in socks 😂😂
I relate with pretty everything you said. I had very similar experiences. For me, I think it was always wanting to be friends with the cute boys in school. When I was younger, I just thought that I wanted to be friends with them because they were "cool" but now I definitely realize it was more than that. I do remember one specific situation where I was alone at recess because my best friend was sick. And this guy that I was subconsciously crushing on came over to me and played marbles with me so I wouldn't be alone. I legit remember thinking how beautiful his eyes were but I didn't catch on because I had no concept of "gay" yet. I think I was in 3rd or 4th grade.
You also are a great role model for Gay teens, straight teens too. This video is cute and funny.
Probably one of the things I did is romancing male characters in games. Nobody questioned it. Oh yeah then after discovering Fire Emblem, fantasising about Chrom 😂
You often bring up valid concerns. I new from a young age I was different. And then one day I my life changed for good.
I had ata very young age, a deep love for Cher, Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman, and Bo's jeans on the Dukes of Hazzard. And there was this poster of Billy Hufsy in a towel...