Garrett Clayton says his father, brother reacted badly to his coming out gay
Thu. October 25, 2018 12:34 PM by OnTopMag.com
In his first major interview since coming out, former Disney star Garrett Clayton said that his father and brother reacted badly to his coming out gay.
Clayton, 27, is best known for his portrayal of Tanner in the Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie and its sequel Teen Beach 2. He also appeared in NBC's Hairspray Live.
In Reach, currently in theaters, Clayton plays a teen contemplating suicide.
In an Instagram post in August, Clayton announced that he was gay and in a long-term relationship.
Speaking with Gay Times, Clayton talked about his decision to discuss his sexuality and the pressure to come out publicly before he was ready.
"The decision to come out was finally feeling comfortable as me," Clayton said. "I just felt like, 'OK, I'm finally ready to do this', and I think that's the most important thing to take away from this is that everyone has to do it when they feel comfortable. If you let someone push you into something like this it can be harmful if you're not ready. That's something I experienced personally during King Cobra, where it felt like a lot of journalists wanted me to come out, but I wasn't ready."
Clayton also revealed that his father rejected him over his sexuality and that he hasn't spoken to his brother since 2015.
"Before my dad moved to Florida I kind of had a meltdown and told him, and he just hated it. A month or two after that, when I was leaving my last day on the set of my first movie – which was a huge step for me, I was so excited – he freaked out because I was late. I came out to the car and he just started screaming at me, and it boiled up to him screaming at me about how he hated that I was gay, and he didn't know what to do with me. It was this horrible gut-wrenching fight right after one of my first big accomplishments," Clayton said.
"My brother reacted badly when I told him, too. I don't want to put him on blast, because he's still my family, but I do feel that honesty in this situation is important. A few years ago, when same-sex marriage was legalized, my brother was furious, and he went online posting about how the American flag was gonna be a rainbow soon, like, 'What's happening to America?' And I remember seeing that and thinking, 'You have a gay brother, you idiot!' So I went on his Facebook like, 'So wait a minute, you're telling me that there can be someone you care about in your life, who wants to impede nothing on yours, and just wants the same rights as you, and you would take that away from them?' And then he blocked me. If my brother wants to reconnect with me, I welcome it wholeheartedly. I'm a big believer in people learning from their mistakes. But not every story gets a happy ending," he adde
Clayton, 27, is best known for his portrayal of Tanner in the Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie and its sequel Teen Beach 2. He also appeared in NBC's Hairspray Live.
In Reach, currently in theaters, Clayton plays a teen contemplating suicide.
In an Instagram post in August, Clayton announced that he was gay and in a long-term relationship.
Speaking with Gay Times, Clayton talked about his decision to discuss his sexuality and the pressure to come out publicly before he was ready.
"The decision to come out was finally feeling comfortable as me," Clayton said. "I just felt like, 'OK, I'm finally ready to do this', and I think that's the most important thing to take away from this is that everyone has to do it when they feel comfortable. If you let someone push you into something like this it can be harmful if you're not ready. That's something I experienced personally during King Cobra, where it felt like a lot of journalists wanted me to come out, but I wasn't ready."
Clayton also revealed that his father rejected him over his sexuality and that he hasn't spoken to his brother since 2015.
"Before my dad moved to Florida I kind of had a meltdown and told him, and he just hated it. A month or two after that, when I was leaving my last day on the set of my first movie – which was a huge step for me, I was so excited – he freaked out because I was late. I came out to the car and he just started screaming at me, and it boiled up to him screaming at me about how he hated that I was gay, and he didn't know what to do with me. It was this horrible gut-wrenching fight right after one of my first big accomplishments," Clayton said.
"My brother reacted badly when I told him, too. I don't want to put him on blast, because he's still my family, but I do feel that honesty in this situation is important. A few years ago, when same-sex marriage was legalized, my brother was furious, and he went online posting about how the American flag was gonna be a rainbow soon, like, 'What's happening to America?' And I remember seeing that and thinking, 'You have a gay brother, you idiot!' So I went on his Facebook like, 'So wait a minute, you're telling me that there can be someone you care about in your life, who wants to impede nothing on yours, and just wants the same rights as you, and you would take that away from them?' And then he blocked me. If my brother wants to reconnect with me, I welcome it wholeheartedly. I'm a big believer in people learning from their mistakes. But not every story gets a happy ending," he adde
Article provided in partnership with On Top Magazine