For gay twins Austin and Aaron Rhodes, YouTube has been a game changer. In less than one year, they’ve garnered over 55,000 subscribers and nearly 1 million views.
Their latest video posted last week shows the guys calling their father in Ohio then struggling to break the news that they’re both gay. When they finally do, their father offers pretty much the perfect response.
“It’s the way things are, you know?” he says. “You’re grown people. You grew up in a lot different generation than me. I just don’t really know what to say — you know I love you both and that’ll never change.”
Well in a fairly predictable move, the video found its way onto the screen of an Ellen producer. Predictable as it may be, we’d be lying if we said we didn’t find it moving.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Here’s the full story from People:
Kieran
I love Ellen with her pained, somber expression….”I’m sure you don’t understand it all yet, you poor thing” WTF? The father isn’t 85 years old. He’s looks forty something. Certainly he should have “evolved” by now to where he knows there are gay people in the world. And he shouldn’t need to be applauded for loving his sons unconditionally. That’s what families in general, and fathers in particular, are supposed to do.
man5996853
@Kieran: Oh, please. This is a culture that gives participation medals to underachievers and one that reveres mediocrity. There are much worse things we can do than applaud a father for bucking the trend of hate that we’ve seen in many families as of late.
jwtraveler
For most people reading Queerty, this may not be so meaningful. But the way I look at it, if it helps other parents deal with their gay children so they can be supportive of those children, that’s all that counts.
Cam
It is nice and moving, but at this point, (If I can be the cynical asshole) it seems a bit planned out.
Twins, coming out, filming it. Getting on Ellen.
I know, I know, I know how I sound.
kofender
Wow, the cynicism level sure seems to have shot way up today. I saw the YouTube video (twice in fact). Even though I’m usually the cynic, I didn’t see any craven motive here. Those two were genuinely scared of coming out to their father. They were crying the whole time. They did not know what to expect. Yes, their father did react in the best possible way, but we’ve seen too many times when this scenario did not have such a happy ending. It’s a good thing, it really is.
mikeincleveland
There are a lot of “undecided” Americans (on the issue of LGBT rights and gay marriage, especially) that sit in waiting rooms and airports who end up watching “Ellen” for a portion of time. For them to see how another “average-looking” American dad responds to his twins (both of them) coming out as gay and being so supportive is very important. If the Supreme Court makes gay marriage legal in June, it won’t be the end of the struggle for LGBT rights in this country by no means. The far right social conservatives have already made their intentions clear to make this their next abortion cause and drag out this battle for decades to come.
Don’t even think about laying down your arms yet, folks.
wagnerwallace
Okay Rhodes brothers….. Youve been hanging out with the super obnoxious Davey Wavey for awhile now and you FINALLY got your first viral video and 15 minutes of fame. What will be the next stunt?
spiffy
@Cam: If this makes you a cynical a-hole then count me in as well. I wonder if they’d still ended up on Ellen if these two guys weren’t young, white and good-looking?
polarisfashion
There are so many young people still in the closet that they need to see stories like this. Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to come out when they are still living at home because of abusive parents or their community is still stuck in the dark ages. Still it’s nice to know we aren’t alone, and that can mean the world to a child if they can get through the BS and move out later and can finally start living in the open and be who they truly are!
MacAdvisor
@spiffy: I don’t care so much about the “white” part, but that the two guys are young and good looking would be good enough to get them on me.
blackberry finn
@spiffy: Uh, there’s nothing wrong with being young or white or good-looking or appearing on Ellen, or any combination thereof. Your comment would be meaningful only if Ellen did not invite people of color to her show (not true). There is something wrong with a shite attitude posing as social criticism.
jason smeds
Ellen does pro-gay segments but then she also has homophobe-supporters on her show. She has had performers on her show who have disparaged homosexuality or who have worked with those who disparage homosexuality. She’s schizophrenic to say the least.
I also think she avoids showing butch lesbians on her show.
CATTMAN1
@MacAdvisor: ha ha ha. your comment is so typically gay. it is all about what “I” want, what can “I” have, who can “I” do. it’s all about me, me, me. can we all say “selfish”? I.L.M.F.A O.
spiffy
@blackberry finn: Difference of opinions. Granted I don’t watch Ellen often, but I don’t remember seeing a similar coming out story involving a person of color getting invited to be on her show. If I’m wrong, please correct me.
And MY gut reaction seeing the viral video the first time, was that of yet another pair of young and attractive people getting attention. That’s how Youtube works. But again, right or wrong, those are MY perceptions. Sorry if you feel differently. #sorrynotsorry
JaredNorthcutt30
Surprised America’s favorite retrograde lesbian didn’t instruct the twins to whip off their shirts and play with each nipples on air. But never women nips, El.
JaredNorthcutt30
Cant wait til the mainstream GLBT community gives a damn about uggo twins coming out. When hell freezes over.
tdx3fan
@Kieran: I can tell from your comments that you did not grow up in small town Ohio. Its amazing that this guy responded in the way he did to his kids. Do not diminish that… its even more remarkable being from old school Ohio.
When I came out to my dad in small town Ohio 10 years ago his first response was… “I know something is wrong… you never dated girls.” Then, “Lets just never talk about this again.” It then took him about 10 years to come around, and he wants to come to my wedding. For that turn around from his generation is AMAZING.
OzJosh
This whole story is complete BS. Firstly, if you’re not cynical about the motivation of these twins, you probably still believe in tooth fairies and pots of gold at the end of the rainbow as well. They’re models, and aspiring celebtards. They’re every move goes on Youtube, though so far to rather little effect. They badly needed a media boost to get them some attention. I’ve no doubt actually coming out to Dad stirred some real emotion, but, hey, they still filmed it and uploaded it without a qualm. They exploited their own private moments, and their Dad’s awkwardness for the media boost they so badly wanted.
Secondly, the media beat up around this has been insane – turning unwitting Dad into some kind of hero for the sake of feelgood clickbait. Never mind that in the video he offers the bare minimum of support you’d expect of a halfway decent father – a resigned “it is what it is” and a “well, i still love you”; it’s not quite acceptance and a long way short of approval. Yes, I said approval. That’s what any intelligent, evolved parent should be offering their gay child in the 21st century. And applauding anyone for any less than that is just pathetic. Ellen should be ashamed of herself for leaping on this too.
Tackle
@Cam: Count me in as well. So I guess I’m asshole # 3.
@OzJosh: Very well put.
jason smeds
Ellen DeGeneres has promoted the careers of people on her show like Rihanna who has appeared on stage with Buju Banton, a gay-hater who has recorded lyrics that are extremely homophobic and violent towards gay men.
Ellen has also promoted the career of Sia, a woman who has also collaborated with Eminem. Yep, he of the constant homophobic slurs.
I don’t trust Ellen as a representative for gay rights and I hope nobody ever does.
M.D.
Ellen should be ashamed of herself. Giving these two vapid fame whores even more attention was bad enough, but to then give them $10k?! What the fuck? It’s her money, but Jesus Christ, there are literally billions of people I’d give $10k to before these two. Ellen is now gross to me.
enlightenone
@Cam: You sound like you aren’t easily taken for a ride.
enlightenone
@OzJosh: “Ellen should be ashamed of herself for leaping on this too.”
It’s called ratings! Want will appeal to the emotions of upper-middle class white, straight females.
OzJosh
If someone wants to do a genuinely insightful and edgy story about this pair, then I suggest taking a look at their coming out video in a different light. Perhaps some people – let’s call them Americans – think this kind of “boo-hoo-I’m-gay, will anybody still love me?, please don’t think I’m a bad person” is rather normal and perfectly okay. But my question would be “why are you still doing this to your teens?” And, even just taking youtube as a guide, it does seem to be the distinctly American approach. By way of example, let’s take Queerty’s favourite boy, Tom Daley. Did he boo-hoo in his coming out video? Was he filled with angst, obvious shame and fear of rejection? No, he simply talked about the realisation, said “this is who I am” and his more self-confident attitude was “If you don’t like it, that’s your problem”. Much the same age as these twins, pretty much as self-obsessed, and presumably sharing many of the values of their generation. But raised in different cultures. I’ve lived for long periods in both those cultures, so I know from personal experience that British gay kids (or Australian or Kiwi or most Western Europeans) are more likely to have a Tom Daley coming out. This is me; just thought you’d like to know. Whereas American kids almost invariably have a tortured, traumatic time of it, often involving years of denial, self-loathing, self-doubt, fear and repression. They’re far more likely not to actually come out until way into their twenties or even thirties, which seems to me insane. And they’re almost always apologetic and fearful, just like the boo-hoo twins. Well, enough. My message to American gays is this: don’t apologise and don’t behave like somebody died. This is you being honest about who you are. You don’t need anybody’s permission for that. It’s not a negotiation. It should be a celebration. And if anybody has a problem with it, it’s their problem. Be understanding, by all means. For a reasonable amount of time, and so long as they’re respectful and also at least attempting to be understanding too. And if that doesn’t work, f*** ’em. Move on. Enjoy your life. Enjoy your coming out. And don’t feel like you have to put it on Youtube.
Ryan26pdx
I’ve been subscribed to their channel for a few months and expected it to take off this year, as I’m sure they did, but I don’t think anything like an Ellen appearance was on their radar. I’m really happy for them.
Tackle
@enlightenone: Funny thing. On another thread about these two, you were vehemently defending these two. I said and expressed the same sentiments as,@Cam: and @OzJosh: , in a different manner, and definitely much shorter than @OzJosh:. Mine, while you did not attack it, you did question: as if to ask for solutions?
You seem to have changed your tune about these two.
Have you??
enlightenone
@Tackle: “Funny thing. On another thread about these two, you were vehemently defending these two.”
Clearly, my friend, you have me confused w/someone else since I found to be so nauseating for no other reason than another “15 minute Out” story; then you add a supposed phone call on YouTube, then the crying as if they were confessing they murdered someone;” I could continue watching…. Only read what the father said that was dry as burnt toast; and then to read that Ellen “gave” them 10,000.00 for what I can’t imagine.
The heroes who should get a check are the transgender kids who have the balls to go to school everyday and defend their right to be while getting hell from their so-called parents!
By all means, cut/paste my comments that are inconsistent with this comment!
Giuseppe
@Cam: I felt the video to be toughing but in some way calculated, I find those edits suspect and WHY WHY WHY does this VERY private moment have to be filmed?? The end game is SO obvious and Ellen handing them $10,000 just proves my point.
drmikrc
I am proud for two young men coming out to their dad and the dad being accepting and loving, and how they should be…. But it was fine for the video just being a viral video there was no need for an appearance on Ellen and $10,000 for what being gay…. I’m gay where the hell is my $10,000 Ellen??? Giving them money totally discredits the whole coming out experience… It’s barbaric
drmikrc
@OzJosh: Your comments are by far the best on this article.
jantheman4903
these r youtube whores…can’t have a feeling if it isn’t seen. and putting their dad in a spot like that? what if his initial response was not positive? they said they would broadcast it either way.so they then set their dad up for major hating.am glad they have support . am glad they feel good. the fact they now are on ellen shows their drive for celebrity. have little respect for them.
heavylifter
@jantheman4903:
I agree, fame and money obsessed narcissists hoping for their youtube vid to go viral by exploiting their sexuality and father.
jockjack5
These two Fame Whores will simply not go away.
Bitch(s) Please…
Go Away!
Unless of course they come out with a docu-drama about their evolving twin-cest relationship.
Now THAT I would watch!
Desert Boy
I Love this man!
onthemark
@OzJosh: I really like your second, very funny comment about the difference between how Brits/Europeans/Australians etc come out, versus how Americans tend to do it. People will be quick to blame religion and that’s certainly part of it, but there’s a lot of other stuff involved too.
As an American I’m sorry to say we actually seem to being going backwards with this! I think until fairly recently it was extremely common for young Americans, especially gay ones, to leave home ASAP after 18 and move far away from their parents, to one of the coasts or (if you grew up on one of the coasts) all the way to the other coast. This was not always a permanent move, of course, just seen as a rite of passage. We are after all a big country and there is a lot to see.
Unfortunately this great American tradition – and it really WAS a tradition since the 19th century – has been supplanted in recent years by a culture that expects parents to be their kids’ best friends. When this unrealistic expectation is not met, as it can hardly ever be, the kids feel horribly aggrieved. But they still must live with their parents as 30-somethings because of the other huge problem in US life, an economy curiously devoid of the opportunities and mobility we had in the not-so-distant past. The student loan crisis, of course, digs the hole deeper. Seen in this context, young gay people may just sense the need to hedge their bets with their parents in case they need financial help indefinitely into middle age.
Recently on these comment threads I’ve noticed a lot of cr@p about how parents are supposed to have “unconditional love” for their kids. (Mawkish nonsense that we never heard back in the ’70s, I can assure you.) I don’t know how it happened that so many non-parents today feel they must lecture parents on how to parent. But this recent fungal growth of “unconditional love” has created many problems in our culture, as any teacher knows, or a perusal of the daytime courtroom reality shows will confirm. As you point out, the Boo-Hoo Twins here sound like they’re confessing to being drug addicts or drunk drivers or something, or at least cheating on their SATs. So they have to beg the judge – uh I mean their dad (ostensibly) or rather society in general – for another chance. Hence the tearful confession is broadcast to Society In General.
I have to agree that the father is no prize either, really. It’s weird that Queerty keeps referring his response as “perfect” when, as another poster said, what he actually says is more appropriate for an 85 year old. Again we’re going backwards, because plenty of American parents handled the news with similar or better grace back in the 1980s or even ’70s.
You’re right also about the delayed American coming out process. If a guy “comes out” in his late 20s or even 30s, who does he think he’s been fooling all those years? Everybody has figured it out already, that’s the really pitiful thing.
demented
@onthemark: In other words, “damn kids these days, get off my lawn, in MY day, society going downhill” etc etc etc.
onthemark
@demented: Not at all – I blame their parents who are my age. I’m blaming the (hetero) Boomers, if that helps you!
onthemark
@demented: The kids are prisoners of a twisted culture that’s been spun around them! I hope they become more aware of it and rebel against it.
Also as I mentioned, there are a lot of economic problems involved (the fault of Republican Boomers! – not Boomers in general) that are not easy to fix at this point.
Enron
He has some good sperm, thats all I can say.
Arcamenel
Yes let’s give these attractive male white gays 10 thousand dollars for having supportive parents while in other parts of the country queer kids of color don’t know where they will be getting their next meal because their family wasn’t so supportive…
Tackle
@enlightenone: My bad. I completely misread your comment on the other thread. And I totally agree the transgender kids going to schoo everyday are the true heroes, who are more deserving of a check than these two.
enlightenone
It happens! It takes a secure, intelligent MAN to apologize for an honest error.
Captain Obvious
@Cam: It’s sad that so many guys are this gullible to be honest. They see any white guy they find attractive and lay down with their legs in the air throwing money their way.
These guys clearly planned this out, wanted a modeling career(clicking to their other videos makes this painfully obvious), and are hoping for fame out of this.
Ironically this has all been done before and it’s really rude to the parents as well as narcissistic. This isn’t the same world that a lot of us grew up in where we had to be afraid to come out.
These idiots are milking it for money and pretending to do something courageous that really makes a mockery of what many of us had to go through(and in some areas are still going through)… in other countries even dying over.
It’s also disturbing how people keep making videos for Ellen’s attention specifically and she gives it to them no matter what kind of damage it causes(like extreme attention whoring).
The world is plummeting faster and faster into fame whoring and expecting something for absolutely nothing.
Captain Obvious
@enlightenone: Personally I don’t think anyone deserves a check for living their life and dealing with their struggles that make up who they will be in the future. However, I agree with you about not only trans kids, but queer kids in general who put up with a ton of crap.
In high school I knew of a guy who got hit in the head with a lead pipe and put into a coma for wearing skirts to school. As far as I know he wasn’t trans but he did wear girls clothing. He had balls for sure and was no slouch, he was about 6’6″, and they were so cowardly they had to hit him from behind in a big group while he was walking home.
These coddled douchbags looking for attention are getting it on the basis that they’re pretty, blonde, and white. Hitler would be proud. So called Jewish media clearly obsessed with Hitler’s standard of beauty.
enlightenone
@Captain Obvious: “Personally I don’t think anyone deserves a check for living their life and dealing with their struggles that make up who they will be in the future.”
Neither do I, however, if you want to “promote” something w/money a transgender kid in high school who is being bullied, perhaps suffering from suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression, as well as suffering at home, giving financial help to these teens for food, clothing SHELTER would seen a powerful message for both other transgender kids and the “mean/cruel/conflicted” people they come in contact and society-at-large.
Captain Obvious
@blackberry finn: You are seriously full of it, there’s no way that you don’t know that being white, blonde, and attractive puts you way ahead of the game in many parts of the world.
Fact of the matter is they’re using idiots like you to get ahead without having to do a shred of work. The white, blonde dream. Heil, Hitler.
onthemark
@enlightenone: Queerty occasionally mentions the Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBT youth (and most of them are younger than the Boo-Hoo Twins), it’s a great place to donate to – http://www.aliforneycenter.org
enlightenone
@onthemark: “…Ali Forney Center for homeless LGBT youth (and most of them are younger than the Boo-Hoo Twins)”
Bullseye! Thank you so much for the link. I posted it on my Facebook page.
Tackle
@Captain Obvious: You are absolutely correct that being white, blond and attractive, puts one ahead in many parts of the world.
If anyone doubts this, all they have to do is look at Matthew Shepard. Because he was young, white, blond and attractive, this overrode the fact that he was a drug user/dealer. Yes he died a tragic & terrible death, which no one deserves. But because of the way he looked, people cared more. So much more, to the point that he is revered, idolized and sanctified…
Tackle
When Queerty first posted a story about these twins, last week, the two D’s
@Dakotahgeo and @DarkZephyr taking anyone to task, who dared question the motives of these two. @DarkZephyr twice, and @Dakotahgeo 18 times. Now neither are no where to be seen.
jockjack5
@Tackle:
Guilty as charged.
Yes, it’s true, I was drawn to reading about these two Fame Whores primarily because they are “young, white, blond and attractive”.
So sue me.
Captain Obvious
@Tackle: Yeah, I can’t stay quiet on it because of stuff like that. Gay people come in all colors, shapes, sizes, and genders. Yet only white males are held up as some sort of idol and standard in the “gay community”. It’s rather sickening.
They have the least to deal with, the least struggle, and the least problems… yet somehow they have it harder and need to be seen by all.
The fact that many who get this kind of attention often have blonde hair and blue eyes really makes it feel like the Nazis aren’t gone but rebranded. They even have black people getting blonde hair and blue contacts just to be noticed. It’s scary how f’ed up America is.
Rakkaus
Cute….times two!
Look at all the hate and jealousy for these two boys just because they are young and good-looking along with having a compelling story. Pathetic Queerty posters.
enlightenone
@Rakkaus: “…compelling story?”…
“Pathetic!”
“E!” TV has a job for you, but first you to get on Ellen. Lol!
onthemark
@Rakkaus: It might have been a compelling story in 1978.