Since coming out as bisexual last year, Love, Simon and CW’s The Flash star Keiynan Lonsdale has been using his platform to inspire a new generation of LGBTQ youth. In an interview with NewNowNext, he talks candidly about the impact he’s having in the world.
When asked about being a queer black man playing a TV superhero, 26-year-old Keiynan says he doesn’t always feel like a trailblazer.
“Sometimes I have to remind myself that it’s a big deal,” he says. “I feel very lucky to have this position that I’m in and for the love and support of my family and friends and the fans.”
Related: “Flash” star proudly comes out as bisexual
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Since coming out, Keiynan has had fans, especially LGBTQ fans, from all around the world reach out to share their stories with him.
“The heartwarming stories make me feel good and proud of what I’m able to do,” he says. “The heartbreaking stories remind me that representation and me being visible is so important. I love hearing from all of my fans, especially young, black guys. There’s often different pressure placed on us.”
He continues:
There’s an unspoken pressure that we place on ourselves. There’s no one way to be or act black. If I’m driving in a certain place, I’m treated as a black man. [But] I’m not going to let someone else define how I feel about myself. It’s a gift we get to have, discovering ourselves. Black people experience so much pressure. Add sexuality on top of that, and it’s an extra weight to carry around.
Related: “Flash” star Keiynan Lonsdale says he didn’t plan on coming out for at least six decades
It’s because of this, Keiynan says, that he didn’t have a lot of role models as a kid.
“It was painful not having anyone to look up to that looked like me growing up,” he recalls. “It told me that there’s no way I can do music or be an actor because I couldn’t name one person who was doing it. That’s why I made the decision to hide [my sexual orientation]. ”
Until now, that is.
Today, Keiynan is that actor young, queer kids of color can look up to.
“Once I was no longer afraid, I worked on getting rid of that fear and that shame,” he says. “It’s an ongoing journey, but I am realizing there’s a lot of power and beauty in that. It’s a gift.”
Related: There’s even more to love about “Love, Simon” in the new extended trailer
Jaxton
Male bisexuality dis-empowers women. This is partly why women tend to be intolerant of male bisexuality.
Bisexuality gives men tremendous power over women. It breaks down the political relationship between gay-identifying men and liberal women because it presents male homosexuality as a source of potential power for all men.
Donston
Women will always have the “sexual power” because most men are straight or straight-leaning and will always want to be with a woman sexually and romantically. Women can often take or leave a guy and don’t constantly need to be connected to a man sexually or romantically. If anything, trans women can do a better job at “stripping power” away from cis women than guys can. So, not only are your theories often anti-gay and anti-female and hetero-worshipping they also make no sociological sense. And in case you haven’t noticed women are kinda the face of male bisexuality, at least with bi-identifying men who primarily date women. They’re the ones most promoting male bisexuality from a political and social standpoint. For guys, it’s mostly about getting off or making sure people don’t think they’re gay. The “power” isn’t going anywhere. So, once again, your theories make no sense.
Donston
Never mind the amount of gay and gay-leaning men who are desperate to hold on to some sense of hetero-normalcy and need women in their lives to maintain that. Then there’s the amount of gay and gay-leaning men who surround themselves with women out of social comfort and mostly befriend women. And of course, when it comes to making and having babies women play a bigger role. In your scenario where there’s some power struggle over sex between the genders women are not gonna stop winning that.
Lazycrockett
Having watched The Flash regularly as well as Legends of Tomorrow. Lonsdale seems 100 times more comfortable with himself onscreen. He seems happier, brighter and relaxed this season then he ever was previously.
Kangol
Lonsdale is really enjoying himself as he inhabits this character, and it shows whenever he’s on screen. He is an important role model, as an out black bi actor. So handsome too.
Similarly important but in a different way is Nafessa Williams, who plays the oldest daughter on Black Lightning. I don’t know anything about Williams’ sexuality, but her character is the first out black lesbian superhero on any US TV show (and many on one anywhere on the globe).
Black Pegasus
Chyle please….. you are GAY. nothing about you suggests an interest in women. So tired of you cowardly celebrities hanging out within the confines of a mythical bisexual label. Bisexuality is a myth and these clowns are hurting the perceptions of gay men and women.
Donston
I’m sorry to break it to you but sexuality, romance and emotions are all within a spectrum. I know that sounds snowflaky. But most of the population is bi to some degree and in whatever way. I do think it’s kinda corny and borderline manipulative for people who know they have homo or hetero dominant orientations to be walking around talking about “bi pride”. But it is what is it.
Kangol
@Donston, I agree with you completely. BTW, I could have sworn I saw a recent report showing that *many* of us, wherever we believe we fall on the orientation spectrum, may feel attractions to both sexes. When I was younger, I expressed to my gay boss that I found very butch lesbians hot, and some lesbian sex hot, and he got so disgusted he “excommunicated” me from “gaydom.” We laughed about his flip-out, but I do consider myself 100% gay and mostly attracted to men, yet I still find super-butch lesbians, aggressives and transmen hot too. Does that make me bi? Nope.
Donston
I would guess that around half of gay identifying men are not completely, thoroughly conventionally gay, while at least half of bi identifying men have orientations dominated by a particular gender.
Personally, I can be turned on sometimes by a woman’s figure or by the general sensuality of a woman. And I pretty much dated and had sex strictly with women until I was 22. However, a woman’s face and general aura don’t do a ton for me, and I can’t have have intense and sustained romantic feelings and connection towards women. I can only be anywhere near romantically, sexually and emotionally satisfied with a guy. I refer to myself as a homo-leaning queer, though specifically I’m a homo-romantic gay-leaning pansexual. I don’t mind people calling me gay though.
It’d be great if self-identity didn’t matter so much and people could be nonchalant and honest about themselves and their nuances without fear of being judged and without being placed into a sociological bubble. But we’re obviously not there yet. The dude is young, and everyone is an individual. So, just leave him be.
troyfight
^Black Pegasus…probably a troll…but…the dude I had sex with multiple times (and we were both rock hard and leaking precum & I fvcked him) has fvcked so many women, has kids, etc….bisexuality 1000% exists….the debate is tired.
Donston
Behavior itself isn’t reflective of orientation. There are many people who have mostly hetero relationships and come out as gay when their 40 or older. I had a kid with a chick and had sex with six women (I believe it was six) before I was 20. Still was pretty gay-leaning. George Michael was infamous for doing a ton of women throughout the 80’s. While there are some guys who get off on being pounded by dudes but have little to no real attraction or affection or passion towards them. That gets into the more interesting idea of what exactly is orientation: behavior/lifestyle, attraction, arousal, sexual enjoyment, sexual passion, romantic passion, long-term romantic connection, emotional contentment or some kind of mix of those things? I guess there will never be a real consensus on that.
One disturbing evolution I’m seeing is straight-leaning people constantly talking about how “open-minded” and “free” they are but still letting people know they’re very much straight-leaning. Most gay-leaning people are either so scared of being kicked out of the “100% pure gay club” that they won’t admit their nuances or they are so desperate to hold on to a sense of hetero-normalcy and scared of people knowing they’re “mostly gay” that they stay closeted or hide behind bi, fluide, queer, etc. If we’re to see hetero privilege dip, hetero worship dip, internalized homophobia dip and people who are genuinely 50/50 bi get into their comfort zone that’s something that has to change. People need to start owning their nuances rather than hiding behind identity.
bntlhj
More tired stereotyping. Bisexuality is not a myth, it’s the largest part of the LGBT community. No bisexual is ‘hurting the perceptions’ of gay men and women.
Blackceo
I really like Keiynan. So proud of him.
pete54
And he’s Australian!
draven
I’ve been openly gay since I was 5 years I’d. I have never been sexually attractive to the female sex. I have never had sex or desired to have sex with women. I’m very attractive and women swoon over. I’m not vain. My fiancé has a hard time excepting that he’s gay because of his family, etc, etc , etc. it really puts a strange on our relationship. There’s trust issues and all that stuff because he’s went through being straight downlow bi now gay when fact of the matter he’s “gay”!
I mean I’m helping him through his emotions but it’s hard. I love him so much.
bntlhj
Good for him. We need more positive bi role models.