In 1993, the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers became an international pop culture sensation. 25 years later, David Yost, who played Billy the Blue Ranger, reflects on the experience in a new interview with OUT In Perth.
Looking back, 49-year-old Yost says he didn’t realize he was part of a “phenomenon” at the time.
“For me, I was just going to work at my job that I enjoyed doing as an actor,” he says. “I enjoyed doing all of that, but the phenomenon on a world level I didn’t quite grasp until now.”
“It’s hard to take it all in,” he continues. “It’s sort of mind boggling. At the time, I didn’t really take it all in. I didn’t quite understand what was going on.”
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.
In 2010, Yost revealed the reason he quit the show during the height of its popularity was due to the homophobic harassment he suffered from the other cast members. After leaving, he spent two years going to conversion therapy in an effort to change his sexuality.
“The conversion therapy I had done that quite religiously for two years which, unfortunately, caused a nervous breakdown because I was actively working against the truth of who I was,” he recalls. “Mentally, I couldn’t take it anymore.”
He continues, “After my nervous breakdown it took me years to be comfortable and really be open about myself. It wasn’t an overnight process and it took a long time to be happy and comfortable.”
Today, he’s much happier. He has accepted his sexuality and no longer dwells on the homophobia he experienced on the set of Power Rangers.
“I’m a part of a show that has become iconic over the last 25 years and I want the fans of the show to really focus on all the positive things that they got out of the show, and not on the stuff that goes on behind the scenes,” he says.
And as for whether he still fits into his original blue ranger Power Rangers suit, Yost has this to say: “I don’t know where the original blue suit is, but right now where I am physically yes; I’m pretty close to my Power Rangers original weight!”
Related: David Yost Calls Bryan Cranston A “Homophobe” Because Of Comments From 2009
Donston
As I mentioned in a previous article, moral issues aside, the biggest problem with conversion therapy is that it doesn’t work. Even most people who claim to have been “converted” don’t they successfully manipulated their orientation. Fluidity has some legitimacy for some people. And if you want to stop romantically and/or sexually engaging with certain kinds of people then you just stop, and perhaps these things can assists some people in that. But thinking you can willfully flip your base desires, passions and romantic instincts/fulfillments? No.
DCguy
The founders of Exodus International who ran that conversion therapy group ended up leaving the group saying they were in a relationship with each other and admitting that Conversion Therapy doesn’t work.
Donston
It seems like most conversion therapy techiques try to overwhelm the senses with persistent sexual images and sexualized discussion and try to associate homosexuality with repulsion, all in an attempt to desensitize you to sex or to convolute your orientation. It’s borders on ‘Clockwork’ type stuff. The whole process seems purposely traumatizing, I guess since real trauma can have an affect on impulses of all sorts, including sexual. While an oversaturation pornograhy and sexual images can alter the libido of a small portion of people or at least make them less interested in person-to-person sexual behavior.
The problem is these things only a tiny affect on a tiny percentage of people. While even the people who claimed they were successfully “cured” never claim their orientation had been greatly altered due to the conversion therapy. They mostl say their homo “impulses” and arousals has decreased, though not fully gone away. And orientation is more than just arousal or “impulse”. There’s also passion, sexual pleasure, sexual fulfillment, romantic instincts, romantic fulfillment, emotional connection, and so on. Conversion therapy likely has zero impact on any of that. So, overall, the whole thing is mostly BS and fvcks people up. However, if you’re an adult and this is something you seek out on your own accord then it is what it is.