David Barta, who previously appeared on the reality TV show Paradise Hotel and is now on the fifth season of MTV’s Ex On The Beach, has revealed he is pansexual.
On Paradise Hotel (2019), Barta presented as straight and dated Kendall Galan. That same year, he also represented the USA at the Mr International beauty pageant. Earlier this year he appeared on the streaming docuseries, Men of West Hollywood.
Barta talked about his sexuality on the season premiere of Ex On The Beach last Thursday. He has also posted about it on his social media.
“I think I’m here definitely to get to know myself better and accept myself more,” Barta said during the episode.
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“A big thing that has been going on for me, behind closed doors, in the past year and a half or so, has been my sexuality.”
He said he was still figuring out where he lies on the spectrum of sexuality.
“Talking to guys is still pretty new for me. I’ve been interested in men for years now, I just haven’t been honest with myself.”
Related: Um, can we talk about George Perris, the insanely talented singer who just came out?
On his Instagram, which is currently set to private, Barta posted a lengthy statement stating he was attracted to different genders.
“Pansexual: relating to, or characterized by sexual or romantic attraction that is not limited to people of a particular gender identity or sexual orientation. Per Merriam-Webster Dictionary, this is part of what and who I am. My sexuality does not define me but it is definitely part of who I am. Over the last two years, I’ve come to the realization that I am not a straight man.”
“Call it Pansexual, call it Bisexual, call it Sexually Fluid (my preference), or all of the above. It’s me. Above all these titles, I’m just David. I’m still the same exact person, just a little more honest and open to what life has in store for me.”
He also told his Instagram followers that coming out to his religious family had been hard. Barta’s father was a minister for more than two decades.
“You could all imagine what a shock it was coming out to my family in September of 2021,” he said. “I had never shared my feelings about my sexuality with until then. Between my family and I, the following 3 months were some of the hardest we had ever gone through.
“As time has passed, my religious family has come to understand me further and more intimately as we love each other more than ever.”
Related: Andy Cohen asks Colton Underwood 9 questions to test his grasp of gay culture
After last Thursday’s episode of Ex On The Beach aired, he also posted to Twitter to say coming out had been, “the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I feel happier and more free than ever.”
Coming out as Pansexual on TV was definitely the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I feel happier and more free than ever 🌈 just posted my full story on my IG. Love you all and can’t wait to share more soon ❤️✌🏼
— David Barta (@DavidBarta) April 1, 2022
Barta also said he might have talked about it sooner but had to sign a non-disclosure agreement with the makers of Ex On The Beach ahead of the first episode airing.
In the show, another contestant, Mike Mulderrig, says he’d had a rather flirtatious relationship with Barta via DM over the years but didn’t think it would go anywhere as he thought Barta was straight. However, by the end of the episode, they had shared a kiss.
This David/Mike/Arisce love triangle should be interestingggg👀 #ExOnTheBeach pic.twitter.com/jWDwCCidy4
— Reality Speedd (@realityspeedd) April 1, 2022
Barta told Pop Culture why he felt it important to be honest on Ex On The Beach.
“I just wanted to give the message that this is who I am, this is part of who I am. It doesn’t make up everything that I am. But, I just want to let other people know out there that there are people just like you, and there are people just like me, and that just because you look a certain way … I’m six foot five, I played collegiate baseball almost professionally, and I sexually identify the way that I do.”
@therealdbart Reply to @tomars8 ♬ original sound – David Barta – Ex on The Beach
The second episode of Ex On The Beach airs at 8pm ET on Thursday on MTV.
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Donston
One thing is certain. “Reality TV stars” are gonna stay being messy and are gonna use queerdom for clout and sensationalism. He’s participated in a lot of reality shows and reality shows that are known for being pretty phony even by “reality” show standards. I’m not dismissing his struggles or journey. But he does come off like another pretty white boy saying and doing whatever for relevance and ego.
Donston
Also, the whole “I’m tall and buff and played sports but I’m still queer” shit is just tired. Can dudes just stop with that already? Besides, playing sports and being tall and buff doesn’t even equate to being “straight passing”. But good luck to him.
ShiningSex
He’s gay.
Come on folks.
Pansexual is bisexual. I don’t care what anyone says.
Also, he’s as gay as can be. Pansexual always seems like a “safe way” to come out.
Many gay men had previously been involved with someone of the oppostie sex. That doesn’t make one bi (or pansexual when you prefer the same sex).
Donston
You really gotta stop posting this same type of post every time a dude says he’s something other than “gay”. You don’t know who’s lying, who’s “baiting”, the dimensions of anyone’s sexuality, their preferences, their experiences with fluidity or questioning, their struggles, their motivations, their psychology, where they are in the gender, sexual, affection, romantic attachment, emotional investment, relationship contentment, commitment spectrum. People also need to stop getting pissy about identities that go beyond “gay” and “bi”. And if someone wants to attach to bi/pan to make it a bit easier then let them do what they do. When you post shit like this it just makes you comes off rude, ignorant and old.
What we can say is that the dude has some obvious insecurities, is using his queerness and “coming out” as a storyline, and is as clout-chasing and manipulative as so many of these “reality stars”.
G R
I have to say I kind of agree, pansexuality seems like the path often (not always, so breathe people) taking on the way to full-blown -see what I did there… gaydom. And I believe that society (and reality TV) have done that, the straight, god-fearing public kind of need the “I used to like girls, now both, now just guys” storyline to allow many to come out. It’s almost as if, sucking d*ck can be ok if one is coming from the “eating pu**y” camp first.
But I also get the religious angle with the family, he’s VERY cute and will probably, like Colton, be engaged to a guy by Christmas.
barryaksarben
I used to think that til I read some of the latest research on bisexuality where they have proven that they in fact do exist. I no longer take it on myself to define other peoples sexuality .
Donston
I am pan-sexual. It does exist. And it’s not really uncommon or special. Many guys who come off like “basic gays” are in the bi/pan spectrum. Many guys who mostly/only have sex with cis women are in the pansexual spectrum. Many dudes who embrace a “gay” identity are in the bi/pan spectrum. And yes, there are many dudes who are overall homo-leaning and mostly have same-sex relationships/commitments but are no where near inherently homosexual or at least are in the bi/pan spectrum. The thing with bisexuality/pansexuality is that there tends to be degrees of fluidity or preferences or contradictions or hyper-sexuality or paraphiliacs. Shit is typically not as straightforward as being the elusive “consistent and life-long 50/50 bisexual male”.
You ultimately can never know the exact dimensions of anyone’s sexuality, their insecurities, their motivations, their journey, why they identify as whatever or sexually engage with whoever or where they are in the gender, sexual, affection, romantic, emotion, commitment spectrum. That is why looking at people and their makeup as individual instead of just identities or sexual behaviors is important.
What does stand out with this dude are his insecurities, being a basic reality TV hoe, and using coming out for clout and as a storyline and to keep his name out there. Those are the only things folks should really be calling him out on.
Bosch
I think the issue here is that we (Western society) have conflated sexual orientation with sexual identity.
Sexual orientation is a biological configuration, and can be measured in the brain. You’re aroused by male pheromones, female pheromones, both, or neither.
Sexual identity, while related to sexual orientation, is affected by aesthetics, social acceptance, trends, self-perception and self-awareness, honesty, and is combined with the dimensions of romantic orientation, gender orientation, and sex drive.
Pansexuality is real and observable, and it is a sexual identity which has the orientation of bisexual as it’s basis. It has characteristics which set it apart from other types of bisexuality. However, if someone says they’re pan and NOT bi, then they’re not being honest.
Unfortunately, the main purpose of sexual identity for most people is not a way to address sexual orientation, but a way to obfuscate sexual orientation.
The worst offender of sexual obfuscation is the term “heteroflexible”. It’s the easiest way to straight-wash bisexuality.
Donston
The obsession with “sexual orientation” is actually fairly recent. Only in the 90s did that really become a thing, when there began to be a hyper-focus on “proving” homosexuality or reiterating being born “gay” in order to push back at bigots. Before the 90s, it was more about “sexual preferences”, which is an entirely different thing. Also, there still is no scientific definition for “sexuality”, because every aspect of sexuality is still highly debated. Is “arousal” more about genitals or excitement or desire? What about all the aspects of “sexuality” overall (which includes all the rates and dimensions of someone’s attraction, arousal, desire, enjoyment, passions, sexual comfort, paraphiliacs, fetishes, the general aggression of your sex drive)? What about people who experience fluidity and feel “gay” or “straight” or “bi” at different points in their life? What about people who prefer sexually engaging with folks that they don’t have conventional arousal towards? Then there’s the gender, affection, romantic, emotion, comfort, commitment aspects of people, which frequently determines lifestyles or preferences or partnerships more than sex or attractions. Then there’s how much ego, sociology, fear, religion, money, opportunity affect what people do and how they present themselves.
People, their sexuality, their psychological makeup, their motivations, this identity shit- it will never be basic and straightforward. It never has been. All we can really do is promote education, promote people really dissecting and understanding themselves and keeping it real with themselves.
Bosch
You’re a absolutely right, it’s far more complex than we can easily put into words.
But on the other hand, the hypothalamus will respond to the things the hypothalamus responds to, and no amount of rhetoric can change that.
Donston
It’s great when that is the main or only aspect of your sexuality. But for a large percentage of the population their sexuality, preferences, motivations, psychology, love, relationships is more complex or individual than what can get their dicks hard or pussies wet. And even that can have its own complications because that can also have fluidity. And what about being able to get easily aroused genitally by someone but it only lasting very briefly? What about people who don’t enjoy sex with the folks that they get genital aroused for? What about folks who don’t get genital aroused or that sexually excited by anything at all but still enjoy sex? What about folks who only get genital aroused by inanimate objects or by situations and not people? What about being genitally aroused by certain aspects of someone but not their entirety? What about getting more genitally aroused by certain people and enjoying sex more with certain people but having more romantic passions, emotional fulfillment, relationship contentment towards other types of people? What about people so hyper-sexual that they’re genital aroused by practically anybody and anything? As much as we’ve leaned on science to justify identities or lifestyle to people, that way of thinking very much has its limitations and can lead to even more confusion or manipulation or people not truly investigating or being real about their dimensions as far as the gender, sexual, affection, affirmation, romantic, emotion, comfort, commitment spectrum. Are there people who are full of shit? Are there people who say or do things to obscure themselves? Are there people mostly driven by ego, clout, fear, insecurities, money, politics, etc? Absolutely. But it’s important to recognize just how individual people and their nature and their struggles and their motivations are.
Doug
Thank you. I’m sorry, but when are guys going to just have the balls to admit they’re gay without having to hide behind labels like “pansexual?” This is their chickenshit way of saying “we like everyone” so as not to offend a potential fan who might be homophobic. How many of these guys claiming to be “pansexual” are ever seen dating women after they make these announcements?
SFMike
Just another reality show himbo using being gay to keep the spotlight on him. Let’s face it all men are “pansexual” when they are horny and the world will be a better place once all men accept this fact.
SDR94103
she’s a mess.
mateo
It’s funny that in an age where so many people insist on not wanting others to put labels on them, there seem to be more labels than there ever were before! Pansexual, really!? If you like both men and women, you’re bi. There’s no shame in being bi, although as others have stated, coming out as bi has traditionally been an easy way for gay men to still keep one foot in the closet while the other is already out. That doesn’t matter to me; everyone’s journey is different and some people just take a bit longer. Certainly, if he really IS bi, that’s fine. It’s just that the number of men who are authentically bi is pretty small, when compared to those who are gay. I’m under the impression that there are more women who are bi than there are men; I often wonder if statistically that’s correct.
nm4047
well it looks like the publicist was successful in getting the message through. Tell them something that will keep you name in circulation. the Barnum-attributed remark: “I don’t care what people say about me as long as they say something.”
CityguyUSA
Apparently most people that we’ve assumed were “not straight” we turned out to be mostly right. You know Gaydar and all.
I’m a bit conflicted by the amount of people in the public eye that now feel they have a duty to announce their availability. Shouldn’t we just paint their doors in rainbow colors and throw skittles at them? I’m glad all these people found themselves but at this point it seems like I don’t need to know. I’m feeling a bit b-list. Anyone else?
Is it time for str8 men to announce? We need to know who the cast of characters are that are available to us original homos without promos.
Bosch
As attention-seeking as it all looks, this is miles better than the decades in which gay and bisexual men had to keep quiet.
If everyone who wasn’t straight was actually honest about it, we could stamp out homophobia with the flick of a wrist.
fredk3
maybe ‘men of west hollywood’ was a clue?
TomG
It’s the 21st century, why is anyone “coming out” anymore. I don’t see straight people “coming out” as straight (most of them anyhow). It makes the whole thing a bit dumb in my view.
Donston
You really need to come up with something more nuanced and less dated than this same tired, basic trolling.
ryepie2222
I’m all things…except gay. Don’t call me gay.
EYE ROLL
Donston
I’d wager that at least 50% of dudes in the queer spectrum are not really homosexual. Do we still see a lot of gay panic and insecurities from out queer males? Yes. Do some men treat “gay” as the most basic, limiting, offensive word ever? Yes. But the way to combat that is to preach individualism, self-comfort, honesty and understanding the gender, sexual, affection, romantic, emotion, commitment spectrum. This dude is clearly insecure and messy and clout-chasing though.
johncp56
LOL who cares they young and hot, Go at it boys !!!!!!!!!!!!!!