Riverdale actor Tommy Martinez says he “saw himself completely” in his new role as bisexual artist Gael on the Freeform show Good Trouble. During a recent panel about the show at the Los Angeles LGBT Center, the 26-year-old told the audience he had an “experience” with a man.
Furthermore, Martinez — who is currently dating Chilling Adventures of Sabrina actress Adeline Rudolph — felt like he couldn’t tell anyone at the time.
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“I had an experience with a man maybe 10 years ago, and this is the first time that I’m saying that publicly,” Martinez said, per The Advocate. “And throughout that whole time, I felt like I was put into the shadows, because the way that my community was, the way that they spoke about [LGBTQ people], [the] Hispanic community. It’s not only just them, but they are very religious and strict on what they believe [as] with many other people in the world and here in America.”
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He continued:
“The way that they talked about homosexuality or even just experiencing something like that with slurs or what have you, my friend said the same thing, so I had nobody to talk to about [my experience]. And I kept that inside the whole time until now. And to have this opportunity to portray this character and this community, I felt, especially in front of you wonderful people, I felt maybe this is the best place to express that. And so I saw myself completely in Gael’s shoes. And so when I got that audition notice and dove deeper into the character, I just felt right with it.”
Related: TV star comes out… by introducing the world to his boyfriend
According to The Advocate, Martinez grew emotional while sharing his story, and the audience “erupted in applause” when he was finished.
crowebobby
If he knew how many of the same men using those slurs had had the same experience, he would have been amazed. Hispanic men and boys have no trouble with the game as long as they can avoid the name. A straight male nurse friend of mine was involved with a case of a Hispanic guy who tested positive for HIV years ago and insisted on his mother’s grave and his children’s heads he had never had a homosexual experience or taken any drugs. He was so sincere everyone believed him until someone finally asked him point blank if he had ever f*cked a man. Oh, of course was the answer. (I’m paraphrasing the “Oh, of course,” but that was the reply in substance.)
@HarryB
The exact wording always matters
crowebobby
@HarryB – No it doesn’t.
Brian
Missing the point Bjorn
Donston
A decent percentage of homophobic and anti-gay people are not driven by disgust concerning homosexual behaviors or a feeling that it’s so “morally wrong”. It’s often more about feeling that it’s something to “keep in the bedroom”. It’s being unabashed about having persistent same-sex passions, affections, emotional connection, romantic love, etc that they find more problematic than the sense that someone has engaged in homosexual activities. That perspective is connected to the idea that homosexuality and gay relations equate to a fetish and is rather shallow, dismissive stuff compared to hetero-normalcy. It’s also of course connected to basic societal male homophobia.
piriblue
I find that it is good to be truthful with yourself and others. It reduces stress. When you try to hide things everything is so emotional with people talking and carrying on. Admit to it and get it over with. Life goes on. Nothing wrong with sex. Sex is just sex and people putting names on it isn’t fair. The world would be such a great place if we all start minding our own business. I live in a big building. I was going to the gym with this other guy. One homo-phoebe found out and ask him if I had made a pass at him yet. He called me the gay guy in the building. #1 I’m not the only one in the bdg. #2 the guy is a closet case. (my gym buddy) I never outed him. #3 I find out that the guy doing all the mean spirited talking. He propositioned my friend. I find the whole thing messy and now I have him on my radar. He just needs to walk softly around me. Did I say he lives with his wife.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
Baby steps….
Vince
If that’s true and you were only 16 then that would make the “man” a sexual predator. At any rate, many kids partake in some kind of same sex sexual exploration and don’t make a big deal about it as adults.
Juanjo
You are going that route? How old was the “man”, Vince? Where did the act take place? What is the age of consent in that location? How do you know?
The fact is that you are building a mountain out of something that may be nothing. That “man” may have been 17 or 18. That location may have had an age of consent of 16. You have no idea what you are talking about, a common issue for you.
Chrisk
@Juanjo. Gurl calm down. Learn how to respond without being bitter towards everyone. Jeez.
Brian
^ jumping to conclusions
DCguy
1. That old line that teens have same sex experiences but didn’t grow up bi or gay was the B.S. that used to be in Psych text books to explain away the behavior that happened before the kids were attacked and shamed into hiding what they were.
2. How do you know the other guy wasn’t also 16?
Kieran
Good for Tommy being open about himself. Definitely progress. Just wish this could be discussed on Live with Kelly and Ryan or the View instead of at the LA GLBT center.
Chrisk
You were just a kid. Get back to us when you have an adult experience.
DuMaurier
Maybe he doesn’t want an “experience” now. Maybe that’s all it was, an experience, one-time thing. That doesn’t make it less real or significant, especially since his point was that he had to keep it inside because of the environment he was in.
Billy Budd
My brother had a same sex experience with a mutual friend of ours, as a child. I did not. I turned out to be gay, and he turned out to be straight.
.
Kids do a lot of experimenting; if a kid fuc*s another male kid, it doesn’t mean he will become gay.
startenout
16 isn’t a child.
Dnooage
A female can have a hardcore fling with a female and people won’t try to prescribe a label onto her. Sadly many gay males police and prescribe even if it is illogical.
Donston
That’s where you’re wrong. Policing identity is a widespread social media phenomenon that started with the lgbtq etc. hype. But it’s not as widespread in every day life. When I say I see myself as both gay and pan-sexual hardly any gay identifying people in my life bat an eye. But when I say it on the internet a decent of amount of both gay and bi/pan/fluid/queer identifying people find it problematic. While there are still plenty of apparently straight people who will deem a dude “gay”, “a fag”, etc. if he admits to any kind of same-sex sexual behaviors or attractions, especially if it’s beyond merely getting head. And with more people acknowledging fluidity, the nuances of sexuality and the romantic, sexual, emotional, relationship contentment spectrum, the idea of identity and what these identities mean is more muddled than ever.
So, claiming that gay men are the sole problem is problematic in and of itself. It’s also pretty obvious that this Tommy dude didn’t want to share his same-sex experience/s because of homophobia not because of gay dudes.
Brian
LOL. We’re thirsty, and he knows that we’re thirsty. He saw a naked person, once, a long time ago, and now everyone is rushing to call him bisexual. This is just capitalism.
Donston
He does have a movie to promote. So, there is an inherent thirst quality to both him and to the people he’s trying to speak to. However, I don’t see many rushing to call him “bi”, though I admit that I’m not really checking for this dude beyond this site.
Indeed, one of the issues with the lgbtq whatever “community” is that too many folks are so quick to throw identities on people and too many don’t allow folks to be honest about attractions or experiences or feelings without looking to brand them something. If you’re someone that accepts that perhaps most people are within the romantic, sexual, emotional, relationship spectrum and that most people aren’t truly grossed out by sexually engaging with someone beyond one gender then someone admitting to having a same-sex “experience” ten years ago isn’t that big of a deal. But a lot of people don’t accept those things.
DCguy
Chances are the kids that were the worst about screaming anti- LGBT slurs when he was a kid were all f*****g each other.
Aires the Ram
I think a lot of 18-30 y/o guys now, because of profile based websites, porn sites, sites like Tumblr, etc., are making it so that this age group of males can, and do, now see themselves as sexual commodities, in the sense that they’re looking at other guys and comparing/copying. They have been raised in an age where having sex with another guy is a pretty fun thing. When my generation was that age, we only had porno mags that you went to the next town to buy, then hid them. We had no exposure to what these guys now have exposure to. I just think that all the myriad of ‘labels’ the gay community has concocted up, are looked at by most of this age group as not only unnecessary, but unwanted. I think a lot of young guys mess around with their buddies now, and nothing is really thought of it, and they reject the idea that the “gay community” puts out there that if you’re messing around with guys, then you are by default “gay”, and really a big ole girl on the inside. That’s what many in my generation did, much of it was out of necessity. These kids don’t want that idea put upon them now, they will not accept it. They’re guys, and they were never disenfranchised from the rest of the ‘guys’ because they happen to like having sex with ‘guys’. And never mind that if they so much as look longingly at a girl now, they’re likely to end up with an inappropriate behavior charge or a rape charge on them, that would be false, but would also ruin their chances of having a good life, a scarlet letter, as it were. They’re not stupid, and they’re very aware of the pitfalls of dating females, to the point that many of them would now rather spend weekends and sleepovers with their buddies than with a female.
Donston
I get some of what you’re saying. But you’re also coming off more than a bit misogynistic and gay shaming. Claiming that there are many men who reject females because they’re scared of being accused of rape or scared of being “trapped”- that’s incredibly idiotic, misogynistic and, worst of all, it’s untrue and overly simplistic. It doesn’t even connect to this story. This is a guy who is dating a female right now, apparently has never dated a guy, and who says he’s only had one sexual experience with a dude. So, what you’re claiming isn’t relevant to the article. You’re also speaking strictly from a hetero normal and hetero-leaning perspective. On the other end of things, there are many people who ultimately see themselves as “gay” but aren’t really interested in being around the same gender. Just as there are many people who see themselves as “gay” but will admit that they’re not anywhere near homosexual. There’s also some homosexual guys who reject gay identities because they “love women” so much. And there men who are homosexual or who have overall homo-leaning romantic/sexual/emotional/relationship preferences, fulfillment but reject “gay” because they don’t like being around gay men. Overall hetero-leaning dudes who romantically and sexually reject women because they’re scared of being accused of rape or scared of a woman manipulating them is extremely rare. And when those things are what’s mainly guiding you then you’re likely to grow out of it with age and end up with chick. Everyone is different, and everyone is motivated by different things. And your post really undermines that reality.
Now, I do believe that there are some men who surround themselves with guys and primarily sexually engage with guys because of their distaste or anger or fear towards women. Just as there are quite a few females who surround themselves with women and primarily sexually engage with women because of their distaste, anger, and/or fear towards men. Those types of folks are more “queer” to me than gay or even bi. They will never relate to having genuine and persistent same-sex romantic affections, sexual passions and relationship/emotional contentment. And to me that’s the stuff that mainly separates “gay” from all the other things, not homosexuality or the types of people you hang out with.
But once again, none of this has much to do with this story/interview.
paul dorian lord fredine
‘riverdale actor’? from what i could find he was in 4 episodes of the ’17-’18 season. not like he was a series regular or anything.
MountainCowboyMan
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CobraPowers
What the hell is he talking about? Modern pop culture and even Hispanics are extremely “progressive”, why do you think the Democrats court them constantly?