This profile is part nine of Queerty’s Out For Good series, recognizing public figures who’ve had the courage to come out in the past year. The series will run through National Coming Out Day October 11.
Name: Tyler Blackburn, 32
Bio: Blackburn, who lives in the Atwater Village neighborhood of Los Angeles, has been acting since he was 17. He broke through to teen heartthrob status in 2011 playing Caleb Rivers in Pretty Little Liars and later, its spinoff, Ravenswood. This year, his star rose further in the hit CW series Roswell, New Mexico, in which he plays a gay veteran and amputee dealing with PTSD.
Coming out: Blackburn grew up feeling lonely and isolated. Bullied as a teen for presenting non-stereotypically, he ate lunch alone in his classroom and rarely dated. On early Hollywood auditions, he was told to tone down his fluid vibe and ratchet up the “masculinity” in order to get roles. In his 20s, he had two long-term relationships with women while considering himself “curious” about men.
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.
When he came out as bi to his inner circle in 2017, his management team told him to hold off on making the news public until he’d secured his next gig (which turned out to be Roswell). Finally, this past April, Blackburn sat down with The Advocate to say “I’m queer. I’ve identified as bisexual since a teenager.”
Related: This TV heartthrob just came out as bisexual, says “I want to feel free”
Making a Difference: In a follow-up interview with Playboy after coming out, Blackburn explored the forces that kept him confused and in the closet all those years—including the gay community’s own bias against bisexuality. On the one hand, he had peers and professionals telling him to play it straight. On the other, he saw queer folks calling “bullshit” on bi, asking people like him to pick a team. Now, he’s living his truth and letting the chips fall where they may.
He frequently uses his Instagram platform to inspire his 7.3 million followers to get involved in environmental causes. In one post celebrating Gillette and Fatherly’s #letterstoboys campaign, he shared a letter he wrote to his younger self, hoping to encourage others going through the same struggle.
He also shared with Playboy how his own father called him after he came out to say he was proud of him. “It was just every single thing you would want to hear from your dad … it was wild.”
Related: Freshly out Tyler Blackburn says he’s been feeling “very sexual” with his “amazing” new boyfriend
Words of Wisdom:
On the rush of positive support in the days following his coming out, Blackburn has said: “It just makes me feel, Wow, the world’s a little bit safer than I thought it was.”
Discover more
Those who came out to make a difference
Donston
I think one of the issues for a certain percentage of the “queer community” is the refusal to take any particular responsibility and to own their journey and their dimensions. There’s a tendency to hide behind identity, behaviors and/or oppression. During his “coming out post” and in the couple of interviews since he’s spent a good deal of time blaming Hollywood, the “straight world” and the “gay community” for his own personal problems and internal conflicts as well as his identity and ego crisis. There may be some truth to that, but there will always be trolls, disapproving people and folks who just don’t get you. You just have to stop looking for public validation and stay true to yourself, your ambitions, your mental health and your contentment. I guess that’s a lot more difficult to do as a teen and throughout your twenties, especially when you have desires to be a “star”. But hopefully, he’s getting there.
Todd.Brooklyn
Well said!