Hey guys,
So today I posted a YouTube video talking about my thoughts on Shane Dawson coming out. I  know I'm like two weeks late to this but anyway, I wanted to make a video talking about it and I also wanted to make a blog post just to maybe clarify some things in my video.
I was kind of all over the place with my video because I had so much to say but I think that it was a good video with some good messages, so if you guys want to watch the video I will put it at the end of this blog post.
One of the main reasons why I wanted to talk about Shane coming out in particular is because he was not coming out as gay like a lot of other YouTubers in the past, but rather he was coming out as bisexual. Which is less common to see on YouTube.
I have to say I was really surprised to find out the news. For the longest time I thought that Shane was straight, so a coming out video of any kind was a surprise. Especially since for so long Shane has portrayed a character on his channel.
This is one of the few videos in which we see Shane as himself. It's not scripted, he doesn't have his big camera set up and he didn't even do his hair. He just wanted to sit and talk to us for real. And it was something that I really appreciated.
I always love when a YouTuber can be real with their audience and show them that the person behind the camera is a real person. It's one of my favourite things because it reminds us that just because they seem like they aren't people and are just internet personalities with no real problems or responsibilities doesn't mean that's really the case. It really lets you see the person they are and it helps you really connect with them on a deeper level.
And over the past year Shane has shown us a lot more of his real self rather than the character we are so used to seeing on his channel and I love that. I like seeing a real person behind the character. I think that's why I like daily vloggers so much because they are just real people and you feel like you know them personally and can relate to them.
So to see Shane be so real with us in his video was really great. And to listen to his story about how he dealt with his sexual confusion really helped me understand more about him and his life and the things he went through such as his weight problems and his depression.
I just got really emotional when watching the video because I have been watching Shane on YouTube for so long that I feel like I know him personally so to be listening to what he had to say and understanding everything that he went through was a lot to take in.
By the end of the video I was tearing up and also freaking out because I was so happy for him and so proud of him for beginning to accept himself and being able to share this news with us. I mean Shane did say he wasn't sure if he was going to make a video about it and he decided to do it to help at least one person decide to be happy. And I think it was just a really amazing video.
Another thing that I thought was important to note in the video was that Shane said he didn't want his sexuality to be the only thing he is known for because he is so much more than that and I completely agree. He is an amazing writer, director and creator and this is just one more thing to know about him. It shouldn't change how you see him.
Moving onto another issue that I think was brought up with Shane's video. People commenting saying that Shane is just gay and that he's lying about his sexuality. I hate this. I mean...I really dislike people who act like you have to be gay or straight and that there is no in between.
In Shane's video he talks about how there is a scale that everyone is on, and at one end there's heterosexuality and at the other end there's homosexuality and that you can be at one end or the other or you can be somewhere in the middle. And I agree with that, I mean you can be more at one end than the other, but there is definitely a spectrum that we fall under.
And I think that's completely fine. And if someone wants to choose to identify as bisexual then why is that a problem?
I mean I completely support anyone who decides to come out and tell us their sexuality or if they are trans or anything because we're all just people. I mean if it's not directly affecting you in any way why is it a problem if someone is attracted to both males and females?
I just feel like everyone should love who they want to love because everyone has the right to love. It doesn't matter who you love. It shouldn't matter. Not to anyone but yourself.
However when people do decide to share their sexuality with us online it's usually part of their process to self-acceptance and to help other people in the same situation as them. Which is why I never want to be negative about someone coming out. I mean it's a very private thing that they are deciding to share with us and I think we should respect their decision to share it with us.
Even if you don't support it, I think you should at least respect it and if it really bothers you ignore it. No one is forcing you to watch their videos or see their online posts.
I think that's everything that I wanted to say. I mean...at the end of the day I guess it doesn't matter what we think about someone else deciding to come out. It's really about how they feel about it. But I just wanted to say that I 100% support Shane and anyone else in the LGBT+ community because we're all just people and we should all be allowed to love whoever we want or to not love at all, whatever floats your boat. :)
Just be happy and unapologetic of who you are because life is too short to worry about what everyone else thinks about you.
~ Courtney x