Louis Walsh Quotes

Part of the reason why I've never said that I was gay until now was because I didn't want that adjective assigned to my name for all of eternity. You know, gay Rosie O'Donnell.

I grew up when people were afraid to 'come out' as gay. If you asked me how many gay kids I grew up with or went to school with, I would have said none - which of course could not have been true. The truth is I have no idea how many confused and frightened kids I grew up with. They are still out there.

I think it's always good for gay people to come out, but it's also understandable why people might choose not to do so.

Before I came out, the thought of someone calling me gay, even when I knew very well that I was, was petrifying.

The gay thing has always been hard for me.

I was pursuing my acting career, but I was silent on the LGBT issue, the issue that was closest to me. I knew if I came out then, I'd have had to change careers.

I used to be scared of people thinking I was gay but now I'd be shocked if they didn't.

At some point, I came out to a lot of friends and some family, but then I went back in the closet when I started working as an actor in America.

I was so terrified for so long about what people think about my sexuality, and I didn't wanna find myself in a position where I was losing my fans and couldn't do my job.

I really brought that with me: that people think gay people are disgusting... I remember thinking, 'Okay, I might be gay. But I won't tell anybody. Nobody will ever know.'

When you're young and queer and closeted, you can end up in this place where you regard your straight peers as the enemy.

I didn't choose the fact that I was gay, but I did choose whether to live my life as a gay woman-that was the terrifying thing for me. Especially being a gay actress.

The most important thing for me was to never, ever, ever deny it. But I didn't really have the courage to talk about it. I was thinking, The people who need to know I'm gay know.

I once had a large gay following, but I ducked into an alleyway and lost him.

I don't think closeted homosexual morticians have the market cornered on self-loathing or sense of shame.

When I realised that I had feelings for men as well as women, at first I was worried and frightened, and there was a certain amount of 'Who am I? Am I a criminal?' and so on. It took me a long time to come to terms with myself. Those were painful years - painful then and painful to look back on.

I came out when I was 17 - coming out in middle or high school is one of the most difficult things that anyone could experience. I wouldn't wish it on my enemies.

What's it like to figure out you're gay and then begin the process of coming out? Well, for most of my life, I felt doomed. I could imagine no path that would allow me to realize my authentic self. I felt the need to lie, even to myself, insisting: I am straight.

The truth is, I probably would be dead if I had become a star, because at that point I was so closeted and so afraid of people of finding out I was gay. There was no telling what would have happened.

I was terrified about people knowing I was gay. I'd cringe inside at the idea that they'd be talking behind my back.

I didn't have a coming out moment.

It was my own internalised homophobia. I didn't want to be gay.

For some strange reason, my gay life didn't get easier when I came out. Quite the opposite happened, really.

Gay men can sometimes feel ashamed or chastised when the messaging is 'Be out and proud!' or 'Just come out.' It's not that easy. It certainly wasn't for me.

I've got lots of problems. Being gay isn't one of them.