Andrew Rannells Quotes

I decided to host a couple of the 'In The Life' programs. And I did that really as a result of meeting a lot of young gay people in the Midwest who really had nothing to relate to. At least I felt this program is presenting them with some options.

I can't tell you at DragCon how many families that waited in line to see me. Some of them waited up to five hours, and they had their family there. That's the beauty of this. I remember being that little gay boy in Mesquite that was so afraid of the world, like, 'Am I living right? Am I living wrong?'

Without gay men, I am nothing.

In the 1980s, there weren't a lot of role models for gay teenagers.

I now realize that I am a gay man before anything else. Other gays may think they're a Jew first, or black, or a banker, but I'm gay.

I am a huge fan of gays. They love me, and I love them. They think of me as sort of a gay icon.

I have a wide spectrum, a wide demographic. I have the young girls, I have the gay community, I have many regular theatergoers. I do feel a tremendous responsibility and pride to be a role model for some of these young people.

Even when the band got back together in 2008, New Kids fans knew I was gay. Everyone did.

The first gay person I ever met was surely not the first gay person I ever met.

Coming out is a means of redefining oneself, of claiming membership in a lifestyle and a social order with distinct values. Chief among these values is honesty.

I always knew I was gay. I always knew that somehow it would work out.

The more gays and lesbians come out - the more people realize that they have a friend who's gay, which they may not have known before, and they realize this person has the same aspirations and desires and need to be committed and to be part of a community - then they become more accepting.

I remember telling my mom, 'Mom, I'm gay, but I'm not going to march in a parade or anything.' That's what I was telling my parents and all my friends and everything. I'm gay, but I'm not going to be on a float or something. Cut to five years later, and I was the grand marshal of the gay pride parade.

I've been standing with and united with the gay community. I know so many gay men and women that homophobia is such a baffling thing for me.

I do have a lot of gays in my family now, but some will never come out.

All I can really say is to encourage anybody who's in the closet to come out, and congratulate anyone who has.

My lyrics are about same-sex relationships, because that's who I am. It was important to me that I felt comfortable expressing myself.

It's just unbelievable that nearly every gay human being knows who I am now - that's overwhelming.

I didn't want to wave the flag and be like, 'Look! I'm gay! Da da da.' I just wanted to say, 'This is my lifestyle.'

When I moved to New York, the gay community welcomed me with open arms and told me how beautiful I was. I will never turn my back on them.

If I had seen 'Pose' in the years I was a kid, it would have probably meant everything to me.

I knew I was as gay as a goose. Then I ended up in West Hollywood, where the queers hang from the trees. I was home. I had landed.

If one less kid can grow up without hiding who they are along the way or having to believe that who they love is something that will make them lonely, then everything I went through will be worth it.

I'm not ashamed to be gay.

In New York City, it's popular. I used to think to myself, 'Man, there's a lot of gay people out here.' And it had me comfortable: it was like, I can be myself! I used to still try to hide it, until it was really overwhelming - there were just too much girls attracted to me!