Sure, many have long made assumptions, but the singer deserves to be celebrated for finally living freely.
by Michael Arceneaux courtesy of levelman.com –
I know for many people, a coming-out story in 2022 is as intriguing as an update on the color of the sky, but in the case of Tevin Campbell, I want folks to understand how hard this has been for him.
In a recent interview on the People Every Day podcast, Campbell confirmed he identifies as a gay man and reflected on what led him to officially open up to his fans.
“What makes me happiest right now is how far I’ve come in life,” Campbell said. “You know, there are a lot of child stars that don’t make it. But a lot of us do… I’ve embraced me.”
Campbell noted he never really concealed his identity from those around him. “I didn’t hide anything about me,” he explained. “I didn’t try to act a certain way or anything. You just couldn’t be [gay] back then.”
Beloved R&B singer Tevin Campbell, known for sultry 90s hits like “Can We Talk” and “I’m Ready,” sits down for an in-depth interview, discussing his life and career and revealing for the first time what his personal experience has been as a gay man in the music industry
Campbell said it wasn’t until 2005, when he appeared as Seaweed J. Stubbs in the Broadway musical Hairspray, that he felt like he found himself: “Being around people who were like me, LGBTQ+ people that were living normal lives and had partners. I had never seen that. That was a great time in my life.”
Because I happen to have enjoyed A Madea Homecoming, I laughed at the tweet that pointed out that a lot of the reaction to this interview on Twitter mirrored the same flinch of “duh, bitch” as that coming-out scene from the Netflix flick. You’ll find similar sentiments elsewhere on social media.
I like that we’ve reached a point where a lot of people greet the news of someone coming out with levity or even a bored shrug versus lashing out. But still, I hope Tevin Campbell is proud of himself.
Read the full article, “Please Don’t Downplay Tevin Campbell Sharing His Sexual Identity,” written by Michael Arceneaux, at www.levelman.com/please-dont-downplay-tevin-campbell-sharing-his-sexual-identity.
