But, he was hiding a secret. He had a three-year relationship with a girl named Lisa. And, he was also seeing guys. In a teary, funny, heart-felt coming out to his six million followers, the 26-year-old media star who has been a familiar face to many, came out as bisexual.
“I have been sexually confused,” he says. He wishes he was 100 percent gay because it would be easier. He wears wigs, dons dresses and camps it up online, but he adds, “I’m not completely gay. I am bisexual.”
Online, it’s the first time he said that out loud, except to his therapist.
The director of the American Institute of Bisexuality, John Sylla, reached out to congratulate Dawson and thanked him for his positive message. "I haven't seen anything like this before," he said.
Thankfully, the young hipster didn’t use the P-word (pansexual), which only confuses the issue more. He points out he’s attracted to both genders, and he has seen many people come out confidently as gay or lesbian online. He never did because, “I don’t know who I am.”
But, he certainly does now. He says, “When I was 5 I always had crushes on girls and also liked boys.” But, his family was religious, and the boy crushes were wrong, eh was told. So, he got morbidly obese to be ugly to all. He ballooned to 400 pounds.
Then, he lost the weight. He had his first kiss at the age of 21. It was with a girl. He lost his virginity at 23, also with a girl. But, he adds, “I’ve done stuff with guys.”
He talks about the spark, the butterflies he feels.
He encourages people: “Accept where you are, if you are in the middle.”
He teared up when talking about telling his girlfriend. He didn’t want her to think she was a “beard” for him. “It would be so much easier to just be gay.”
He admits there were rumors about his sexuality for a long time. He denied he was gay, then didn’t care. He teased bisexuals.
The emotional video made many people cry. Celebrity writer Perez Hilton praises him. More than 800,000 people have shared his story.
He says he didn’t want to do this video, but the 14-minute admission is a must-see for all.
Here is some of his text:
“This is a really hard video to make. I’m really scared… I never thought I would be making this, ever. I woke up this morning and I just had to.Send letters to:
“I’m making this video because I feel like it could help a lot of people. Over the last year, I’ve been extremely sexually confused.
“I always wished that I was gay, that I was just 100 percent gay. It would be a lot easier to be accepted by people… but I’m not.
“I’m not completely gay, and I can’t sit here and say that I am… but I also can’t sit here and say that I’m straight.
“I’ve come to the conclusion, through therapy and through being honest with myself, I am bisexual.
The star opened up about his struggle with his sexuality from a young age, struggling with his religious family, an eating disorder and depression.
He continued: “In a lot of coming out videos, people who are gay or lesbian, they’re so confident.
“I’m not that. I don’t know who I am 100 percent. I know a lot of you guys feel the same way.”
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Since starting his channel in 2008, Dawson has built up a huge fanbase, with subscribers watching his videos more than 1 billion times.
He said he is hoping his video will "help a lot of people” and has come to the conclusion "through therapy and just through being honest with myself, I am bisexual."
He insists, "I'm not completely gay, and I can't sit here and say that I am... but I also can't sit here and say I'm straight."
What a brave guy.
