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Disney channel actor Joshua Rush comes out as bisexual on Twitter
7 August 2019, 16:56
"Thank you to you for giving me the courage to know who I am and tell you this today."
Disney channel actor Joshua Rush has revealed he's bisexual. Joshua is best known for playing Cyrus Goodman on Andi Mack, Disney's first character to actually say "I'm gay" on screen during an episode in 2017.
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The character then became one half of Disney's first teenage same-sex couple, when Cyrus and his classmate TJ Kippen shared an intimate moment during the series finale on Friday 26 July.
Following the finale Joshua, 17, opened up about his own sexual identity on Twitter.
first! i win! it's me. i'm bi. And now that I've said that, I have a few things to rant about. There are more important things to talk about than me liking a whole bunch of genders, but I do want to share a few things with you guys.
— joshua rush (@JoshuaRush) August 6, 2019
"I'm bi," he began. "And now that I've said that, I have a few things to rant about. There are more important things to talk about than me liking a whole bunch of genders, but I do want to share a few things with you guys.
"I saw so many of you watch Cyrus come out and said, 'Hey! I can be me!' How ironic, isn't it, that me, playing that character, never had mustered up that courage?
"Instead of feeling the courage to tell you today that I am an out and proud bisexual man because of the character I played for four years, I feel that courage thinking of all of you, who felt emboldened by Cyrus to come out."
Joshua went on to open up about his "internalised homophobia" after a friend came out to him in fifth grade. He added: "I stuffed the existential crisis of talking about my sexual orientation into a box in my mind for years. Today, I release it into the world."
Joshua also asked his followers to donate to two organisations, GLAAD and The Trevor Project, that support the LGBTQ+ community.
So. I want to encourage you all to donate to GLAAD. Our show wouldn't have existed in the form that it did without them, but also because their hard work in furthering acceptance in media helps an uncountable number of people.https://t.co/jlQTEcAAu3
— joshua rush (@JoshuaRush) August 6, 2019
He continued: "So. I want to encourage you all to donate to GLAAD. Our show wouldn't have existed in the form that it did without them, but also because their hard work in furthering acceptance in media helps an uncountable number of people.
"I also want to encourage you to read their page on bisexuality. It has been incredibly helpful to me, and their resources have helped me to find where I fit on the spectrum of sexuality.
"I also want to ask you to donate to The Trevor Project, who are literally saving lives every day. Helping young LGBTQ+ voices feel heard and loved is utterly crucial.
"Thank you to you for giving me the courage to know who I am and tell you this today. Happy 20biteen!"