Connor Franta on his coming out video: I want to be myself now. Not later
YouTube star Connor Franta made headlines around the world after coming out in an emotional video on his channel last year.
Franta’s YouTube channel has gained over 5.4 million subscribers since he started filming in 2010.
Now, Franta spoke with Out on his coming out, internet fame and more.
Speaking about his decision to do the video, Franta says that he had to avoid certain topics in his videos before coming out.
“I realised, I don’t know what’s holding me back from telling the rest of the world. I have this audience that I want to be authentic with and I want to be myself with, but I constantly am avoiding certain topics and pronouns, and I don’t want to do that anymore.”
He adds that coming out online was “the best thing I’ve ever done with my platform.”
On telling friends and family, Franta explains how he told most siblings in person but a few down the phone as “we live in different parts of the country now.”
“My mom was visiting and it was the last hour she was in LA. She was going to the airport and I just had to tell her, right then and there. On a random street corner.”
In preparation to the coming out video, Franta said he released the “Life Doesn’t Wait” video as a prequel and that the “build up to the coming out video was really scary.”
“It was like, ‘You have to do this next week. I’m tired of not being myself. I want to be myself now. Not later.'”
But since rising to fame Franta explains the oddest comments he gets online.
“People love to assume everything. I get comments making these wild, crazy assumptions about who I am as a person and my conniving goals.”
“I’m like, ‘I don’t even know you. How would you know about my conniving agenda to ruin the human race?'”
You can read the full interview with Connor Franta at Out.
More stories
Meet the UK’s first LGBT insurance provider, Emerald Life
Watch: Emerald Life insurance showcase LGBT families in new campaign