Eric Loves Omri Katz!

My first gay crush was actor Omri Katz!

 

I was age 12 when he starred in the very strange and short lived TV show "Eerie, Indiana" in 1991-1992.

I instantly fell in love with Omri's sullen looks and floppy hair that was always falling in his eyes, just like mine! His character was supposed to be around
14 or 15 which made me like him even more, as I was always attracted to boys a little older than me.

I swallowed my pride and bought a Tiger Beat magazine that had a feature on Omri. I knew it was for girls but I didn't care: I wanted to have his pictures! 

On the way home I ran into a friend who wanted to see what I bought at the store. He took the bag away from me and laughed so hard I thought he would pee himself! So, I lied and said I bought it for my sister.

In the magazine I found an address to send away for an autographed picture of Omri. And I ended up writing him a gushy three-page letter, pouring out all my young boy emotions and how I really liked him a lot. And how I loved how he always looked half sad and how nobody really understood me or really liked me. 

Six months later, the show was off the air and I was heart broken. But one day, almost a year after I had written to him, I received a big manilla envelope. 

Inside was his photo, but not a usual head shot.
It was a picture of him on his bike, looking sad. 

And he signed it: 
"Eric, I really liked your letter and I understand.
I feel like that sometimes too. Hang in there!
Love, Omri." 

I was beyond thrilled!
He actually read my letter and used the word love! 

I proudly put the picture on the wall of my bedroom and it stayed there until I graduated from high school. My sister teased me about it for years, but I didn't care. That picture stayed on my wall! 

My mom and dad never said a word about it.

But I'm sure they understood what it meant to me.

Thanks again for your wonderful web site.

Eric,

Pensacola, Florida

Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
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Douglas Loves Nick Berry!

My first gay crush was British actor Nick Berry!

Sunday evenings were always filled with dread for me at the thought of going to school the next day. That is, until the show "Heartbeat" started airing in 1992.

The show was about his character Nick Rowan, a big city policeman coming to work in rural Yorkshire in the 1960s. 

Many things made Nick attractive to me: his handsome face, tight uniform trousers, and he just seemed to be a nice guy. I remember thinking that if all policemen looked like that, I wouldn't mind being arrested!

Needless to say, I couldn't wait for it to come on.
However, since it was a program that my parents liked,
I feigned displeasure at having to watch it. 

At age 12 I didn't know I was gay, but my stirrings for Nick were one of many clues that led me to my self discovery. But I never told anybody about my gay crush. 

The series also introduced me to music from the 1960s.
And I still love 60s music today. 

I also still love a man in a uniform!

Douglas

Belfast, Northern Ireland

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Laurie Loves Cher!

My first gay crush was the fabulous Cher!

And I was definitely born this way.

That's why there’s no other way to explain that
even before I could understand the days of the week,
I understood that I loved Cher. 

In 1971, I was 4 years old when The Sonny & Cher Show premiered on CBS. Though I may not have been able to read a calendar, I did know enough to ask my mom, 'Mommy, is Cher going to be on TV tonight?' 

Sometimes she’d say yes, more often she said no. 
But when she said YES, I was ecstatic. 

So, was it Cher's long, flowing hair, that she’d toss off her shoulders as she sang? Was it the Bob Mackie outfits? Was it that she was never one to take lip from any man? 

Who knows? I just knew I adored her.

Now it's over 50 years later, and Cher is still with us, as she always will be, and I still love her with all my heart. 

Laurie
Brooklyn, New York

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Jay Loves Jonathan Brandis!

My first gay crush was actor Jonathan Brandis!

I was age 9, and loved him in "The Neverending Story 2" where I felt a stirring I couldn't explain.

But when I was age 12 and discovered him on "Seaquest,"
I knew exactly what I felt and what I wanted to do about it!

At the same time I fell in total lust with Jason Quartermaine played by Steve Burton and started cutting out his shirtless pics from my mom’s soap opera digest.

I "filled many tissues" over hot Steve. But it was nerdy, cool Jonathan I dreamed of holding me at night. He stole my heart, and I was heartbroken when he committed suicide.

Jay

Detroit, Michigan

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Patrick Loves Randy Mantooth!

My first gay crush was on actor Randy Mantooth.

He played John Gage on the TV show "Emergency" in the 70s, and I was watching old recordings of that show when I was around age 7 in the mid 2000's.

And something about his friendly, likeable personality and shaggy, handsome looks all kind of intrigued me.

Oddly enough, having a crush on him, is what sparked my huge interest in many vintage TV shows and, but also my interest in TV equipment in general. 

I never really told anybody about my crush, but I'm willing to bet I would have felt some backlash over it!

Patrick

Carrollton, Texas 

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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Click here - "Born This Way Blog"