Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Frank Loves Richard Crenna!

My very first gay crush was actor Richard Crenna.

I first saw him at age 6.
He was playing Luke McCoy on TV's "The Real McCoys."


I thought actress Kathleen Nolan (Hassie McCoy) was the luckiest person in the world, to have a husband as handsome as Luke.

Eagerly waiting for each weekly episode, I also began to notice Pat Boone on his show that aired just before.

I found only one other (boy) friend who also shared my interest in Crenna and Boone, and we spent hours each week with our (girl) friends, excitingly comparing their contrasting handsomeness.

Frank - Fall River, MA
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Kim Loves Winona Ryder!

My first gay crush was actress Winona Ryder.

I was 19, when I saw her on a "Rolling Stone" magazine cover.

Seeing her at that time was my "When I knew for sure moment."

I would just stare at her in the checkout aisle at the grocery store.


Her hair, those eyes, her lips, those twisted up overalls, and no shirt.

It was amazing, and I've always remembered it. I didn't know if I wanted to be her or be with her. But I was definitely OK with either applied to me.


My girlfriend always says she's going to look for an original copy of the magazine on Ebay and buy it and frame it for me. :)

Kim - Columbus, Ohio
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Thursday, January 26, 2012

John Loves Vince Van Patten!

My first gay crush was actor Vince Van Patten!

I had a habit of staring at my sister's Bobby Sherman poster, sneaking her Tiger Beat magazines into my room, and being very into Lance Kerwin from TV's "James At 15."

But my first, real, "OMG!" gay crush was at age 9 in 1975, and saw Vince Van Patten on the TV show, "Apple's Way."

He started my infatuations with blond, surfer types. As a skinny kid with boring brown hair, it was a type I wanted, and wanted to be.

In addition to acting, Vince played tennis, and seeing him in those tight, 1970's tennis shorts made me feel all funny inside.


John - Portland, OR
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Click here - "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book

Friday, January 13, 2012

Hilary Loves Lucy Lawless!

Lucy Lawless as "Xena: Warrior Princess"
was my first gay crush.

Actually, it was Lucy and Renée O'Connor as "Gabrielle" who were my first lesbian crushes.

I was 9, and still absolutely clueless about my own sexuality, but from the time I found the show in 1997, I never missed an episode.

Xena was who I idolized and wanted to be, and Gabrielle was the woman I wanted at my side.

I don't think I ever actually admitted my crush to anyone, and no one ever questioned it. Probably because I also watched shows like "Hercules,""The Adventures of Sinbad," and "Beast Master." But anyone who watched those shows knows they were loaded with more hot babes than any show with female protagonists.

Back then, I thought Xena and Gabrielle were more than friends, but I was so naive that I didn't even know women could be together that way. So they remained best friends in my mind, due to my limited knowledge.


Looking back, I can't help but wonder - even at such a young age - if I was picking up on the lesbian subtext.

Hilary - Saskatchewan, Canada
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Mike Loves Dolph Lundgren!

My first gay crush was Dolph Lundgren as He-Man!!!


I grew up in a very strict Catholic family in the late 1970's. And the word gay or homosexual was never mentioned.

Thus, at the age of 14, I still didn't know what gay was. Or that gay people even existed.

I'd had boy crushes for hotties like Scott Baio and Christopher Atkins, and swooned over them as much as my sister did. But always in secret. Then in 1987, reading a movie magazine, I had my first "serious" gay crush.

I came across the full page ad for "Masters of the Universe" starring Dolph Lundgren. I was absolutely floored by how cute he was with his perfect blond hair and skimpy costume, which revealed his totally hot, buff body. And I just completely melted!

Dolph was standing in front of bright rays of light shining all around him, and to me he seemed like an archangel warrior sent from the heavens! Also, unlike the animated He-Man who wore fuzzy briefs, Dolph wore a sexy leather pouch! If that wasn't enough, across his chest he had thin, snugly-fitting leather straps!


I didn't have a word for it, but I knew right then I was gay! My heart pounded in my chest, and I felt slightly paralyzed, fixated on the picture.

I decided I had to see the movie, never wanted to lose that picture ever, and I couldn't ever let anyone know I had it! So I rationalized that hiding the photo under my mattress would be the best thing to avoid suspicion.

In any case, I can truthfully say it's He-Man's fault that I'm gay! :) And I still think that movie poster picture of Dolph is totally hot!

Mike - Ontario, Canada
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Jason Loves William Gray Espy!

My first gay crush was on actor William Gray Espy.

It was 1979, and he was on the "Another World" soap opera.

He was brought on as the bad guy in a plot to kill the show's star, Mac Cory.


He was tall, dark, handsome and lanky.

He had a low, deep voice and great dark hair. And I was fascinated by him.


To make a long story short, the story climaxed in St. Croix, where he spent two weeks with a swimsuit on. He was thought to be killed, and I was really concerned that his character might be killed off. He wasn't, of course, and was later redeemed.

He came back to the show in the 80's, as hot as ever. To this day, I want to find him and get him for myself!

Jason - Las Vegas, NV
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Cornelius Loves Robert Conrad!

My first gay crush was Robert Conrad, and the creative team behind the gayest show ever - "The Wild Wild West"

Every episode had the same formula:
a crazed super villain's plot was foiled by the studly Robert Conrad.


And also there is his 'friend' Artemis Gorden, a drag queen – oops, they called it 'master of disguise' in those days.


From the opening credits (where he punches a woman in the face, knocking her down), you knew this was a man's world. A world where a hard man would fight hard - with the camera on his skin-tight pants and perfect ass, please.


Once he lost the initial battle and was captured, the real fun began. Each week they found new ways to tie him up, usually shirtless, always tortured, while the sweat dripped down his face and chest so that the camera could end up back at his ass.

I know it sounds unbelievable, but I swear I remember one episode where an evil toymaker held him prisoner in a top secret toy bomb factory. The set included a few over-sized children's blocks in the background. There was something about that pre-Stonewall era that allowed the letters F, A, and G on the face of those blocks with no complaint – or awareness.

Cornelius - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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Click here: "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Frank Loves Gardner McKay!

My first gay crush was actor Gardner McKay.

He played Adam Troy in TV's "Adventures in Paradise."

I had many TV crushes in the early 60's, but I thought that sailing barefooted around the South Pacific - in a Schooner with Adam Troy - would be the most wonderful thing to do.


The show was on at 9pm, which was my bedtime.

Mom and dad would sometimes fall asleep while watching TV and not notice that I was still up and quietly watching "Adventures in Paradise".


Gardner as Adam was always so independent, in-charge, smart, and so butch. Although he had many chances,
he never got the girl, at least not permanently.


I recently purchased the series on DVD and the shows are really quite boring by today's standards. I also learned via the internet that, sadly, McKay died at the age of 69 of prostate cancer.

No one knew of my crush until I became an adult, and conversation among friends turned to such topics.

Frank - Bristol, CT
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Brittany Loves Queen Beryl!

I was about 4 or 5 when I had my first gay crush.


It was in the mid 90's when "Sailor Moon" captivated a whole generation of little boys - and girls!

However, I was much more attracted to the red-haired, busty villainess Queen Beryl. I remember clearly being entranced by her. And the doll I had of her was absolutely my favorite toy back then.

Heck, I'm pretty sure that she ended up cultivating a lot of my tastes. I'd still probably date her today if she was a real woman.

Today, I've got one foot in the pansexual closet and one foot out. But suffice to say that if anyone asked me for the first time I really knew I was gay, I'd point to Queen Beryl as my catalyst.

Brittany - Alberta, Canada
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Monday, November 21, 2011

Jay Loves Ricky Schroder!

My first gay crush was Ricky Schroder!

Watching him on "Silver Spoons", and seeing him in Tiger Beat and other teen magazines, I formed a huge crush on him, along with a million other tweens.

In the 5th grade, my teacher gave us something fun to do, which was writing an essay on your favorite idol from sports, to singers, to everyday people.

I wrote two essays about Ricky:

One was for school, and the other saying how I REALLY felt about him. The teacher had the class read our essays aloud as we cheered each other on. My turn came and my teacher read aloud, "He's so cute. I want to hug and kiss him..." Yup, I'd submitted the wrong essay!


For a short while, I was known as Mrs. Schroeder to friends and they'd laugh and giggle. My teacher, Mrs. Ashley, pulled me aside and said my essay was well written with expression and devotion, and she enjoyed having me in her class.

This crush was completely taboo to speak of at the dinner table, as far as I was concerned. But it was obvious to my family because of the Teen Beat posters taped to my walls, next to my Culture Club posters.

Jay - San Francisco, CA
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Monday, November 14, 2011

Marcus Loves Jan-Michael Vincent!

My first gay crush was actor Jan-Michael Vincent.

When the summer of 1973 came around, my mom was working part time at the mall, and my sister and I would go with her and hang out there. 

This was also when malls had one or two movie screens inside.

One day, the movie we all saw was "The World's Greatest Athlete." And oh my stars!

When I caught sight of Nanu (Vincent's character),
I remember audibly inhaling and my sister asking if I was okay. He was stunning to me.



I recall spending the rest of the summer pretending that he and I were friends in the jungle after he rescued me. And he'd take me swinging on vines, swimming in lagoons, and hunting tigers. Ahh, summer.

I remember still crushing on him when "Damnation Alley" came out in 1977. Although the young Jackie Earl Hailey was also on my gay radar. Double score!

Marcus - San Antonio, TX
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Hillary Loves Melissa Joan Hart!

My first gay crush was Melissa Joan Hart. Or actually her character Clarissa, from the excellent Nickelodeon show, "Clarissa Explains It All."

It was the mid 90's, and I was about 12-years old. At the time, I just thought I wanted to be her.

Melissa was so beautiful, and always dressed so cool! And she was just so awesome and rebellious.


She had a pet alligator named Elvis, for crying out loud! How was I supposed to resist her charms?

As I got older and realized more about myself, I knew I didn't just want to be Clarissa, I wanted to be WITH her! It was quite a moment of self discovery to admit that yes - my devotion to Ms. Hart's little TV show was mostly because I wanted her to be my girlfriend.


It was no secret I was her fan, but I don't think anyone suspected the underlying crush. My mom indulged my fascination though, and allowed me to sport many now-ridiculous Clarissa-inspired outfits and hairdos.

Thanks, mom!

Hillary - Washington, DC
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Matthew Loves Dan Haggerty!

My first gay crush was Dan Haggerty!

It was the late 70's in Madison, Wisconsin and I was 7-years old. On the weekend, I would patiently endure an hour of "The Lawrence Welk Show" in order to not miss a moment of "The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams," which came on afterwards.

I was totally infatuated with this big bear of a man, with the soft spoken voice and the big furry beard.

I loved his pet bear named Ben. He was a friend to all animals. I'm 40-years old now, and I still have a "thing" for men with full bushy beards.

Matthew - Portland, OR
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Robert Loves Race Bannon!

My first gay crush was Race Bannon!

Back as a 7-year old Midwesterner, I'd had passing crushes on male classmates and a few female cousins' boyfriends.

But at 9, I fell hard for Race Bannon, Jonny Quest's bodyguard.

He was tall, handsome like Rock Hudson, and prematurely grey or platinum blond. 



He had an advanced fashion sense, was a pilot, loved Jonny and pal Hadji, and kicked exotic bad-guy butt every week without sweating.


My dad was uncomfortable with my obvious affection for Race, and my little brother told everyone I loved him. Which was fodder for neighborhood bullies who already couldn't resist hassling me (even though we had the only real pool in the neighborhood at our house).

The show only lasted 2 years, just long enough to have my first real-life experience at age 11.


I dated a few Race Bannons over the years (letdowns), and when living in India, a few Hadjis too. Today I'm in my mid-50's and married to the best guy on Earth.

But Race (we remain on a first name basis) will always be my first "famous gay" crush.


Robert - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
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Click here: "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Monday, October 10, 2011

Justin Loves Leonardo DiCaprio!

My first gay crush was on Jack Dawson
(aka actor Leonardo DiCaprio).


I first saw "Titanic" when I was 6, in the mid 90's with my sister and aunt.

The movie was captivating for me. And even though I was so young, I still understood the gravity of Jack and Rose's love for each other. Also, I was wickedly jealous of Rose.


At first I wasn't sexually attracted to him (I was 6 for God's sake), but when I saw Jack frozen in the water with Rose trying to wake him up, I started bawling my eyes out.

I thought it was a real story, and I was watching an actor die filming it. My aunt tried to console me by telling me it was just a movie, but it didn't help me sleep at night.


I remember having dreams of me falling through the water and flying through the sunken Titanic. I would meet Jack by the clock, and we would embrace and kiss while everyone around us applauded.

I still have a crush on Leo today. But the Jack Dawson that stole my 6-year old heart has to rest in peace. That is, until I have the occasional dream taking me on another journey down to that amazing ship.

Justin - Steilacoom, WA
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Friday, September 30, 2011

Steven Loves Brian Kelly!

My two gay crushes were on TV shows in the 1960's.

My first real gay crush when I was around 11, was actor Brian Kelly. 

He played the dad on "Flipper."

He was always shiny and sweaty, or in his swim trunks and scuba gear. 

His character as a strong, strict, loving father was my ultimate fantasy.

And the other was actor Vince Edwards, who played "Dr. Ben Casey." 

I was fascinated by all the dark hair on his forearms, and sometimes getting to see his chest hairs peeking out of the top of his shirt.

To this day, I am still attracted to dark Irish or Italian looking men.

Even as I look at these pictures now, they are mighty fine!

Steven - NYC, NY
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Rachael Loves Starfire!

My first gay crush was both Starfire (voiced by Hynden Walch) and Raven (voiced by Tara Strong) from Cartoon Network's "Teen Titans."

I loved Starfire's naive unfamiliarity with Planet Earth, and Raven's witty, cynical nature. I was very enamored by their fantastic superpowers and, of course, perfect, animated bodies.

I didn't know at the time that what I was experiencing was my first gay crushes(who did?), but the two of them turned out to be the model for the women I like today.

I even tried to make myself a Raven costume, which just ended up being a lot of purple fabric scraps. My mom thought that was the cutest thing ever. But she's still unaware of just how deep my "hero worship" - pun intended - truly went.

Rachael - Kentucky
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Luke Loves Wil Wheaton!

My first gay crush was on Wil Wheaton as
Wesley Crusher from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

I was 9 or 10 when I first saw him back in the early 90's. I didn't quite know what I was feeling, but I sure loved Wesley Crusher.

He was a pre-teen sexual icon for a whole generation of nerds, and was everything
I identified with. He was smart, and that made him an outcast (like me).

It's also what made him special, and I relished the idea of getting the praise he got for it. That was important for a non-athletic kid (like me).


I didn't understand it at the time - and definitely wasn't allowed to talk about it - but I was crazy hot for him. I spent painstaking hours trying to comb my hair just like his! I lived out my crush vicariously through my sister, secretly jealous of her ability to fawn and gush over Wesley Crusher like I wanted to.


And he got to kiss Ashley Judd, so he was kind of a player! I remain a fan of Wil to this day.

Luke - San Francisco, CA
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Friday, September 9, 2011

Joe Loves James Franciscus!

My first gay crush was actor James Franciscus.

I was 11, just starting puberty, and went with my brothers and friends to see "Beneath the Planet of the Apes." 

Like them, I liked action movies and sci-fi and - so I thought - the hot cavegirl, Nova.

But boy, I was in for a big surprise! 

The hero of the movie was an astronaut played by James Franciscus. I couldn't take my eyes off him!

He was the most handsome guy I'd ever seen. He had golden blond hair, piercing blue eyes, and a deep voice. He was commanding and athletic, projecting a very manly, cool presence.


In his spacesuit, he looked and acted like the perfect All-American man, which had shifted in that era from cowboys to astronauts. But I quietly prayed for him to lose that spacesuit like Charlton Heston did in the first "Apes" movie! And I got my wish. Within a few minutes, Franciscus was stripped down to a skimpy loincloth and spent the rest of the movie looking like a blond Tarzan.

And wow, what a wardrobe change that was. He had a great body, with well defined pecs and sixpack abs. 
He didn't have the only ripped body in Hollywood then, but it wasn't that common, either. And to see such a handsome man with such a great body was really rare.

That night (and off and on for years afterward), I was confused and conflicted, since I'd thought I was into curvy cavegirls. But I had obviously discovered I preferred hard-bodied spacemen. And I got over it fast by fantasizing about my astronaut in a loincloth!

Joe - Atlanta, GA
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Thursday, September 1, 2011

George Loves David Cassidy!

I had my first gay crush in the early 70's when I was about 15-years old: It was David Cassidy.

I remember I had a large photo of him in an old fashioned swim suit.

He was in a backyard setting, running through a sprinkler. 


And his "male anatomy" was outlined in the wet suit, and was very visible.




I was in a private prep school on several athletic teams, and I used to peek at other guys in the shower room.

David was special to me, because it was the first time I was able to stare at a guy's "equipment" for a long time, without fear of being caught.

I was in the closet and had a strict mother that would have freaked out if she knew the true purpose of my fantasy photo. So my crush has been a complete secret until now. 

As has been the fact that I'm gay.

I'm over 50 now and still closeted. I guess the journey "out" is a personal one, and I'm now beginning to tell a few close friends. 

We'll see what happens.

In any case, even if I wasn't aware it was "gay", and I denied it to myself then, David Cassidy was my first.

George - New Hampshire
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Click here: "Born This Way: Real Stories of Growing Up Gay" book
Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com