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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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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Linda Loves Amy Jo Johnson!

My first gay crush was on actress Amy Jo Johnson.
She played Kimberley Hart, aka the Pink Power Ranger.

This was around 1994, when the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers" were peaking. I think I was more attracted to the pink Spandex costume, actually.


When she left the show in 1995 (a truly soul-crushing moment in my prepubescent life), I was elated to see her in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Susie Q."

As I also fell in love with Olivia Newton-John when I saw "Grease" years later, it makes me think I could have just been attracted to headbands in general, as Amy Jo wore them prevalently in the film.

I kept my crush on her a secret, even though my parents presumably knew about my crush when I asked for the Pink Ranger Barbie doll.

Linda - Columbus, GA
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Julia Loves Christina Ricci!

My first gay crush was actress Cristina Ricci.

I went to see the movie "Now and Then" and lost my mind over the badass character she played.

In the movie, Christina couldn't identify with her girly pals. 

She even taped her boobs down for the first half of the film.

My crush got so deep that I had to feign a massive crush on Devon Sawa, to balance out my obsession.

I think my mom even got uncomfortable and pissed at me, for talking about her so much. I remember getting a bunch of teen magazines and I made a collage of Devon Sawa to put in the inside of my trunk at summer camp.

I would go to great lengths to ensure people that I actually had crushes on boys. I remember opening up the trunk at camp, and feeling embarrassed about the collage. Luckily, my shampoo bottle exploded and got everything stained, so I ended up crumpling it up and throwing it right away.



I listened to the "Now and Then" soundtrack until the cassette tape broke. My friends and I would pretend we were the characters in the movie, and of course I was always cast as the "tomboy" - aka the Cristina Ricci.

She was my hero!

Julia - Miami, FL
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Paul Loves Prince Eric!

I was 9-years old when Prince Eric from "The Little Mermaid" stole my heart.

He was chiseled, sensitive, and able to maintain a perfect coif at all times - even against strong sea winds!

And of course, he's royalty.

One day, I remember going shopping with my mom in search of birthday presents for my younger sister.

I came across a book of Disney paper dolls. While my sister had no interest in them, I tried desperately to convince Mom otherwise. I just had to have that picture of Prince Eric in his underwear!

I suppose a cartoon prince was the safest crush for a gay, Midwestern boy from a conservative family. I mean, he wasn't even 3-dimensional. 

Sitting in religion class at my Catholic school, I filled the perimeters of my notebooks with doodles of Prince Eric, all the while learning about the "evils of homosexuality."

That year our family took a beach vacation.

I ventured out into the water by myself one evening. With nothing but waves as far as I could see, it was easy to imagine being swept away and washing up on a distant shore.

Someplace where a handsome prince would be waiting to rescue me — and make me "part of his world."

Paul - Columbus, OH
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Victor Loves Mike Patton!

My first gay crush was in 1990, for 
Faith No More singer Mike Patton.

I was about 7-years old when I discovered my first real crush, because I was OBSESSED with MTV.

I remember the video for "Epic" coming out, and hearing all the controversy over the flopping fish at the end of the video.



At the time, I didn't realize what I was feeling about singer Mike Patton, so I thought about it in a very child-like way. I remember telling my mom that I wanted to look like him when I grew up. I had a major thing for his long hair and I loved the song, even as a kid.

I think it is hilarious now as an adult, that the first crush I remember is now someone I respect as a prolific musician. And I still think he's hot.

Victor - Washington, DC
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Zach Loves Jonathan Taylor Thomas!

Jonathan Taylor Thomas was
most certainly my first gay crush.

It was the 90's and he was on a little hit show called "Home Improvement". It all started when I was about 12.

In fact, my crush on him helped me to begin to come to terms with my sexuality.

He was cute, funny, and I adored him. Being about the same age, he and I basically grew up together, as he and his career grew.

I always found him to be a comfort when times were difficult for me growing up.

My friends and family didn't know about my crush, because I wasn't out to them then. But they were
well aware that I was a fan, as I had a small collection of his pictures from teen magazines.


It was still good times when we all went to see
"Wild America" and "Tom & Huck" at the movies - even
if I was one of the only few guys in the theater. :)

Zach – Moreno Valley, CA
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Dottie Loves Lynda Carter!

I had 3 gay crushes. Is that wrong?

My first gay crush was on
Wonder Woman in the 70's.

Actually, it was for Lynda Carter, who played Diana Prince, aka Wonder Woman.

I loved how she ran around in almost nothing in high heels, using the golden bracelets to protect her from harm.

The way she twirled around and flung the Lasso Of Truth was phenomenal. I wanted to take a ride with her in that invisible airplane.

My second gay crush was in 1988, during the time I was working on my masters degree. I needed a break, so a friend and I went to see "DOA" with Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan. During the movie, I thought a lot about her. She was so pretty and cute, and I sought out other movies she starred in.

My third gay crush was Geena Davis' character in "The Long Kiss Goodnight." I loved the way she kicked ass in that movie.

Dottie - Redmond, WA
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Luke Loves Cloud Strife!

My first gay crush was Cloud Strife.

Being the nerd I was at age 11, I crushed out on this tortured soul from "Final Fantasy 7."

I felt that way too, so he was pretty awesome.

And I was not.

He was an all-around, broody action guy who fell in love, lost it, but never stopped fighting.

And his hair was pretty damn awesome and sexy.

Of course, he wasn't full-on physically attractive until he was rendered in full CGI glory in "Advent Children" and given a smoldering voice.

I was too young to really play the game, so I would just sit on the floor of my brother's room, and watch him play "Final Fantasy 7" for hours.

Luke - Victoria, Australia
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JD Loves "Marky Mark" Wahlberg!

I was 11, and my first gay crush
was "Marky Mark" Wahlberg.

Initially, I didn't like his cocky attitude in his "Good Vibrations" video.

But my hormones soon kicked in after a few months of being mesmerized by his sweaty moves in arty black and white.

And then?

I wanted him to push ME against a chain-link fence, like the lucky female model in the video.


Then his workout tape came out. But I didn't buy it until I was 15 or so, in the bargain bin at K-Mart. I remember being so nervous as I bought it, so my mom and sister wouldn't see. The cashier was almost laughing at my obvious nervousness.

I hid the video inside my coat to leave, and often hid the workout tape at home. I was never able to watch it for very long, thanks to my hormones. And sure enough, I got forgetful once and left the tape in the living room as my family was spring cleaning.

I was clearly embarrassed as my nosy sister asked why I had the tape. And, why I didn't seem as fit as Marky or his workout buddies in the tape.

I attempted to actually use the workout tape for its intended purpose. But again, I could rarely make it past the first few minutes. Which is when they show Marky waking up in bed, in nothing but his Calvin's.

JD - Augusta, GA
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