Another Gay Pro Skateboarder Comes Out | “I was pretty much living a secret life.”
And just like that there were two gay male pro skateboarders. Brian Anderson shocked almost nobody (on skateboardings inside anyway) when he bravely came out a couple years back and now east coaster Steve Brandi is also public and proud. In this age of everyone should do whatever they want why is this still news? Well because skateboarding is not nearly as openminded as it likes to thing. It has a long history of homophobia, racism, sexual assault on minors, etc. So every step towards inclusion is still a big one. Keep ripping Steve.
Sample:
You got to go to the world premiere of Brian Anderson’s Vice piece here in NY. What was that like for you?
That was amazing. The first showing was at The Sunshine Theater in NY. A good friend of mine, Tia, who’s married to Mark Gonzales, is someone who I came out to a while back. She was able to get me, Jahmal and you on the list for that and it was awesome to see all of the support he received. I was extremely happy for him and it was really meaningful for me to be there at the premiere. There were so many things I could relate to on so many different levels. Forrest Kirby is a good friend of mine and he just recently came out as well and that was really inspiring. He doesn’t know I’m gay yet, but now maybe he will. And in the same way they did, I feel the need to share my story and maybe it’ll inspire someone else to share their story to let everyone know that we are still skateboarders. Skaters come from all different backgrounds, ethnicities, religions but also different sexual preferences and hopefully that can be something that will help other people understand that they’re
not alone.
Over the years, being in tour vans with dudes using derogatory terms for homosexuals the way a lot of kids do, does that kind of stuff make it harder for someone to want to come out and
be themselves?
I only really know my situation. I can’t speak on anyone else’s process. I know that being on skate trips when someone was saying, “That’s gay,” or “That dude’s a fag,” or whatever, it made me start questioning Should I ever share this part of my life with that person?
When you first told me it took me completely by surprise. In hindsight, there were things about you that started to make sense now that I knew what you had been going through, but it was definitely unexpected.
Yeah, there were times that I may have just broken out of a skate session and hopped a train without any explanation because it was easier than telling people where I was going. I don’t think anyone ever guessed I was going home to my boyfriend, but perhaps now some of my behavior will start to make sense to
my peers.
Click to THRASHER for the coming out interview with Steve Brandi
Follow BOARD RAP on Insta for more updates.
Related posts:
Brian Anderson’s Profile Video for THE NEW YORKER | “In my career, honestly, the hardest part was to look at the camera + say that I’m gay.”
Brian Anderson On ‘The Nine Club’ | His story from beginnings to now
The Rules Of Music Supervision in Skateboard Videos w/ Josh Stewart | “Did you really not know that that song had already been used?”
