Bob Harper, one of the trainers on TV’s weight-loss reality show, The Biggest Loser, talked publicly on the show about being a gay man himself in order to help one of the struggling contestants. Harper states that Because in the words of Bob Harper himself:
“I haven’t talked about my sexuality on this show ever,” Bob said in a confessional. “And now, meeting Bobby, I really do believe this is the right time. I want to show Bobby that he doesn’t have to live in shame.”
Harper has not only shown, Bobby, but lots of other LGBT kids that they don’t have to live in shame either. Each time a well known visible gay person comes out, it gives youth another person as a potential role model. It also provides American and the world with a broader spectrum of just who is part of the LGBT community. Knowing someone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender whether personally or just through a popular medium like sports, television, journalism or music, helps to change peoples hearts and minds. It helps to show them who we are and break prejudices.