2023/06/25
Former child star Alyson Stoner is speaking out about how their professional career suffered after publicly coming out as queer.
Earlier this month, Stoner revealed they were fired from a kids’ show after openly identifying as nonbinary and using they/them pronouns, a decision they made in 2018, reports HuffPost.
“I did end up getting fired from a children’s show because they felt that I was unsafe, now that they knew I was queer, to be around kids,” she shared during an episode of the podcast “I’m Literally Screaming with Spencewuah,” which aired on June 8.
Stoner’s career took off with appearances in highly successful Disney shows, including “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody,” “That’s So Raven,” and “Drake & Josh.”
Since childhood, they were an immensely talented quadruple threat, pursuing ballet, modeling and even releasing multiple pop albums in addition to acting.
In a 2018 Teen Vogue essay, Stoner publicly expressed their attraction to “men, women, and people who identify in other ways.”
Although their intention was to be honest and fair to their girlfriend by no longer keeping their relationship a secret, they were aware of possible consequences and was even told by their manager of the “potential risk.”
“It (was) totally my choice, but it could affect not only people’s perceptions but also, like, hireability for jobs,” they said during the podcast interview.
Stoner noted that they believed the “beauty” of coming out would “far outweigh the hate comments and death threats” that followed.
But Stoner has also struggled with their identity and people’s perceptions. During a 2021 conversation with Insider, they discussed wrestling with their religion and even attending gay conversion therapy.
“Queer folks (and non-queer, too!) frequently suppress a part or all of who we are … We may silence the wisdom of our bodies and neglect our basic needs,” Stoner posted on Instagram June 6. “Learning how to listen and rebuild trust with our bodies is essential.”
© New York Daily News
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