Co-Star Jarl Haugedal Talks About Coming Out Straight

(LtoR) Michael Billy, Jarl Haugedal - Photo courtesy: Robin Souma

An Exclusive Interview with Jarl Haugedal, c0-star and co-producer of the short film "Coming Out Straight."

Where did the idea come from for a short film such as "COMING OUT STRAIGHT?"

Well now that times are changing fast, we wanted to be on the right side of history ; marriage equality and gay rights being what is todays fight. However we thought that dealing with an issue that is still facing LGBT teenagers and put it in a fun way might help people open the way that they handle it and help others come to terms with being gay.

With all the advances for the LGBT community- do you think the idea of "coming out" isn't that big of a deal anymore?

Well It is, its still a huge deal. No one wants their kids to be different. And in order for all of us to fit in to society we want to follow the norm. However as we see more and more gay parents this situation could actually happen more and more as well. We think this short could highlight how ridiculous it is no matter when you come out gay or straight.  All parents want their kids to be like them and most are afraid of what everyone else would feel or say when they find out. But by showing the other side hopefully it will prepare parents a little to deal with their kids no matter what their sexual preference is. If the kids feel good about them selves than that should be what we all embrace and help them grow even more.

What do we expect to see from the series Coming Out Straight?

We are working on many issues . All of which will go after social stigmas and show it with humor. We are taking on bullying and coming out stories , racism, socialism, and more in many settings and it hopefully becomes a great series that can be used in schools to educate kids and parents and teenagers of the times we are in and what to expect in the future when these issues occur.

How is it for you and Michael Billy to work together as actors rather than just playing yourself on "The NEXT American Gay"

We have both been acting for years and whenever you go in front of the camera you act a little even if we play our selves. The “real us” you only see in private but when the cameras roll we play a role one way or the other. Both of us love acting and we actually feed of each other and this is just the beginning. I cant wait for the next one we are doing.

Was there anything in Coming Out Straight that you have experienced yourself- coming out to your own parents? 

When I came out it was very traumatic, my mom cried for over a year . Every time I spoke to her she would cry. She was hoping it was a faze. She did not tell my dad at all. I had to come out twice. As if it was not enough once. When I finally got the courage to come out again to my dad his reaction was much better than I had anticipated. My mom had told me he would die but he took it so well, his first comment was we will love you any way , it will just be hard for you to experience the same kind of family we had. But he told mom to stop crying and from than on there has never been an issue. They are both the biggest supporters of gay rights…only one problem mom thinks everyone is gay now.

Why is this important to not just the gay community- but for everyone to see? Well just to show how ridiculous it is when we come out and the comments most of us get…but in this short we push the envelope a little.

We posted it on you tube and it has close to 20,000 views already so go see for your self. Hope you enjoy it.

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