Think your coming out story is harrowing? Howard Stern staffer High-Pitch Mike came on The Howard Stern Show aka The Straightest Place in the Known Universe yesterday. Last month, he'd been hooked up to a lie detector test (you know, because that's what happens on The Howard Stern Show) and failed the "Are you gay?" question. The incident made him reevaluate his life. After the show:
Mike listened to Brian McKnight's "Never Felt This Way" on repeat and realized he was never going to experience the kind of love Howard and Beth or his parents share: "The song made me realize how lonely I was and how empty my life has been…it's time for me to come out of the closet and admit…I am gay."
Because this is a heart-warming coming out story, we're going to refrain from commenting on the cultural value of "Never Felt This Way" for the moment. Over the holiday, Mike decided to come out to his mother, who had previously said she would disown him if he were gay. Signs you may be gay: Your mother threatens to disown you if you say you're gay. Also, your nickname is "High-Pitched Mike". At first Mrs. High-Pitch repeated her threat of disowning Mike, but as he was about to hang up the phone she said, "I love you and I just want you to be happy…I want you to be happy in your life no matter what…I love you more than life itself."
Stern told Mike "I'm very proud of you and happy for you", before asking questions about his sex life and who he's dating. Mike demurred on the sex questions since his Mom was listening in and you know, talking about your sex life on national radio 15 minutes after coming out might be a bit much for anyone. Stern even suggested that High-Pitched Mike's voice might now deepen because "high-pitched voices are usually the result of stress". Mike also gave a shout-out to the Matthew Shepherd Foundation.
If you don't think choosing to come out can have an impact on the way people perceive gays and lesbians, here's an email we received this morning from Queerty fan Kristal:
"I am a big fan of The Howard Stern Show and although there is a general perception that he is a homophobe he is actually very gay positive and a huge supporter of gay rights in general and gay marriage specifically…A lot of the guys on this show besides Howard make gay jokes constantly and it was sweet to hear them tell this guy they love him and they are proud and happy for him to finally be out of the closet. I am newish to this site but as a straight black christian californian was so saddened by the Yes on Prop 8 vote that I have decided to get more involved in the current civil rights movement. The hot guys on the site help too. Blessings."
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