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Here's How An Ohio News Anchor Casually Came Out On Air
"Coming out" doesn't always mean a big announcement.
An Ohio news anchor’s ultra-casual coming out moment is getting praised on social media.
Taylor Bruck of Spectrum News 1 Ohio has been open about her sexuality online for some time, but making note of it on air was something new—until the weekend after Thanksgiving.
“The extent of my traveling is probably going to Cleveland to visit my girlfriend,” she said during an on-air conversation with co-anchor Alexa Maslowski.
And that was it. One mention of the word “girlfriend,” and Bruck had breezily come out on television.
“I told myself, ‘Just say it,’” she told PEOPLE, explaining that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision. “When I finally said it out loud, I smiled inside because it was a big moment for me.”
To many people who don’t have to consider these situations, the idea of “coming out” on TV or at your job often seems over-the-top. And maybe that’s because society has come to define a coming out moment as a big announcement, when in reality, it’s something all queer people have to do in small moments again and again throughout their lives.
A news anchor in a relationship with someone of the opposite sex wouldn’t hesitate to make an off-hand comment about them in the chatty portion of the broadcast. There’s no reason why queer anchors like Bruck shouldn’t feel comfortable doing the same.
The comment section of her Instagram and TikTok, where she shared a clip of the broadcast, have been flooded with support, along with stories from people who have shared their own stories about the challenges of casually coming out again and again in day-to-day life.
“I’m literally kicking my feet and giggling,” wrote @capricampeau. “I love this & I totally understand the feeling of excitement after saying it!”
“putting yourself out there as a queer person is something the majority of people will never understand the anxiety of—but you did it!!! so inspiring to see this on TV,” @ianllightfoot added.
“There was a point in time—recently—where doing this would have gotten you fired,” @azvalkyrie91 reminded everyone. “It seems small, but it’s not. It matters that people like us exist, openly, in public.”
For her part, Bruck expressed gratitude for all the responses she received, writing on Instagram that it was “unexpected but so encouraging.”
“I’m out and proud because representation absolutely matters and it saves lives,” she said. “I’ll keep being authentically me.”
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.
