Eugene Lee Yang and the Art of Coming Out
Eugene Lee Yang, YouTube creator turned activist, rose to internet fame with the 2014 debut of BuzzFeedVideo’s YouTube series titled “The Try Guys.” This series follows four personalities–Ned Fulmer, Keith Habersberger, Zach Kornfeld, and Yang–as they try new experiences for the first time together. Their content is lighthearted and goofy, and their group chemistry and sense of humor attract an audience of all ages. Although the group has since left BuzzFeed, formed an independent company, and disaffiliated from Fulmer, the Try Guys remain relevant and popular YouTube creators with over eight million subscribers.
Part of their allure is how each member has his own brand, with Yang’s being “the gay one,” as referenced in videos and marketed on merchandise. However, it was not always so; Yang came out as gay to the public on June 15, 2019 via a YouTube video titled I’m Gay that he wrote, directed, choreographed, and starred in himself. This video has since amassed over 20 million views and 1.7 million likes (The Try Guys, 2019). Through his coming out video, Yang not only expresses his personal journey with his self-identity but also provides a commentary on societal norms.
The video begins in silence and fades from black to reveal a close-up of Yang’s face, eyes closed. As the camera zooms out, viewers piece together the scene, with Yang’s parents and siblings stiffly positioned around him as if posing for a portrait. Yang remains the focal point, a vision in red among his family members wearing dark gray suits. When the music swells, everyone comes to life through dance. The staging, choreography, and costuming are beautifully and purposefully done. Yang and his siblings act out their upbringing, mirroring their mother’s putting on lipstick and their father’s drinking and temper. Conflict arises when Yang is forced to choose whose path to follow. Although he is drawn to his mother’s poise and femininity, his father smacks the back of his head and storms off. His brother looks shocked but blindly follows suit. Yang does the same, and the next scene begins.
Yang’s internal struggles with his identity exemplify the concept of intersectionality. Author Moya Bailey defines intersectionality as “subject[ing] to differential treatment in society based on…simultaneous marginalization” (Bailey, 2021, p. 15). Although Bailey focuses on racism and sexism against black women, this concept of overlapping discrimination also rings true for Yang; he faces conflicting expectations due to his racial, gender, and sexual identities. In a behind-the-scenes video posted two days after his coming out video, Yang divulges: “As a young kid, I always thought I was bad. I just thought I was bad, naturally, because of what the church I was in was telling me, because of the society I was in, as a Southern person or as a Korean” (The Try Guys, 2019, 8:23). Having grown up in an environment where masculinity and heteronormativity is prevalent and assumed, Yang expresses the fear and pressure he felt being gay. He not only worried that people close to him would disown him, but he also worried about representing both the Asian and LGBTQ communities. He elaborates: “To be a gay Asian American…triples the stress. I just had to be hyper aware of doing anything that would deepen someone else’s prejudice towards either party” (The Try Guys, 2019, 11:05). Yang explains that being a public figure amplifies his internal struggles with his identity. Before coming out to others, he had to grapple with intersectionality and come out to himself.
As the video proceeds, viewers follow Yang’s journey as it evolves into a commentary on societal norms. In the next scene, Yang finds himself, wearing bright orange, in a chapel. He jumps around the pews, attempting to break free from his fellow church-goers’ uniform dance, but he is quickly forced to sit down and pray. This action physically and metaphorically “straightens” Yang out. The video includes four more scenes, each marked by a different color and struggle Yang and the larger queer community face: Yellow for love and accepting his sexuality; green for community during a nightclub shooting; blue for hatred and a violent assault; and purple for strength among a crowd of angry debaters. Viewers end where they began, zooming into Yang’s face–although this time, he stares directly into the camera.
Yang’s coming out video is an effective commentary on societal norms due to the intimacy he fosters with viewers. Choosing to come out in and of itself is difficult; coming out to millions of followers adds another layer of complexity. Digital anthropologist Crystal Abidin’s concepts of intimacy and perceived interconnectedness explain how Yang is able to facilitate such a difficult discussion with the general public. Abidin defines intimacy as “how familiar and close followers feel to an Influencer” (Abidin, 2015). Influencers cultivate this feeling of intimacy through perceived interconnectedness, or the use of social media platforms to share the quotidian side of their lives and engage with their followers (Abidin, 2015). By the time of this video’s release, Yang is a seasoned influencer, active and popular on not only YouTube but also Instagram, Twitter, and other social media platforms. Yang’s two coming out videos deepen his viewers’ emotional connection to and understanding of him. The cinematic music video is raw and cathartic, while the behind-the-scenes video is well-organized and explanatory, allowing queer viewers to empathize and non-queer viewers to sympathize. Yang also partners on the video with The Trevor Project, a nonprofit organization that provides support to LGBTQ youth, turning his coming out into a fundraiser. In doing so, Yang uses his well-established platform to share his story and call to action.
Eugene Lee Yang’s public coming out demonstrates the power of influencers and social media to increase representation, cultivate community, and instigate change. Yang’s vulnerability and devoted following allow him to destigmatize the topics of race, gender, and sexuality and promote tolerance. By embracing his self-identity, Yang inspires his followers to embrace theirs.
Works Cited
Abidin, C. (2018). Communicative ❤ intimacies: Influencers and perceived interconnectedness. Ada New Media. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://adanewmedia.org/2015/11/issue8-abidin/
Bailey, M. (2021). Introduction: What Is Misogynoir?. In Misogynoir Transformed: Black Women’s Digital Resistance (pp. 1-34). New York, USA: New York University Press. https://doi-org.proxy.library.upenn.edu/10.18574/nyu/9781479803392.003.0004
YouTube. (2019). I'm Gay - Eugene Lee Yang. YouTube. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpipLfMiaYU.
YouTube. (2019). Why I'm Coming Out As Gay. YouTube. Retrieved November 14, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QruHsyt8paY.
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