“9-1-1: Lone Star” actor Ronen Rubinstein came out as bisexual with the support of his girlfriend.
“I fully identify as bisexual,” Rubinstein told Variety. “I literally just got goosebumps to say it. It feels so good to talk about it, it feels so good to finally be comfortable with it. ”
Rubinstein, 27, immediately found support in girlfriend Jessica Parker Kennedy, 36, who insisted he embrace his true self.
“She’s actually one of the first people to respect me for that,” Rubinstein said of Kennedy. “She’s like, ‘Is there anything we need to talk about? “And I said, ‘Maybe.’ I did not know how that conversation would go. And it probably went as well as it could go.
“She definitely encouraged me to talk about it, just to live my truth,” he added. She’s like, ‘I love you for who you are, your full self and people will love you for who you are and your full self. ”
The “No Escape” star, who was born in Israel and moved to Staten Island at the age of five, said he grew up where – without even mentioning it explicitly – he took his decision into account. stay.
‘The biggest thing for me is, where I come from, it’s like people like me and people who have been identified as bisexual or gay or as any part of the community – you’re just not welcome. It is as brutally honest as that, ”he said. ‘It’s like you’ve been facing insane amounts of swearing, like that the F-word was thrown around all the time, or that you would kick your ass if you were gay.
“So there was definitely a fear of embracing my feelings,” he continued. ‘I was definitely more aware of that in high school. I was aware of my feelings and how I started looking at men, but I could not talk to anyone about it. ”
Rubinstein cites fans of the “9-1-1” character, TK Stand, and his boyfriend, Carlos Reyes – the couple is called “Tarlos” – as particularly supportive of his revelation.
“The fans, especially the Tarlos fans, are one of the biggest reasons why I finally felt safe and comfortable talking about it and finally accepting it and being happy about it.”