If you’re a Power Ranger fan it’s hard not to know about David Yost’s struggles as a gay man during the early to mid nineties on the set of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and Power Rangers Zeo. Especially since his ground-breaking interview with No Pink Spandex a few years back!
As the years go by more and more details about David’s struggle have been revealed.
In a new interview with The Advocate, the hugely famous LGBT Magazine and Website, David reveals more about his childhood, his days on the set of Power Rangers, the on-set walk off, his days attempting to “pray the gay away” and the cons that have inspired him today.
Read the entire Article Here
I won’t quote too much of the article here, but it is a must read. Here are a few of the best quotes:
“Yost says the harassment became so severe he started to “seriously contemplate suicide” — repeatedly told by others working on the series that a person like him did not belong in the role of a superhero. Feeling isolated and fearful that he might take his own life, Yost decided to leave the role that made him a star and abruptly quit Power Rangers during filming of the show’s fourth season. “That was probably the most unprofessional thing I had ever done, but I felt backed into a corner,” he says. “I dreaded the idea of working another six months into the second feature film. I was honestly afraid I might kill myself.'”
“Since coming out, Yost says, he has received an outpouring of support from fans who grew up idolizing the blue spandex-clad superhero he once portrayed, and many have told him they were indeed moved by hearing about his struggles. “Because of the 20th anniversary of Power Rangers, I’ve been attending a lot of conventions around the world this year,” Yost says. “No matter where we’re at, there’s at least one person who approaches me and thanks me for coming out and telling my story because it helped them come out to their family and friends. I’m glad that people are able to take some kind of courage from what I went through and be who they are.””
