[D. A.] on coming out, struggling with suicidal thoughts . . .
![[D. A.] on coming out, struggling with suicidal thoughts . . .](http://thenewstalkers.com/discussion/image/discussion_image/61690/xxxlarge/_v=63f541685058289)
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Macaw Performs “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran | Season 9 Ep. 10 | The Masked Singer |
My thoughts: This is how we lose beautiful people with hearts of gold. I remember well this young man's 'journey' to stardom. . . and now to learn that he has struggled (nervously so) with 'coming out' with his church and that it all could-could have gone horribly wrong tells me that the Church, the institutional Church has gone too far!
It is time. The time has come for Church meddling in the affairs of the nation's citizenry to end! Exception: To make life better - not worse!
We could have lost this young man forever over - well, just wanting to live with dignity and prospering.
SOMETHING HAS GOT TO CHANGE!
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
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The Masked Singer 9 Finale - Macaw sings All By Myself by Eric Carmen |
The McCaw (Initials - D. A - full name revealed below):
T his week, when [D. A.] — who was raised in the Mormon church and came out as LGBTQ+ in June 2021 — was revealed as the symbolically rainbow-winged Macaw on the emotional Masked Singer Season 9 finale , he told the judges: “I grew up very religious. It was a huge part of my life. And I believed that if lived being queer, that I was going to be evil, so I worked really hard to be anything but that. I began to think, ‘Maybe it’s better if I’m not here.’ … If anyone else is feeling like they are bad just because of who they are attracted to and who they love, I want you to know that it is worth taking the courage to show your true colors.”
Following his colorful and courageous Masked Singer run, [D. A.] — who was a shy and anxiety-ridden teenager when he was thrust into the public eye on another Fox talent show, American Idol , in 2008 — is understandably feeling reflective as he speaks with Yahoo Entertainment. “It’s been interesting, looking back at how I was trying to resist getting to this point,” he muses. “It's interesting to think of the other alternatives that I thought were better solutions than coming to this point that I'm at right now in my life. I'm glad that I've made it this far. I feel really good where I'm at. I feel happy. I'm still learning how to not try and be so apologetic and try to over explain, but I feel good.”
[D. A]. was 30 when he finally came out, after “attempting to be straight for 15 years” and beating himself up because he thought he hadn't “worked hard enough to become straight.” He eventually came to the realization that “no matter how hard I try, that's not what I am,” but before that epiphany, the pop crooner — like many other struggling closeted people in the LDS community — says he did consider taking his own life.
“There was a point before I had come out publicly, when I still hadn't come to full terms with myself. I believed, just the way I was taught, that if you come to full terms with yourself [as queer], you're basically accepting yourself as an enemy to God, essentially,” [D. A.] explains. “I truly believed at that time that if I did come to terms with myself — that if I liked men and may possibly date or fall in love with a man — that I would basically lose my soul. And not just temporarily; I thought that I would be [lost] forever , that even when I die, my soul would be lost. And I didn't want to come to that. So, I just kind of thought, ‘Well, [suicide] would be a better option. … I'd rather end things before it gets that bad.’”
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I have left the identity of the Masked Singer-McCaw to be discovered. Because it will come as a shock to many who know him. This man, a boy really when he became a star, we almost lost to stigma and crisis, all because of the unrelenting voice in the back of the minds of many kids brought up in churches, temples, and mosques in the United States.
The time as come for mental persecution/abuse of any child's self worth by the religious community. Had this young man taken his life. . . it would have caused a real 'stirring' in the bowels of many. Why? Because many of us remember his 'climb' to fame on American Idol . . . we could have lost him - y'all.
It would have been a crying shame too!
To those that have known David Archuleta since his early teens it was no big surprise when he announced he's gay.
How well do you know him? Please elaborate on what gave it away to you and when.
I raised my grandson from the time he was 8 until he went to college, we lived in Utah during those years. He and David were friends when both were 10-17. David would spent the night with us fairly often. At that time, I didn't know my grandson was bi-sexual and David was gay although I suspected it. When David was on American Idol my grandson told me he was gay.
Thank you for sharing this! May I ask, how does it make you feel to know this 'kid' (now adult) you know personally was conflicted and considered taking his life? That the Church as a body does not counsel homosexuals to live and not kill themselves (over its doctrines)?
BTW, I have been at that place-stood on the very same 'spot' where one struggles to know if one should live or just give it all up and die. I decided to live! David A., is doing the same. But, in the video, his 'testimony' surely demonstrates he is vulnerable to needing support from the public. He may not know it, but he is not fully emotionally out of danger (yet).
I liked David a lot, he was polite, bright, witty and funny. He was probably the most unjudgeable person I ever known never saying a bad word about anyone. One time I was determined to get him to say something bad about someone, so I asked him what he thought about Satan, he said "Well, he's good at what does" LOL
I had no clue David was considering suicide, I remember him as an extremely nice young man that had a positive influence on both me and my grandson lives. It's a pleasure to have known him.
Interesting (and curious). You address him in the past tense. You have a star-level performer in your (near) circle and he is not 'close.' Fascinating.
Still, might I ask for a definitive answer: How does it make you feel to know this 'kid' (now adult) you know personally was conflicted and considered taking his life? That the Church as a body does not counsel homosexuals to live and not kill themselves (over its doctrines)?
I can understand this reply. Any comment on the religious community and its 'drive' to re-stigmatize homosexual youth and adults? This young man is anxiety-written (apprehensive) when he is in public using his art. He is not acceptable to his church. . .and so his spirit is disturbed at some level. Any sharing you may offer on this point of concern will be appreciated. I do understand your reply on another point, nevertheless .
IMO churches shouldn't stigmatize gay people, if a gay person is religious that's something between them and God. You've said you're a celibate gay Christian are you celibate for religious reasons? If it's due to a different reason no need to answer, that's your business.
Actually I am celibate for religious reasons. More to that point, I have been questioning a great many things recently-because of some practices (or lack thereof) of certain religious groups and non-religious folks too! What the final outcome will be of that internal discussion I am having will be forthcoming in the future.
I will divulge this: I 'met' David Archuleta on American Idol and lost track of him afterwards. I do not follow 'idols,' per se. Just enjoy singing competitions. That said, I was 'smitten' with David's youth and charm. Today, to see him singing like. . . well, the best ever. . .and to know that he came out as homosexual and the stresses and strains almost took his life gives me strong emotions: The Church is going too far to take literally babies into its 'formal' training and then to spew teens and young adults out without any consideration of what it means to be abandoned in this manner.
The time as come for mental persecution/abuse of any child's self worth by the religious community to end!
The time is now to call out the Church for its stepping out of bounds to interfere in the lives of people who do not care about the Church.
These young kids and adults, especially the males, have so many forces aligned against them, consistently trying to take control of their lives, otherize them, or just make them perpetual outcasts in the community-at-large.
On a side note, to give you an idea of David's sense of humor he had a friend that was in a car accident about a month before Christmas that resulted in the boy having several cuts on his face. David invited him to a Christmas party, the boy declined saying no one wanted to look at Frankenstein, David told him to rent a Santa costume and come as Franken claus.
That's really nice! Thank you for sharing that. It is always. . . amazing to get some on the ground accounts about the people we know through our television screens.