Reza Farahan Promises Gay Youth 'It Gets Better'
The Shahs of Sunset star shares his own coming out story.
If you've been following Reza Farahan's video rants here or on his YouTube channel, you know the Shahs of Sunset star has a flair for bringing his rapid fire wit to seemingly any topic, from his trademark 'stache to hygiene to Ryan Gosling. But his latest rant explores heavier territory.
"Last night out in NYC a younger gay guy from a small town told me how hard it's been for him. I told him It Gets Better," the Shahs star captions a new clip he's sharing to help young people facing similar situations. As a child, Reza says he often felt like "God made a mistake when he made me." At 21, his mother sat him down and asked if he was gay. "In that moment, I mustered up enough courage to say yes. And she was hysterical," the Shahs of Sunset star reveals. However, after two minutes, Reza says his mother "looked me dead in the eyes and she said, 'You're my son. I love you. I will stick behind you until the day I die and our relationship will never change from this point on.'"
(See what else Reza is ranting about in his Reza Rants clips.)
Now 38 – and one of only a few openly gay Persian men in his community – Reza hopes to pass along that same strength to others. "The only reason I wanted to be on a reality show was to have an impact on someone's life. Someone from the Middle East who's at home thinking no Middle Easterners can live out loud and be themselves, that's not true. Look at me!" Reza says directly into the camera. "Your family won't hate you, and if they do, it's still not a problem. You can still have a life. You can go on and do wonderful things. It gets better. I promise."
