Okay, so this is a story about my story, which is really
not much of a story at all but the fact that
it's not much of a story at all, makes it a story.
See what I'm saying?
(upbeat music)
So I'm Damon and after making hundreds of videos,
traveling the world, learning new languages,
living in different countries and hopefully
inspiring people to just go do something interesting
with their lives, here are my top search results on YouTube.
Damon Dominique boyfriend.
Damon Dominique sexuality.
Damon Dominique french.
Damon Dominique relationship.
Damon Dominique dating.
Y'all are some nosey ass
Just think, it's funny, again we've been all over the world.
Learned different languages but whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
Does Damon like guys?
The answer is, yeah I like guys and people somehow
think this is something I've been hiding.
That me not talking about means that
I'm not comfortable with it.
Actually I think it's quite the opposite.
I feel so comfortable with it
that it's not even a topic of conversation.
I don't feel like I'm hiding anything cause
it's not even something to hide.
There was no announcement cause I never felt
like it needed to be announced.
On top of that, I guess there's some other reasons
as to why I've never in the history of this channel
said like, "I am Damon Dominique and I am gay."
Let's break that down.
One, this is a travel channel. We travel around the world.
We speak different languages. We make goofy jokes.
Sexuality has nothing to do with that.
Two, because I had a french boyfriend for the majority
of this channel and I wanted to avoid all those
temptations in my D.M.s.
Three, because it can be assumed in many of our videos
that I like guys without making an announcement.
And I just remember when my ex came and
he really made me realize that
- Damon 12 o'clock there's a cutie McDude behind me.
- Damon Yes. - I'm gonna go get it.
- Damon Are you an actor? Or a model?
I'm all good.
And finally four, you know what I never said
I was gay on this channel because
guess what, I didn't have to.
Why are you expecting me to say something if I'm gay?
I can be gay and not say something.
Why are you expecting me to say that?
Why are you, you are probably fine with it,
why would anyone expect anyone to make a declaration
that they are something?
You can be whatever you want without making a declaration.
Some of our subscribers have commented on our channel
and they have worded this point of view so articulately
that I want to read it cause I don't know if I could
articulate it that well.
Thank you.
Also a valid point.
Thank you.
I relate to this a lot because for a while,
I wasn't even sure that I was gay because the people
that were coming out were not people
who were like me at all.
I could not relate to them and I thought
oh well, that's what being gay means or looks like
then I must not be gay.
But I was. (laughs)
Before YouTubers made coming out videos,
there were of course T.V. characters who were gay
but they were almost always feminine.
And that's cool. That needs to happen.
That needed to happen.
Especially because a lot of people can relate to that and
see themselves in that but that's only one side of the story
and there also need to be gay characters on T.V.,
gay YouTubers who aren't just this one mold
that everyone thinks that being gay means.
On top of that, when I go back to Indiana, I'm like
"Yeah I see why I wasn't gay back here,
because mid-western guys aren't typically my type."
European dudes with the thick accent and little English,
my type.
What did it for me is going to Europe where I was studying
abroad for a year at the University of Paris,
little ole Damon, 19 years old,
had never been in a relationship,
had only publicly liked girls,
but this is the first time I was going somewhere
where nobody knew who I was.
I could do whatever I wanted
and nobody had to know about it.
My name could've been Cleatus from Colorado
and one night I went to an international party,
they had these huge parties,
it's international students every where.
That's exactly when a sexy French swimmer came up to me
But I couldn't understand one thing he said
because his accent was so strong.
He said he liked me and I was like
Sorry I don't know what to tell you because
my friends are watching and I feel so uncomfortable
that they're watching and they're probably thinking
like, "Oh, is Damon gay?"
And you know what, to this day, I hate the fact that
I cared more about what my friends thought about me,
than what I even cared about me in that moment.
Messed up.
But then my friends left and I decided to stay
and I started dancing and I was like, "You know what,
again, no body knows me here, let me just explore
and see what happens."
Things happened and man all of that
turned into a six-year long distance relationship.
People always asked why I was going back to Paris
and I was like, "To learn French."
I was learning French.
The point is I can still look back at that relationship
and be like he's literally what changed
my entire thought process on this whole thing.
If you were to just look at him you would think
"Oh yeah, he's a straight guy".
Cause that's what everyone has been conditioned to think.
He was so far from the idea of what I had in my head about
being gay was, that after meeting him and being with him
I'm like "Oh yeah, I guess I'm gay too."
And then to see how his friends interacted with him,
how he interacted with his friends,
how no body even reacted when you said you were gay,
that it wasn't a big deal, it wasn't big news.
No body was shocked, no body cared.
It wasn't different than being straight.
It was literally like you'd go to his friend group
and I think this is true for most Europeans
and you'd be like, "Yeah, I'm gay" and they'd be like,
"Are you going to finish your sentence?"
Just as if being gay, it didn't even affect them.
That changed it all for me.
After my year abroad in Paris I had to go back to the states
and that's when our long distance officially started.
We started Skype-ing and then finally my mom asked,
she said, "I noticed you were Skype-ing this guy a lot,
I just want to know. Is he more than a friend?"
I was like, "Yes he is. He is more than a friend."
And she goes, "When can I meet him?
Can Frenchy come home for Christmas?"
And I was like, "He can come home for Christmas."
So he came home for Christmas but I made Jo come with me
cause I'm like, "Okay, if my family sees that Jo,
someone they know I'm close to, is 100% okay with me
being with a guy, then maybe,
their thought process will change.
I remember he came home for Christmas and I felt so bad
because we were going around in a circle,
45 people saying one thing we were grateful for and
I said, "Oh, I'm so grateful that my YouTube channel
is finally succeding." And he says in front of everybody
so confident in front of my family, like 45 people,
first time they had ever had a gay family member, he goes,
"I'm so happy to finally be here, to see Damon's family,
and to finally spend more time with Damon."
Do you see why I felt bad about what I said?
Again, I was more worried about what they thought,
than what I actually thought.
Messed up.
Again, my mind was blown because here was this french guy,
so confident, so open, about himself and not needing
to filter himself for any body.
He was there in front of my family and he was like
I'm gonna say what I want to say.
But, really my family accepted him into the family.
Everyone was super nice.
My dad was even like, "Hey, have another beer.
Do that handstand thing again."
Other than that I will say that there is kind of a
don't ask don't tell policy, every time I go home.
Which is not cool because anyone else in my family
can openly say who they've been talking to.
But if I say it, I still feel like people
will be a little uncomfortable.
But again that's not really my issue,
cause I feel comfortable with it.
(whimsical music)
So to answer everyone's questions, no I never traditionally
had a coming out. I never once went up to somebody and said,
"Look, I gotta sit you down. I hope you still love me
"but I'm gay."
To Jo, for example, we were coming home
from the grocery store in Paris.
I said, "You know that guy, who I said was a friend
in Berlin, that I went to go visit twice?
So he's more than a friend."
And she was super happy.
And to my family, again, my mom asked
if he was more than a friend.
The rest of my family I think I said,
"Look, I'm bringing this French guy home for Christmas,"
and they said, "Oh, is he a friend?"
And I said, "Nope, he's more than a friend."
And they were like,
"Mmmmmkay."
I was thinking that my story, my non story of a story,
remember that whole thing?
Could be reassuring to many of you that think like,
"Oh, I'm gay but I don't want to go through
the whole big deal. I don't want to tell everybody."
I didn't do that.
And yeah, I think the reason a lot of people don't come out,
or don't feel comfortable being gay,
is because they feel like they have to come out
cause people expect them to come out.
And also cause they don't know that
there are many forms of being gay;
just like there are many forms of being straight.
(whimsical music)
We need both, we need the outspoken, loud and proud gays.
We need the wild and fun gay pride parades.
But we also need the more neutral, more laid back,
more I guess like that masculine dude
in the accounting department that you never thought was gay,
who actually is, we need him too.
Jo and I refer to that type as our finances aid.
(Cash register chimes)
So to conclude, try it all.
I mean all. Do what you want.
Let people live.
Show others that liking guys as a guy is totally fine.
And liking girls as a girl is totally fine.
And if any one has an issue with the way you
want to live your life then
find new people.
And besides that, it's pretty simple.
If you are gay, you're gay.
And if you're not, you're not.
And either way,
there is no more to say.
Representation of all kinds of gay.
Damon out. See ya.
You said we'd come back for wine.
Could you please clarify who you're waiting for?
Jo or Damon?
On the next episode of
Which one?
Why you trying to (speaks foreign language)
I don't know if you were counting change
or trying to get phone numbers.
It's like when you in Montreal, baby, no one know.