Nick Sturniolo on How He Knew He Was Gay 

It's interesting how some gay people will subconsciously bury the feelings to fit in when they were younger. When I was 12 my older brother's friend stayed with us one summer after he got out of the army. He was 20 and stayed in my room since it had twin beds. He slept in the nude and several times I'd woke up to find he'd moved the covers off during the night (it was summer after all). My 12 year old brain exploded and I didn't know what was going on, but I still didn't realize what it meant until well into my high school years. Even then I tried to make myself think it was just a phase until after I graduated.

This kid is 15 years younger than me and has a very similar story to mine... Although I will say the calling things "gay" as a negative was happening during my highschool years, not third grade. Came out when I was 16, but when I was in second grade I was vocal and unapologetic about my absolute love for Zac Hanson... So they should've seen it coming.

Fascinating story and situation as a triplet.

nick content is just so 🫡🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🤞

What Nick says about feeling like he was "the only one" is of course something that almost all gay kids experience. But it was definitely heightened by the fact that he was living 24/7 with two other boys who were virtually carbon copies of himself and who (supposedly) processed and reacted to things in the same way that he did. Knowing as he did that there was a distinct difference between him and his brothers must have been a very tough pill to swallow at first and it probably made him feel uncomfortable and strange. I'm glad he emerged emotionally intact from that situation, and also that his brothers have been so accepting of him. That speaks well of their upbringing.

I remember when I first realised I was gay. There was never any angst or suppression of my sexuality, I believe it took some time to legitimately develop when I was about 12-15. Went through a phase where I knew I wasn't straight but was only physically attracted to men while physically/romantically attracted to women. Then I had my first crush on one of my good friends at the time when I was about 16 and that's when I started to become physically/romantically attracted to men while only romantically attracted to women. It only took about 6-8 months after that to only be attracted to men and not women, and that's when I knew for sure I was gay. It's interesting because I never tried to suppress anything - even at 12 yrs old, I was very open with myself about who I was. I didn't feel like anyone "deserved" to know my sexuality, and they would find out if I told them or they could speculate.

I knew I was attracted to men since the age of 6. I wasn't sexually/emotionally attracted to men until after puberty. I've never been attracted to women other than as friends. All of my thoughts felt natural to me. I never thought of them as "intrusive" or unnatural. I knew the problem wasn't me.

Some gay people know such as myself since age 12 some don’t discover it till later. What matters is you find yourself eventually. It may take time but it will happen

My sister would tell her boy friends " my brother is gay." Then somehow, she would invite 2 guys to the house for a date. She intended to give me one. That was a hit mess. The guy that paid more attention to me, I picked. She went out with the other. What a life.😊

At age 53 now, coming from a traditional Irish Catholic background in Rural Ireland in the 1980’s where being gay was a big taboo, it was much more difficult for me as I was raised an only child and amid traditional Catholic concepts about “bad company” and “occasions of sin” in any contacts outside of the immediate family circle, to uphold the good name of the parish and the family, where the local Catholic Parish priest, the local doctor and the police seargent ruled our village with a Rod of iron - I had no friends in school, in fact I was intensely bullied, was labelled as “mad” and “not right in the head” when I first came out - in fact, my parents reaction to my coming out was to frogmarch me to the Parish priest to confess to the sin of being gay, then to be told in no uncertain terms by the police seargent that I was “not well and not right in the head” and to go to the doctor - I endured pills and severe corporal punishment to cure me of being gay, but then, the gay people I met on the Dublin gay scene, especially other gay men, were totally unaccepting, bitchy, catty and judgemental and this continued up until after I’d moved to the U.K. in 2002 where I had the same reaction - although now reconciled with my family in Ireland, I cut all ties with and support from the gay community 18 years ago here in the U.K. and I’ve become a traditional Catholic and an Irish patriot, involved in the Irish truth and patriot movement since Covid, despite my autism diagnosis in 2021, even though some in the Irish truth and patriot movement (understandably) don’t accept my gay identity due to their traditional Irish Catholic beliefs

I recall feeling attraction for the same gender in first grade around age seven. Then by age nine those feelings became more developed around the thoughts of intimate acts and I knew I was gay and kept it quiet to everyone till about 16, and then only close trusted family and friends.

You are finding yourself. Breather. No pressure. So, you do you. BEST WISHES .... find ALL you can be

Love ❤😂it for nick. Here for u nick in support 🎉🎉 . I am a fan of urs and ur brothers Chris and Matt. Want the best for you in life nick

I went to this church camp for the first time with my friend. I must’ve been like 9 or 10. The camp areas were separated with boys and girls in separate areas. One of the counselors that stayed our cabin was also the drummer in the band. He was like in his late teens, I’m guessing 17-19. I had the biggest crush on him the whole time. I’ve had crush-like feelings towards boys before but I didn’t really recognize it as that until later. This time was very obvious to me. I just found everything about him very appealing. I would find any excuse to talk to him. Honestly, a lot about that week really opened my eyes to the fact that I liked boys in more than just a friendly way. Not to mention my friend’s crazy friend ran from the showers back to the cabin naked, without the counselors noticing lol. It’s kind of ironic how all this happened at a Christian camp.

I knew I was gay at 9... Except I didn't know what gay, homosexual or straight were! I just knew guys my age turned me on on another level. I even thought the other guys in my class were not developed yet, because they didn't get excited in the showers after physical ed. Instead they childishly wanted to bother the girls 😅 It was years later that I learned that straight was normal and gay was really really really really bad (mid 1990s, southwest Europe). Then, I went to a phase of denial (after having known for few years already) and was in the closet until too late, tbh. Having had positive representation or some acknowledgement that it's ok to be gay, would have helped to have a better life for so many years. I just don't want new generations to go through the same: representation in media comforts and brings understanding to gay kids, it does not "convert" the straight ones

What a beauty!🥰🥰🥰

I am a middle-aged gay person, and I admire him.

1:55 Missouri: Hold my beer

I am of an older generation and my time, my country, being gay wasn't even a concept ever talk about (positively or negatively), People just don't openly talk about sex, str or otherwise. Since internet was a new thing in my teens, I don't even realized what gay is (it's also a time when TV only started to mention there is such a concept), I figure out when I realized I only ever check out guys, never girls. And I have fetishes long before I realized what they are, or what sex is. Figuring it out when there is no negative stigma or preconception to be had, makes things a lot easier.

His story is a VERY common one.

In my high school years, I would dream of doing intimate acts with my close male friends. I genuinely thought it was just a phase, a mess of teenage hormones. However, I would go to college, and the sheer beauty of two of my male teammates took me aback. Subconsciously I knew something was up. However, my teammates knew before I did, and they crafted our conversations to imply that I was gay. It wouldn’t be until March of my freshman year of college when I finally accepted that I was gay. I bless the souls of my teammates, who always supported me the entire time and never treated me poorly because of my sexual confusions

I think sometimes we forget that people are not their partners. I get that totally feeling like liking the other gender when in your head Person A = Person B, so you confuse that. It's not that you don't know they are separate people but you kinda think of them as a pair.

He is beautiful!😘

I knew i was different when i was 5 just did not know what to call it i came out at age 14. And i m 66 now

love nick sm KABSJSBSJ

How many times does he say( like).

👏👏👏

“ Hey everybody its me Jim”

I totally get that

He's super sexy

I see gay people call people gay "negatively" all the time. It's like if you're gay, you're excused to do it, even if you're doing it with the intention of mocking someone, whether they're part of the community or not. So, I guess this whole thing is more complex than just deflecting, honestly.

2:18

imagine telling someone you like them and they tell you you’re wrong and gay

Someone count how many times he used the word "like." :*D

I have no idea who this Nick is (no, really I don't know. I'm from Europe and 52. Why should I know?) His story is nice to listen to.

You know, he like would like get like through like a like story like much like quicker like if like he like didn’t like say “like” so like much. 😉😉😂😂

how many "like" did he just say?

I can’t take how much he says “like”.

I don't know this guy, but I like his personality. I would date him. But he doesn't have a solo Instagram. Wonder if he has a Snapchat?

How many times can you say " like" in one sentence. Like, millions?

Oh this girl told him and then she told everybody else

I’m gay ik bc I like this guy call Venice but somebody else like him

Who is this guy and why is he popping up in my feed all of a sudden?

The smarmy host feels he must play best buds with the guest to show empathy.

I knew for sure in K grade that I enjoyed seeing the other guys at the urinals, and back then, there wasn't all the pee shyness/modesty like now, so it was all the trough-style urinals. We looked at and compared pickles and had peeing contests. I saw my first guys with foreskins back then, which blew my mind. It was the coolest thing. Being that age, we just thought you came with them, or without them, you know, like innies or outies bellybuttons. The odd thing is that my best friend, who had been best friends since we were 10, was killed in a car crash. I loved him very much, but after he died, I lost all attraction for guys, ended up married to a woman, and had 3 children, which was 26 years ago.

like like like like like like like like like like like like like like

NO MORE 'like this, like that' in speech, please!! Is it too much to, like, ask?

Must be where you live. Midwest; there is strong homophobia and derogatory comments or judgements.

Every time he said, "me and her," I wanted to scream, "SHE AND I!!!" God, I'm old.

I’m thinking perhaps the “gay voice” and hand gestures might have been a big clue?

I confess that I wonder what would happen if he finds the right guy...but the guy just wants to talk about potatoes.

Not trying to stereotype but his tone or speaking tone is gay, a dead giveaway. Beautiful guy anyway

You know you're gay and it's hard to fake, but sometimes you can't be honest when you're famous. Cuz sometimes you might not get the rolls in one box

🩷🩷🩷😊

like

Its something they can overcome

Ffs, stop saying ‘like’! 😡

i want that peach though

What a weird question.

I was never around gay people, i just knew i was gay like i knew my hair was dark or my own ethnicity. Zoomers really are far from being the brightest gen i swear to god. It wasn’t ironic you were just making up issues to attract attention from your family to your own orientations because one way or another even if we have accepting families, our extended family might not and the rest of the world isn’t necessarily either and just hearing shit str8 people say casually growing up is a mindfck to a growing young gay individual. You didnt have a crush on her she was just a friend, friends are like siblings. Gen Z really aren’t the brightest people generation. Thats why they had to rename friendship platonic love romantic relationships. She probably was close enough to his core people but not close enough as to where he couldnt tell her stuff without her going back and telling the family and he probably doesnt have sisters and growing up with brother probably made him feel uncomfortable to share his feelings wherther it was reality or in his head. ‘Gay’ men like him make me uncomfortable as a gay man cus they skew what it means to be gay and irremediably perpetuate c.therapy talking points and people like zach haggle at it cus it fits with their str8 pov, even tho the guy specified that it wasn’t for a long period or even really defining anything at that point cus even she knew he didnt have any feelings for her because he most probably didnt act like he even cared for her like that.

Props for embracing his God-endowed identity rather than being a lemming-pleasing poser.

what kind of stupid question is this really

This is a great example of why we should no be putting kids on hormones (or contemplating surgery) until early to mid 20's when our brain is fully developed. We don't and can't truly know ourselves until then.

Who is he?