Culture

Working On 9-1-1: Lone Star Inspired Ronen Rubinstein to Come Out As Bisexual


 

It’s commonly believed that when it comes to LGBTQ+ representation in Hollywood, the more diversity we see, the better; seeing queer characters on TV helps normalize our identities for the viewing public. But what if this trend worked in the other direction, too? What if, through playing queer roles, actors were allowed to realize things about themselves?

Such is the case for Ronen Rubinstein, a fan-favorite from Ryan Murphy’s FOX hit 9-1-1: Lone Star, who plays T.K. Strand, the gay son of Rob Lowe’s starring character, Owen Strand. A year and a half into playing his character, Rubinstein has accepted that he, like his character, is queer.

“I fully identify as bisexual,” Rubinstein told Variety in an interview published Wednesday. “I literally just got goosebumps saying that. It feels so good to talk about it. It feels so good to finally be comfortable with it.”

Rubinstein’s character has been embraced by fans, who have praised the network show for featuring a dynamic, nuanced queer character. A firefighter-cum-paramedic who is also in recovery for an opioid addiction, T.K.’s storyline is appropriately complex. Not to mention the fact that he gets to be in a healthy — and more crucially, steamy — relationship with police officer Carlos Reyes (played by the openly gay actor Rafael L. Silva). Fans are so supportive of the relationship that the pair were immediately coined “Tarlos.”

This welcoming response from Rubinstein’s fans ultimately gave him the courage to accept queer feelings that he had long repressed. “The fans, especially the Tarlos fans, it’s one of the biggest reasons that I finally felt safe and comfortable to talk about it and to finally embrace it and be happy about it,” he said.

 T.J. Osborne of Brothers Osborne in Los Angeles, CA

Before that, Rubinstein says he struggled with his queer identity. A native of the notoriously conservative New York borough of Staten Island, Rubinstein understandably always had reservations about his same-sex attraction, even though he’s been aware of it since at least high school.

“The biggest thing for me is where I come from. It’s like people like me and people who have identified as bisexual or gay or as any part of the community, you’re just not welcomed. It’s as brutally honest as that,” he told Variety. According to the actor, it was normal to be called a slur or “get your ass kicked” if you came out. Naturally, he was scared of this fate.

This fear was so ingrained, in fact, that when Lone Star premiered, Rubinstein was anxious about his family seeing it — specifically, a scene where T.K. and Carlos heavily make out and aggressively rip each other’s clothes off.

“It’s super hot and it just goes on. It just doesn’t stop,” the actor said. “I warned my parents and my friends for months. I said, ‘Listen, I understand if you guys don’t want to watch it. I understand you probably might say some really ignorant, close-minded stuff or you just might not want to watch it, and I get that too.’”

Luckily, Rubinstein had other people he could lean on as he entered this new chapter of his life. For guidance, he turned to show creator Murphy and castmate Silva. More importantly, however, the actor said he has been able to be open with his supportive girlfriend, The Flash actress Jessica Parker Kennedy, who was actually one of the first people who encouraged him to “be vocal” about his bisexuality and “live [his] truth.” The pair are still going strong, though sometimes Kennedy jokes, “Just don’t leave me for Harry Styles.”

As difficult as the decision was to publicly come out as bisexual, Rubinstein felt it was important to do so as a signal of hope to queer youth who may be struggling in the same way he once was.

“I want people to know that this is a hopeful and happy story. I want people to know that they’re not alone,” he said. “My path has not been easy at all, but it’s just one more thing that I can share with people to help them and let them know that I’m here for them.”

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