Omar Apollo Opens Up About When He First Realized He Was Gay

Omar Apollo, we feel you!

T: The New York Times Style Magazine features a new interview between two gay Mexican American stars — singer Omar Apollo and fashion designer Willy Chavarria — and in it, the two get personal about being closeted in high school and what it took them to come out.

After talking about their similar childhoods and how they both got into their careers, Chavarria described his high school years.

“This is crazy — right before I went to high school, I was like, ‘I’m going to be the most sought-after kid in school.’ I went in and dated Susie, I dated Veronica, I was the homecoming king, boom, boom, boom. I did it all in high school and then, as soon as it was over, I left,” he revealed. “I didn’t even know I wanted to do fashion at that point. I just needed to be around other creative people because, where I was, there were very few. I knew I needed to be free and, to be honest, my sexuality wasn’t fully realized until, well, way after Susie.”

When he asked if Apollo was out in high school, he completely rejected the idea.

“No, I didn’t even know I was gay,” he said. “OK, I did – but not really. I was 17 when it really hit me, and I remember I was in the shower like, ‘Damn, that’s crazy.’”

Chavarria followed up by asking if Apollo came out at that point, to which the Grammy-nominated singer replied, “No, I just made music about… things.” We certainly know what those things are!

For some of us, it takes a little more time to realize our queerness, and that’s okay! We’re just happy that Apollo got there and is able to be his best, freest, and sexiest self.