In the new series Good Trouble, Tommy Martinez plays a polyamorous bisexual character named Gael. Now, in an interview with MTV News, he is speaking out about what the experience taught him.
“I learned as I research more about this character that even within the LGBTQ community bisexuality isn’t really accepted,” the 26-year-old says.
He continues, “That’s upsetting to me because it’s like you are working against the very same things that you are fighting for.”
“There’s still so much work to be done and to tell these kinds of stories.”
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Earlier this year, Martinez, who doesn’t identify as gay or bisexual, opened up about having a same-sex experience when he was a teenager.
Speaking to the Advocate in January, he said:
I had an experience with a man maybe 10 years ago and this is the first time that I’m saying that publicly. Throughout that whole time, I felt like I was put into the shadows, because the way that my community was, the way that they spoke about [LGBTQ people], [the] Hispanic community, it’s not only just them, but they are very religious and strict on what they believe it, but same with many other people in the world and here in America.
The way that they talked about homosexuality or even just experiencing something like that with slurs or what have you, my friend said the same thing, so I had nobody to talk to about [my own experience]. And I kept that inside the whole time until now.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BVvcnhYBK36/
In his interview with MTV News, Martinez also says that within his large Venezuelan family, sexuality was never really discussed when he was growing up.
“My parents, my sisters, and brother–they love the show,” he says. “Granted, it was something new to see me on screen hook up with a guy, but I told them this is the character and that’s that.”
“Some of my other family members questioned if I was really into the guy that I make out with on screen,” Martinez continues. “I used it a teachable moment, where I wanted it to be known that if I did [enjoy it] that it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“I feel really good about this character because it’s helping my family to understand that people live different lives.”
Related: Men talk candidly about “forced” bisexual encounters and the stigma surrounding bisexuality
Donston
The whole “bisexual identity and/or bi behaving people isn’t something that a decent percentage of ‘queers’ embrace” conversation isn’t meant for straight people. And it’s not really a conversation anyone should look to fully indulge unless they’re also willing to have a conversation about internalized homophobia, gay shame, hetero-leaning supremacy complexes, self-misogyny, self-misandry, attaching yourself to “queerness” and/or hetero-normalcy for ego or social or financial benefits, fluidity, effemi-phobia, what personally drives your sense of self and identity, sexual abuse, and the romantic, sexual, affection, relationship spectrum. Most people (particularly straight people) are ill-equipped to really indulge that type of layered conversation. Like a lot of other stuff, this a complicated individual and sociological topic, and it’s beyond a basic phrase on social media. But letting people live, respecting everyone’s identity/sense of self and not looking for other people to validate you are rules everyone should follow.
Wayne_in_NYC
How about you practice what you’re preaching Donston? Good Trouble is a great spinoff of The Fosters tv show which explored many issues of all kinds of sexuality, and they have continued that on this show as well. Marginalizing Tommy M. for making his statement or criticizing him as trying to take advantage of his role for personal gain is really not fair, given that he admits in the article that he himself did have a same sex experience 10 years ago and has carried that inside him all of these years due to the non-acceptance which you, yourself are throwing his way, albeit for different reasons. Shame on you! Thanks for adding your voice Tommy! You’re doing an excellent portrayal of an interesting character on the show!
Donston
No body marginlizing anyone. You need to be checking the people who are trying to force him to say he’s bi or the people who are telling him his same sex experience means nothing. I’m saying that too many want to throw out basic phrases on social media (especially straight and overall fairly straight-leaning people and especially when theyre promoting upcoming projects). And I’m kinda over it. I’m ready to have real, in depth convos about uncomfortable things, rather than hearing people regurgitate the same few basic lines. This is an uncomfortable and complicated topic. And unless it’s one that you’ve really done your research on and have a well developed perspective about it might be something you don’t touch. Better that than to throw out divisive phrases where you’re kinda blindly attacking people about a subject you don’t know much about. And of course orientation, identity and sexuality are complicated topics. That should go without saying.
thisisnotreal
Oh look, another post from donston about how complex and deep everything in existence is. Donston honey, I’m just waiting for the day you write a post about how your decision on what to eat for breakfast every morning when you wake up is “complex and deep with many layers”.
PoetDaddy
I’m not sure what a majority of LGBTQ think about bisexuality these days—I’m old and out of touch—but when I was coming out in the years just before and after Stonewall, bisexuality was widely seen as a copout by the politically minded. Mind you, I was part of a group of folks who identified as straight, gay, and lesbian who all had sex with each other at one time or another, in pairs and trios, so… what do I know?
Donston
It seems a lot of people are trying to get back to that way of thinking, where being “gay” or “straight” is more about a state of mind, overall preferences and who you want persistent love, affections and relationships with rather than something about homosexuality and heterosexuality. Some of what has happened in recent has made things better but some of it has just added greater division and convolution as more people than ever seem to allow their sense of self to be driven by sociology, politics and everyone else’s definition of things.
thisisnotreal
Lol do my eyes deceive me or did I just read a comment where good ol Donny boy aka the queen of making everything convoluted, called other people out for making things convoluted? Boy this is so rich it’s just got to be fattening.
Donston
I have to go into detail because people act like they don’t sh*t about orientation or sexuality or people in general and tend act either hostile or naive towards any opinion different from theirs. If everyone was allowed to just be there wouldn’t be any need for any of this.
Leeane314
As a bi woman whose primary attraction is to bi men I must agree. Women(lesbian bi and straight) seem to have some areas where narrow mind is ok…this is one!
OzJosh
Enough of this crap about how “bisexuality isn’t accepted” in the gay community. Nobody has trouble with genuinely bisexual guys. The frustration is with those who continue to hide behind bisexuality, pretending to be “bi”, “straight/bi” or “bi-curious” when they are clearly and demonstrably exclusively homosexual in every way that matters. That makes their version of “bi” nothing but an expression of deep homophobia, so gay guys have every right to have a problem with it.
Donston
It does seem that the greater percentage of the bi identifying people are more unlikely to embrace topics like internalized homophobia, obsession with hetero-normalcy, hetero-leaning superiority complexes, hetero-leaning worship or even the romantic, sexual, emotional, relationship spectrum. As long as people continue to avoid uncomfortable topics there will always be some division. And yes, too often bi, fluid, queer, etc. “pride” seems to be more an expression of separating yourself from “gayness” than about that particular identity or about wanting people to know that you’re not entirely hetero and looking for “queer clout”. These are unfortunate patterns we still see too often. However, perhaps most don’t fit into these categories. It’s just the bad apples that stand out.
Ultimately, everyone is different, what all these identities actually mean is always up for debate, and everyone’s sense of self is driven by different stuff. So, I can’t tell someone who they are and what they’re not.
dean089
Perhaps the first thing he should have learned is that within the LGBTQLMNOP ‘community’ the concept of acceptance overall is talked about a lot more than it’s actually done.
Aires the Ram
LGBTABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ—–Where does this nonsense end?
Everybody can have their own letter. With everyone clinging to their own “letter”, this is no “community” at all. What will we ever do with these 18-30 year old guys now, who are very aware of their own sexiness, who mess around with their buddies, who would rather hang with their buddies on Saturday night than have to dress up, spend lots of money on a restaurant and drinks, maybe a hotel room, all to perhaps not get any sex from a female, but in reality today, after all the dressing up and money spent, get accused of sexual assault if he dares put his hand on her shoulder? Lots of these guys are more homo than heterosexual on the scale, but won’t be associated with any of these ridiculous letters. As an older person who came out in the 70’s, having watched the gay ‘community’ go from clinging together to fight for our lives and our equal rights, to all the divisiveness we have today with all these letters, I’d say these young guys on are onto something pretty damn good.
Black Pegasus
Bisexuality is the biggest myth ever perpetrated by narcissist men and women. All of this sexual fluidity nonsense is just annoying. It’s okay to be a heterosexual male playing a gay role. You don’t have to virtue signal for the gay mafia.
Donston
I have experienced some fluidity throughout the years, and I have some dimensions in my orientation, especially in the sexual part of my orientation. So, no, these things aren’t myths. It is true however that most people (particularly men) know the type of person that they really want to be with at that time in their lives and know the person that they want persistent romantic, sexual, emotional affection from and a relationships with. Though even that isn’t always the case.
People do seem to be jumping on and hyping up this “he had a sexual experience with the same gender years ago” story as if almost everyone in Hollywood doesn’t have similar stories. While the fact that this is coming up when he’s trying to promote a “queer movie” does make it seem more desperate and egged on by promotion.
Heywood Jablowme
“Earlier this year, Martinez, who doesn’t identify as gay or bisexual,…”
Um, so in that case STFU.
Heywood Jablowme
Because that makes him just a straight dude pontificating about acting.
HE’S HOT THOUGH!
nitejonboy
Damn, whoever it was that got it in with him ten years ago is one lucky bastard, that mofo is fineeee!!
Donston
Even though he’s not quite my type I’d agree with that. However, thinking he bottomed is very presumptuous. Hell, based off how vague he was it could have been getting sucked or mutual handjobs.
CanadianGuy62
These comments are WAY TOO SERIOUS!!! He’s a total hottie!!! 🙂
enlightenone
A little bit of whiplash trying to get the point of this article. The best I can conclude is he is saying, though you gays may think I’m “hot” and had 1 homosexual experience 10 years ago when I was a (“hormonal”) teenager, don’t fantasize about me, ladies only!
DCguy
Meh, I don’t really give a crap about his comments. My issue is too many people screaming at everybody.
If somebody is bi, then happily go out and be Bi, and the rest of the LGTs, lay off them.
And in defense of the LGTs, the Bi folks are suffering some backlash because so many others used their label as a stepping stone to coming out, or as a B.S. P.R. move (Yes, I’m talking about every single female celeb who came out as “Bi” ONLY when they were in a long term relationship or marriage to a man and never showed any evidence they had EVER dated a woman. (Props to Gillian Anderson for not doing that).
So lay off the Bi people, and Bi people the backlash isn’t really about you, just against the people pretending to be you. (Just my opinion).
Aires the Ram
A couple of other observations I’ve had for a long time; the first is a rhetorical question, which is, aren’t there enough truly homosexual good looking actors out there to play the role of gay men in movies? Why does it usually seem to be a straight guy, who we end up objectifying and badgering about his “true” sexuality?
Secondly, I think we worry too much about whether another guy is gay/str8/bi, because when we as individuals get with a guy and have some sexual fun of some kind, do we really care what his true orientation is? It’s just you and him having some fun and getting off together somewhere isn’t it?