June is here, and this can only mean one thing — Pride month. 

While most people ring in the colorful month by introducing rainbow hashtags and story rings on social media platforms, some choose to look back on their coming out moments. 

One such person is Twitch streamer AustinShow, who took to Twitter on June 1, 2022, to celebrate the second anniversary of his coming out. 

“Happy Pride to my fellow LGBTQ+! This month I’m celebrating 2 years of being openly gay,” said the streamer.

For the first 25 years of his life, he was not comfortable with his sexuality or telling anyone he was gay, but now he was proud to share it with everyone. 

He also had a sweet message for his fellow LGBTQ+ family. “No matter who you are, you’re valid & loved.”

His friends and fans sent a lot of love his way, and in the follow-up tweet, he thanked everybody for their wishes.

AustinShow Comes Out as Gay

In April 2020, AustinShow officially came out via his Twitch Livestream and Twitter. 

At first, the streamer didn’t feel the need to come out and address his sexuality openly, but when he hopped on Reddit, he realized there were misconceptions about him. 

Users on Reddit thought he was lying because he had lied about his identity. 

For the unversed, AustinShow was previously known as Rajj Patel, even though that was not his real name. 

AustinShow addresses his sexuality by coming out as gay on Twitter

AustinShow addresses his sexuality by coming out as gay on Twitter. (Source: AustinShow/Twitter)

But in 2020, he ditched his online persona after realizing it was inappropriate and offensive to the Indian community. 

“People on Reddit were like, ‘well you know he was faking being an Indian for many years so I think this is [being gay] his new fake plot for views.’ So it is important that I came out, so I did. Read the tweet,” said the streamer. 

He thanked everyone for the love and support he received via DMs and relayed his message to people still in the closet. 

While he understood that coming to terms with one’s sexuality was difficult, he encouraged individuals to be unapologetic and unashamed of who they were. 

AustinShow on Coming to Terms with His Sexuality

And while he was encouraging, the streamer had difficulty coming to terms with his sexuality before he came out. 

During an episode of Attack of the Show: The Loop, the G4TV host opened up about his sexuality and the journey he had taken to be comfortable with it. 

His friend and host Kevin Pereira had shared a joke the Twitch streamer allegedly told him before filming, claiming that “being gay [was] his brand.”

AustinShow clarified he came out publicly on Twitter when he was 25, but he had told his loved ones a year earlier. 

For the streamer, it was a journey of self-discovery and denial. He thought he was straight for years because society had ingrained in him that he would end up with a woman. 

“I had a very liberal family, but people talked about my relationships with people in the future and it was a woman. It’s like, ‘OK, so I’m straight,’” shared the streamer. 

He was too young to comprehend what he was feeling at the time. But as a fully grown adult, it appears AustinShow now better understands who he is.