Van Hansis, born Evan Vanfossen Hansis,
has come out gay.
The 32-year-old actor is best known for
playing Luke Snyder on the long-running CBS soap opera As The
World Turns. Soon after Hansis took over the role in 2005, his
character came out gay. Hansis played the role until the end of the
show's run in 2010.
Hansis, one of the best known actors on
the gay web series EastSiders, discussed his sexual
orientation for the first time publicly in an interview with
EastSiders creator Kit Williamson for Southern California gay
glossy The
Fight.
“You were out in your personal life,
but you didn't speak out about your sexual orientation at the start
of your career. What was your hesitation?” Williamson asked.
“I guess it was a combination of a
lot of things – it was my first job, it was a different time back
then in regards to LGBT stories being told – I mean, the Luke story
was groundbreaking at the time,” Hansis answered. “Now, I think
every remaining soap has a gay storyline. I was completely green,
fresh out of college, and honestly, I was scared.”
Hansis added that he's been out in his
private life since 16.
Over the weekend, a
kickstarter campaign to fund a second season of EastSiders
surpassed its $125,000 goal. Production is expected to begin over
the summer.