Randy Roberts Potts, the grandson of
televangelist Oral Roberts, has said he considered suicide before
coming out gay.
Potts has previously said he was
ostracized for divorcing his wife in 2006 and was denied a seat in
the family's seating section at his grandparent's funerals.
During an appearance on cable OWN's The
Rosie Show, Potts told host Rosie O'Donnell that he was depressed
prior to his coming out.
“I didn't use the word gay for myself
until I was 27,” Potts said. “I'd been suicidal for a few years.
I wanted to die. I was conflicted day and night. And finally there
was just this moment where … it's like it just came out … I'm
gay, I said it out loud. And for a few days it was like the most
amazing few days of my life. And then just the reality came crashing
down on me. You know, I'm married. I have these kids. I love my
wife. I love my kids. What does it mean? And then I went back into
depression for a while.”
After the divorce, Potts said, he
realized that he had done the right thing.
“It was immediately confirmed that it
was the right thing. And I was able to be myself.” (The video is
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