Zach Zyskowski, a producer on ABC
Family's Becoming Us, discussed his coming out as a teen in a
recent HuffPost Live interview.
The reality series Becoming Us,
which premiered in June, centers on the Lehwald family of Evanston,
Illinois, whose father comes out as a transgender woman.
The series from Ryan Seacrest
Productions ended its 10-episode first season on August 10.
Zyskowski said that he grew up in a
small town between Sacramento, California and Tahoe and was the first
openly gay student in his high school.
“I remember I came out as a freshman
in high school and the first day I came out I was thrown in front of
a bus,” Zyskowski said. “And I remember walking down the street
and – I knew that there was a possibility that could be unsafe but
I never realized that somebody could, you know, drive by throw rocks
out the car at me and call me a faggot.”
“So, it's really important that we
take this dialogue and those of us who have an ability to change the
conversation into one of inclusiveness and acceptance,” he added.
Zyskowski shared his story on the eve
of Sunday's National Coming Out Day, the annual awareness day
recognizing the LGBT community.