Film critic and YouTube star Chris
Stuckmann came out as pansexual last week.
In a video posted on his YouTube
channel, Stuckmann, 32, also discussed his troubled upbringing as a
Jehovah's Witness.
“I am pansexual,” Stuckmann told
his viewers. “If you don't know what pansexuality is, essentially
you are attracted to all genders. And that's me.”
“When I first told my wife about
this, she was welcoming. She is demi-pan, and so she was actually
very excited. And, if anything, this has made our relationship even
better and more open.”
Stuckmann said that he was facing
disfellowship from the church over his YouTube channel, which the
church had pressured him – under the threat of disfellowship – to
shut down as a teen.
“I couldn't just say the Jehovah's
Witnesses were forcing me to shut down my YouTube channel, which is
exactly what was happening,” he said.
Stuckmann eventually left the church.
But disfellowship goes further, severing all ties the former member
had to the church and its members, including friends and family.
“I referred to myself publicly as
straight for a long time because I was afraid of being officially
disfellowshipped and losing my family,” he said, adding that his
family will likely cut ties with him if he's removed from the
church. “So, now that I probably will be, fuck it.”
“One of my New Year's resolutions was
to be as honest about myself as possible. And I have definitely kept
that resolution,” he said.