Mean Girls Star Told His Mother Was The Reason He Had 'Bisexual Thoughts'

Mean Girls actor Daniel Franzese has opened up about how he was talked into cutting off his mum as he underwent conversion therapy.

Franzese, 44, is best-known for playing the openly gay Damian in the hit 2004 film, and he is queer himself, but was not always comfortable with his sexuality.

In fact, at one point, 'the world around' him – more specifically his Catholic and Pentecostal Christian congregation – had him 'feel like being gay was not OK.'

A church pastor went on to recommend a conversion therapist and that's when he was 'brainwashed' against his own mum, who accepted him as he was.

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He told Page Six: "I went to one-on-one therapy sessions with a person who was trying to change me straight and make me pray the gay away and alienate all my allies.

"They told me to tell my mom that my mum was the reason that I was leaning toward bisexual thoughts or whatever because she was so open. They made me come out to my mum, who was literally like my best ally, and say, 'It's your fault.'"

The Mean Girls actor went on to cut contact with his mum for two months, but thankfully, they reconciled and grew closer than ever.

However, while Franzese played a gay character in the iconic naughties flick, he didn't come out himself until 2014 - and it was a fan of the movie who inspired him to do it.

The fan explained in a letter that, prior to the release of the film, they were bullied, but it stopped when their peers started comparing them to the loveable Damian.

"You made me popular in high school," the person wrote. "Thank you for giving me something in media that I can point to and say, 'That's me, and I'm proud.'"

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Franzese went on to come out in 2014 by writing a letter to his iconic character, wishing that he'd had a Damien himself to look up to when growing up.

He wrote in the IndyWire letter: "I was twenty-six; you were sixteen. You were proud of who you were; I was an insecure actor. You became an iconic character that people looked up to; I wished I'd had you as a role model when I was younger. I might've been easier to be gay growing up.

"I had the perfect opportunity in 2004 to let people know the REAL Daniel Franzese. Now in 2014 – ten years later – looking back, it took YOU to teach me how to be proud of myself again. 

"It’s okay if no one wants to sit at the table with the 'art freaks.' Being a queer artist is one of my favourite things about myself. I have always been different and that's rad. "

Topics: TV And Film

Emma Guinness

@guinness_emma