“I was a very insecure, self-conscious kid, and as an artist even more so. I always assumed that my otherness was a curse — that I would be held back by my Asian and queer identities. My time online has shown me that the viewers will respond most to authentic storytelling.”
Hans Christian Anderson’s classic tale, The Ugly Duckling, tells the story of a young bird that is different from all the other young ducklings. He is mocked and bullied because of his differences. At the end of the story it turns out the young bird was different from all the common, ordinary ducks, because he is an elegant, beautiful swan. If the story were to be told using humans instead of birds, it would be the story of Eugene Lee Yang.
Eugene, the son of South Korean immigrants, was born and raised in the small Texas town of Pflugerville. Being from the only Asian family in town, he was mocked and bullied because he didn’t look like everyone else. He felt even more isolated because he was gay. As a result of being different from others, he struggled with body issues and a low self-esteem.
His artistic talents began to shine as he studied illustration, choir, dance, and theater. At the urging of a seventh-grade teacher, he took an interest in film-making. During his studies at the University of Southern California he honed his storytelling skills and wrote short films that tackled a variety of important social issues including mental health and gay marriage. Starting with his work on Buzzfeed, the world’s leading independent digital media company, which leverages data and innovation to reach hundreds of millions of people globally, and later as a member of the Try Guys ( a popular YouTube channel and an American online comedy series), he has continued using his cutting edge multimedia talents to help educate and inform people about biases, stereotypes, and social injustice.
In 2019 he created a music video entitled, I’m Gay to come out publicly as a gay man. With unparalleled immediacy and radical self expression, the video brilliantly reveals his story with vibrant colors, poignant scenes, and dance that runs the gamut from graceful to explosive. Yang’s all straight male, creative partners at Try Guys shared in funding the production of this emotional video, reaching out to their base of 6 million. As one commenter said, “I cannot even begin to express how much this video means to me and so many other queer people around the world, but I want to thank you. Your coming out has opened so many doors for so many people. It’s helped me to come to terms with my own queerness. Two years later and I still cry every time I watch this.” Continuing his efforts, he used the video as a call to help LGBTQIA+ youth and encouraged viewers to donate to the Trevor Project, the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth, an act that has raised nearly $150,000. Since then he has made other videos to help queer youth, including Buzzfeed’s Queer Prom video series.
He also works tirelessly to help end racism towards Asian people. His video, We Need To Talk About Anti-Asian Hate has raised over $600,000 for GoFundMe’s Stop Asian Hate campaign. He has produced several other videos that bring awareness to problems faced by Asian-Americans. He fearlessly tackles difficult or uncomfortable issues.
Just like the beautiful swan in Anderson’s tale, when seen for who he truly is, it is evident that Eugene Lee Yang is an amazing human, and the world is enriched by his many talents and better because of his efforts to help the “other” people know that they are important and valued.
“Eugene, beyond all doubt you may ever have, please know that you are one of the most beautiful human beings to have ever blessed the face of the planet. You are both inspiring and unbelievably gorgeous. I can only hope to grow to be half as truly wonderful a person you are. Never stop being you.”
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