21-year old, Randy Phillips, under his handle “AreYouSurprised,” calls his father to tell him — as the video description says — “the hardest thing that gay guys will ever have to say.”
“You promise you’ll always love me? Period?” he asks his father, his voice shaking.
He takes a beat, and then says it: “Dad, I’m gay. I always have been. I’ve known for … forever.”
Randy Phillips has been posting videos since April, but his account first drew real attention when he posted a video of U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Angie Johnson and "Sidewinder" of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command Band performing Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," a cover that was posted on August 8th and has now been seen
upwards of 1.5 million times:
AreYouSuprised was described as "
anonymous" in the press when the video was being circulated as all of his other videos were vlogs about his self-described experiences being gay in the military. Nearly all the videos are shot from the neck down, and here AreYouSuprised openly discusses his thoughts about hiding his identity.
Today marked the
official end of the military's "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, and AreYouSuprised posted a video he recorded calling his father to reveal his sexuality.
Before DADT Repeal, Gay Soldier Comes Out on YouTube
The video, which was filmed early this morning Germany-time, became one of today's top Trending Videos and is quickly drawing tens of thousands of views.
