#150

no but actually this is making me so emotional. the contrast of these two versions of dan, ten years apart and side by side. the eyes that aren’t smiling laid over the mouth that’s perpetually beaming nowadays.

one version of him that’s deeply closeted and pretending to be straight. who’s scared his fame won’t last and makes the choices he feels like he has to make in order to find success. who, all the while, is quietly dealing with mental health issues behind the scenes.

the other version that’s living his truth, loudly and unapologetically. who casually talks about his internalized homophobia and depression. who dresses in skirts and fishnets on occasion and contemplates what kind of breast plate his drag persona would have. a version who is finally free to make whatever kind of content he wants to make with his boyfriend of sixteen years.

ten years ago, dan and phil’s faces separated by the pages of tabinof. now, their faces smushed together, shoulders overlapping, in their joint profile pic

This is Part 2, click here for Part 1!