Shaun Ross, one of only a few high-profile models with albinism, saw a social media post go viral over the weekend when he discussed coming out to his grandfather.
On Threads, Ross, who is also an actor and a DJ, said, “I remember coming out to my grandpa a year before he passed. I was shocked by how he embraced me. I said, ‘Grandad, I’m gay,’ and he replied, ‘Well, can you cook?’ I said, ‘Not really.’ He laughed, ‘How do you expect to keep a man?’ He told me about gay men in 1950s Harlem who hosted dinners, dressed sharp, and had beautiful homes. He said they taught him so much about how to carry himself.”
The post by Ross, 33, has had many comments with followers sharing their own coming-out experiences.
“When my aunt and mother outed me to my very openly homophobic auntie, she was mad at how they violated agency, not that I was queer,” one follower responded.
“It gave us a chance to talk, and eventually, shocker, at 80-something, she listened to me and learned about how she’d been looking at things all wrong. Proof that age doesn’t have to be an excuse for bigotry, people can grow&change.”
Others admired Ross’ grandfather’s attitude.
“Grandpa said you can be gay, but not a scrub,” quipped one.
Others asked Ross if he followed his grandfather’s advice and learned to cook.
“Sure did,” replied Ross.
Ross, who announced his engagement to model and actor David Alan Madrick in August 2022, followed the post up with photos of them cooking together.
“For everyone asking if I cook now and if I have a man (based on that post about my grandpa’s advice on keeping a man when I was 19), the answer is yes. I’m 33 now, I love cooking, and I’m happily engaged.”