Date: Fri, 20 Jan 1995 09:08:55 -0500
From: David B. O'Donnell <atropos@aol.net>
To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS <GLB-NEWS@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
Subject: COMEDIAN JASON STUART CAREER AFTER COMING OUT (fwd)

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THIS WAS COMPILED FROM NEWS WIRE DISPATCHES

Date: Wed, 18 Jan 95 7:10:04 PST

         PITTSBURGH  - Actor-comedian Jason Stuart came out
of the closet on the ``Geraldo'' show, and the disclosure
launched him straight ahead to the top.
         The announcement in 1993 not only threw Stuart into the
limelight but also marked the beginning of a full-time vigil.
         ``I want to be out for gay and lesbians of the future. So
that they can see that someone like me can play gay and straight
roles at the same time that I am known as a gay man,'' Stuart
said in a recent telephone interview.
         ``Once you're out, you'll never want to go back in,'' said
the 29-year-old who was born in the Bronx but has resided in
California since he was a year old.
         While Stuart is not the first performer to come out of the
closet, he is one of the few who pronounced his homosexuality
after pretending to be straight for his audiences for eight
years. His before-and-after experience is a success story.
         ``Most of the time the audiences are fabulous and
supportive. I'm much funnier, I write better, I'm a better
person and I'm easier to talk to,''  he said.
          The admission has opened several doors. ``I tour constantly
and because of my coming out, this year I guested on ``Murder
She Wrote,'' ``seaQuest'' and ``The John Larroquette Show,'' he
said.
         Stuart's ``I'm Out ... Jealous!'' show is now at The Funny
Bone Comedy Club in Pittsburgh and runs until Friday.
         Stuart also landed a cameo role in ``A Sailor's Tattoo,'' a
film produced by IRS Media/Cyberfilms Inc. starring Alexandra
Paul and Grace Jones.
         Back in the 1980s, Stuart was pursuing a career in acting
until his manager Catherine Jones suggested in 1985 that he try
out comedy.
         ``I was starting to make headlines, but I felt like I was
always hiding,'' he said, referring to the fact that he
concealed he was gay.
         Stuart's parents, who were divorced when he was 17, and his
brother were supportive of his public disclosure. His sister, an
Orthodox Jew, however has been unable to accept it. Stuart
incorporates this theme into his act, in which he shares many
anecdotes of his life.
         Stuart said a weight problem and his sexual orientation
often made him feel like an outsider when he was younger.
         He said coming out has given him a sense of power.
         ``Not only my career, but my entire life has changed. I feel
open and I don't feel like someone's going to tap me on the
shoulder and get me in trouble,'' he said.
         He is involved in several gay advocacy groups and sees
himself as a messenger in a prejudiced society.
         ``Why are certain jobs designated for heterosexuals and
homosexuals? Why can't a gay guy play an explosives expert,
instead of hairdressers and interior decorators?'' he said.
         Educating children about homosexuality is another priority
of Stuart's.
         ``Prejudice is taught, not something we're born with. It's
important to educate children about homosexuality because when I
was 11 I realized I wasn't straight and it was conveyed that I
was bad,'' he said.
         Stuart says coming out puts him and other gay people in a
better position to fight stereotypes and ignorance.
         ``We live in a prejudiced world but at least now I can fight
back,'' he said.