Garrett Clayton comes out to discuss ‘serious’ matters

Garrett Clayton —INSTAGRAM

Actor Garrett Clayton, who starred in Disney’s “Teen Beach Movie” and “Teen Beach 2,” recently came out of the closet as gay, in an Instagram post about a project that affected him profoundly.

Clayton, who also starred in “King Cobra” as a young gay porn actor, disclosed that he is dating another man, Los Angeles-based writer Blake Knight.

“When I read the script for ‘Reach,’ I immediately knew it was a film I had to be a part of,” the 27-year-old said. “I have personally dealt with suicide within my own family, intense bullying in high school, and—on top of it all—myself and the man I’ve been in a relationship with for a long time (@hrhblakeknight) have both experienced shootings within our hometown school systems, and have witnessed the heartache that takes place in affected communities after such tragic events.”

Clayton, whose recent theater projects include “God Looked Away” and “Sleeping Beauty and Her Winter Knight,” added, “These topics—not always easy to discuss—are close to my heart and, knowing how serious they are, I wanted to share this with you all… If watching it helps even one person, then it was all worth it.”

Posted on Knight’s page are photos of them together, and a message of thanks for the support given by Clayton’s fans.—OLIVER PULUMBARIT