Logan Paul Says 'Go Gay' Was No Joke But Won't Clarify Intent

Controversial YouTube personality Logan Paul pulled back on insensitive comments he made on his podcast earlier this month when he said, "We're gonna attempt to go gay for just one month." After being roasted on social media for illustrating his ignorance around the experience of being queer, he admitted the statement was a "poor choice of words." But even as Paul sat down with an LGBTQ activist on his most recent episode of ImPaulsive to unpack the outrage leveled at him for saying he could "go gay," the YouTuber made contradictory statements about his understanding of what LGBTQ people endure.

"Being gay is cool to me. I think that is a very cool thing," Paul told gay Air Force veteran and LGBTQ activist Josh Seefried during a conversation about why the "go gay" comments were problematic.

"It is incredibly courageous, noble, if you are a gay person to come out and put your foot down and defy society and say, 'No. This is who I am. This is me.' There is nothing more beautiful than being yourself," Paul added.

The conversation came as a result of an episode of ImPaulsive from early January when Paul vowed to attempt sobriety and veganism for spurts of time as part of 2019 and also said, "So it's male-only March. We're gonna attempt to go gay for just one month."

The comment spurred so much backlash that GLAAD tweeted at Paul saying, "That's not how it works."

That's when the attention grabber, who sparked outrage last year when he posted a video he'd taken of a dead body in Japan's Aokigahara Forest, where many people have died by suicide, invited GLAAD to join him on his podcast to discuss the issues with his "go gay" statement.

He ended up inviting Seefried, who roundly critiqued him on Twitter, to the podcast where Seefried called on Paul to clarify whether he is actually intending to explore his sexuality or if the "go gay" comment was intended as a joke.

"If I want to hook up with dudes for a month in March, I can't do that?" Paul baited.

"Going gay is not a choice," Paul later said. "I understand you can't just go gay, but if I want to experiment with men for a month during March, how would you describe that action?"

Seefried then told him that exploring one's sexuality is completely legitimate but that if Paul intends to actually do so and not just drum up attention then he should articulate that. But Paul dissembled throughout the 52-minute podcast and never clarified his intentions.

The Air Force veteran also explained that joking about queerness leads to the kind of bullying he experienced as a child. He called on Paul to refrain from making capricious statements. He then turned to Paul's on-air straight cisgender male cohorts and told them they should have stood up to Paul for making the "go gay" remarks.

"We need to be accountable as men to each other to say, 'Hey, this is not OK,'" Seefried said.