Living his most authentic life. Star Jones’ ex-husband, Al Reynolds, has come out as bisexual.
“Today, I accept myself as a bisexual man,” the Chicago-based attorney told Radar in a new interview published on Thursday, November 2. “Ever since I have been in the public eye, people have been speculating on my sexuality. And ‘speculating’ is a kind word for how it actually played out. With anger and disdain, people have ben calling me out as gay, closeted, a sham and even nastier; much nastier.”
The Wall Street executive, who split from 55-year-old Jones in 2008 after four years of marriage, explained that he is finally comfortable opening up about his sexuality “I have come to a point in my life where I am ready to discuss my truth,” he continued. “I wasn’t ready to do this then — I wasn’t even ready to think about it, let alone process it. To understand my journey and how I got to this point, you need to understand a little about me.”
Reynolds, the youngest of six children, revealed that he was born into a “deeply religious” Southern Baptist family and attended church regularly. “My life was filled with vacation bible school, missionary meetings, Sunday school, choir practice and youth ministry,” he noted. “Life was not nuanced or frivolous, nor did it allow any time for introspection. It was clear and proscribed, black and white, angels or sinners. And people who were intimate with others of their own gender were the worst of all within chance of redemption, or the glorious afterlife that I was taught awaited us all.”
“As a black man, that message and hate and homophobia were multiplied to the nth degree. I saw no path out that would resolve my personal feelings with my deeply held and ingrained religious beliefs,” he continued. “This internal dissonance was a powerful thing, like a cancer eating at one’s soul. This resulted in some tough times — homelessness, unemployment, dependence on drugs and alcohol, public assistance, and, at the center of it all, a deep, deep shame and a feeling of unworthiness of the love of God. I didn’t believe I deserved to live a good life, and I clearly didn’t.”
Reynolds then went on to say that his involvement in the business world helped him come to a realization that he would be more happy and fulfilled if he came out and lived as his most genuine self.
“I have learned that sexual orientation is not binary, at least for me,” he concluded. “I am capable of loving both sexes, and I have done both. My relationships, all of them, have been honest and based on my attraction to the other person. When I am in love I don’t equivocate, nor do I waver. I tell this story to both encourage my personal path, as well as give some small measure of hope to others that no matter your beginnings, no matter the obstacles, there is nothing so fulfilling and Godlike as living the life that was destined.”
