Arts & Entertainment
‘Andi Mack’ star Joshua Rush comes out as bisexual
The actor portrayed the first openly gay character on Disney Channel

Actor Joshua Rush has come out as bisexual.
The 17-year-old actor is best known for his portrayal of Cyrus Goodman on the Disney Channel series “Andi Mack.” Cyrus is the first openly gay main character on the Disney Channel.
Rush posted on Twitter that the first person to respond to his tweet is bi. He then responded to his own tweet writing “first! i win! it’s me. i’m bi. And now that I’ve said that, I have a few things to rant about. There are more important things to talk about than me liking a whole bunch of genders, but I do want to share a few things with you guys.”
first! i win! it's me. i'm bi. And now that I've said that, I have a few things to rant about. There are more important things to talk about than me liking a whole bunch of genders, but I do want to share a few things with you guys.
— joshua rush (@JoshuaRush) August 6, 2019
“I saw so many of you watch Cyrus come out and said “Hey! I can be me! How ironic, isn’t it, that me, playing that character, never had mustered up that courage?” Rush continued. “Instead of feeling the courage to tell you today that I am an out and proud bisexual man because of the character I played for four years, I feel that courage thinking of all of you, who felt emboldened by Cyrus to come out.”
Instead of feeling the courage to tell you today that I am an out and proud bisexual man because of the character I played for four years, I feel that courage thinking of all of you, who felt emboldened by Cyrus to come out.
— joshua rush (@JoshuaRush) August 6, 2019
Rush explained that while he was playing a character on television who was becoming open with his sexuality he still dealt with internalized homophobia in his personal life.
“I stuffed the existential crisis of talking about my sexual orientation into a box in my mind for years. Today, I release it into the world,” Rush tweeted.
I stuffed the existential crisis of talking about my sexual orientation into a box in my mind for years. Today, I release it into the world.
— joshua rush (@JoshuaRush) August 6, 2019
He ended his Twitter thread with a couple resources for his followers. He posted GLAAD’s resource on bisexuality saying that it helped him better understand his sexuality. Rush also encouraged his followers to donate to the Trevor Project.
I also want to ask you to donate to The Trevor Project, who are literally saving lives every day. Helping young LGBTQ+ voices feel heard and loved is utterly crucial.https://t.co/jAgqEukuyh
— joshua rush (@JoshuaRush) August 6, 2019
“Andi Mack” ended in July after three seasons. Its series finale included the first same-sex romance on Disney Channel between Cyrus and TJ (Luke Mullen).
The 2026 World Pride March was held on Saturday, Aug. 8 in Amsterdam. Tens of thousands of participants marched from Martin Luther Kingpark to the grounds of the Pride Village at Museumplein.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)








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The weekly drag show “Daddy Issues” was held at Kiki on Wednesday, Aug. 5. Performers included Evry Pleasure, Indiana Bones and Tiara Missou-Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)









Books
Something’s off about Dad. When is it time to step in?
‘When Memory Fades’ can help when families face dementia
‘When Memory Fades’
By Nathaniel Chin, MD
c.2026, St. Martin’s Essentials
$30/422 pages
Mom called you in a panic the other day.
She’d lost her keys and by the time you arrived to help, she’d found them. In the refrigerator.
These kinds of things keep happening, not often but often enough, and you don’t know quite what to worry about. But in the new book “When Memory Fades” by Nathaniel Chin, MD, you’ll learn about the journey ahead, for both of you.
You can’t remember why you walked into a room. You got lost last week, going to the bank. Popular wisdom says that things like that are normal as we age, but Chin says that’s not true – although the answer may not be a worst-case scenario, either. Yes, memory problems could just be signs of stress, dehydration, or lack of sleep – or is it time to see a doctor?
Chin says maybe, yes.
He was working his way through medical residency when his father, a geriatrician in Madison, Wisc., was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Chin, now a geriatrician, was blindsided, but that diagnosis also changed his life.
Here, he writes about the brain, and how Alzheimer’s and dementia are diagnosed, explaining that dementia has many faces and, depending on a doctor’s evaluation, memory problems might be slowed or improved. He shares his father’s illness with readers, but he also writes about his mother, a steadfast, steady caretaker.
Her story reminds reader-guardians to care for themselves, too.
Know how to talk the talk, so that you can have “a more productive” conversation with your doctor. Understand that there’s nothing “normal” about dementia or Alzheimer’s. Know the statistics – African Americans are affected with dementia twice as much as whites – and know how to lower your risks. Learn here what questions to ask, how to break the news to everyone, and any legal matters that will be important soon. And know how to tend to you.
Says Chin, “The best action you can take is to educate yourself… The more you understand, the better equipped you are to make sound judgments.”
Something’s off about Dad, just a lot of little things that don’t add up. When is it time to step in? “When Memory Fades” can help you decide.
Wise, wide-spread, comprehensive, and compassionately helpful, this is a book you can read and then take it to the doctor with your loved one. It’s a book that makes sense when nothing else does, and its biggest feature is that it smoothly transitions from easy-to-grasp science and charts, to gentle coaching for caregivers. Author Nathaniel Chin, MD writes with storytelling, humility, grace, and experience from both sides of the Alzheimer’s/dementia issue, and his words are reassuring but also urgent. Learn, but don’t wait, he says. Know how to safeguard yourself. See your doctor, and don’t fear testing. Watch for signs of depression. And never, ever stop asking for help.
Read those last seven words, and find “When Memory Fades” now. It’s a book to have on your shelf, whether you’re 45 or 95 because, as you’ll see, dementia happens and knowledge is key.
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