Ronen Rubinstein of 9-1-1: Lone Star coming out as bisexual is the “own stories” we need

Ever since 9-1-1: Lone Star premiered in 2020, it has given us a chance to see a lot of diversity on our screens. And one of our favorite TV couples to come out of the show is the affectionately known Tarlos, made up of Ronen Rubinstein’s T.K. Strand and Rafael L. Silva’s Carlos.

For some people, it has been nice to see a loving gay couple on our screens. And now we know that this is truly a case of “own stories” (the idea that actual gay, lesbian, bisexual, etc. people are telling their stories). While it was already a great storyline with Silva being an out, gay man, now it just feels more impactful.

As Variety is reporting, Rubinstein has come out as bisexual, in part thanks to his work on 9-1-1: Lone Star. In an exclusive interview with the outlet, the actor explained that working on the show has allowed him a chance to get comfortable with who he is as a person and that means admitting that, “I fully identify as bisexual.”

Ronen Rubinstein comes out as bisexual

In his interview, Ronen Rubinstein explained,

"The biggest thing for me is where I come from, it’s like people like me and people who have identified as bisexual or gay or as any part of the community, you’re just not welcomed. It’s as brutally honest as that. It’s either you faced insane amounts of profanity, like the F-word was thrown around all the time or you would get your ass kicked if you were gay. So there was definitely a fear of sort of embracing how I felt. I was definitely more aware of it in high school. I was aware of my feelings and how I started looking at men, but I couldn’t talk to anybody about it."

Whether it was actually playing T.K. Strand, the acceptance of the fans and how they embraced Tarlos or a combination of the two, it is clear that Rubinstein is embracing who he is as a person. And we are loving that journey for him.

For fans of 9-1-1: Lone Star, we love the characters as much as we love the actors and actresses who play these parts. At the same time, the representation that this show brings to our screens is so important. It is what makes the series special and has us coming back for more.

Ronen Rubinstein himself has said that his coming out is because “I want people to know that they’re not alone and it’s definitely okay.”

With his coming out, he is another visible face for queer youth to look up to and to know that they are not alone. For some of us, it is even more important because Rubinstein is bisexual and represents those of us who have felt alone and even invisible.

We need more “own stories” in our lives and 9-1-1: Lone Star is definitely leading the charge in making sure that we are all represented on TV.