As for the importance of Pride, the actor explained why the celebratory occasion is needed across the globe. As he told E! News, “It’s really important to celebrate Pride because there are kids out there who may not be able to and are too afraid to share their experiences and too afraid to feel like they can exist in this world that is really it’s very difficult.”
In fact, he related his present-day advice to his own upbringing. “I grew up in a town, a really small town [Andale, Kansas] where I didn’t know if I was ever going to be able to share this,” he said. “And there’s just a whole different life out there. And I think whenever they see people being out and open and proud of who they are—I really think that that can show you that there is that light out there for you as well.”
Colton concluded, “It’s really important to celebrate and share your own experiences because there are people out there who are struggling and feel like they’ll never be able to be their authentic selves. And I think that the more that we do our best to live openly and show that we are not ‘bad’ or that once we show that we are real people, I feel like it’ll give the people the feeling to exist on their own and to be who they are.”
