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Cat Cora Struggled With Being a Gay Teen

Cat and Jennifer Cora. They both used to be blonde.
Cat and Jennifer Cora. They both used to be blonde. Photo: Patrick McMullen

Iron Chef Cat Cora spoke out yesterday, via Larry King Live’s blog, against gay bullying in schools. Cat’s personal essay is part of the It Gets Better Project started recently by writer Dan Savage in reaction to the recent suicides of several gay teenagers. Cora talks about being gay in the South, and about being bullied in high school, even though no one knew she was gay. “I was a cheerleader, fairly popular and considered straight. An older girl who unknowingly hated me and had a locker right next to me, tortured me mercilessly every single day. She threatened to beat my ass, have her friends beat the hell out of me and yes, the word ‘kill’ came up.” So tell a gay kid near you: Even lipstick lesbian celebrity chefs who could pass for straight once had a rough go of it too. And it gets better.

Chef Cat Cora on bullying [LKL/CNN]

Cat Cora Struggled With Being a Gay Teen