It discussed real issues that much of society only discussed behind closed doors: AIDS, race, gender, class, alcoholism, religion, abortion and most of all, sexuality. Every year, from its inception, "The Real World" had at least one gay, lesbian or bisexual member in the cast.

In the most recent installment of the show, we met Danny Roberts, a handsome, 23-year-old, recent graduate of the University of Georgia, in Athens. He looked like your average American young man, and he was, but with a twist. Not only was Danny openly gay, but we quickly learned that his boyfriend was in the military. Once again, "The Real World" was entering uncharted territory. With Paul's face obscured, Danny and Paul would do for "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" what Pedro and Sean did for AIDS only a few years before. It made a subject that most of us only read about real.

I had the opportunity to talk with Danny and we caught up on his life before, during and after "The Real World."

Wilson Cruz: How's it going with you and Paul?

Danny Roberts: Well, where I'm living is kind of a secret so you can't print that, but Paul is stationed here and we're living together.

Are you still in "cheese bliss" as quoted on "The Real World's" official Web site?

Yeah, I'm in cheese bliss, Velveeta style.

How much longer do you have there?

Paul's going to be out before the end of the year and then we're moving to the West Coast. I just don't like Los Angeles, so definitely not L.A.

I guess that means no more acting for you?

I pretty much got over that back in December when I was on "Dawson's Creek."

Why is that?

A) I'm not an actor, and B) It's just not me. Basically, when my manager first came to me to talk about it, I said I don't really know about this, it's not something I've seriously considered or thought about before, but I'm totally willing to give it a try. I'm always willing to give something a try. I'm most likely going back to school this fall.

I know you have a degree in French and foreign language education. Are you looking into going back in that direction?

No, I'm doing something totally different. I'm very glad that I speak French and I'm glad that I studied it, but it's probably something that I'll never do anything with, work-wise. And I know teaching is definitely not for me. I don't have the patience.

What are you going back to school to do?

I'm going to study massage therapy and sports therapy. I'm not into the business world. I'm not into the 9-to-5 corporate world; I can't do that to myself. This was something that I was considering doing before the show ever happened, so now I'm picking up where I left off. I'm pretty psyched about it because my goal is to have my own studio in a couple of years.

What was high school like for you?

High school sucked. Well, it was kind of half and half. Actually, half of it, I had a great time because I had really awesome friends. Most of my friends I didn't really go to high school with. They were either older or they lived in another town. I didn't really hang with people at my school as I did with people from another towns around my school.

Did you have to deal with any homophobia at school?

It wasn't even an issue for me back then. Of course, we are talking about the South. There was one kid in my high school who was not openly gay but was so obvious that everyone just knew, you know? And he didn't deny it. And everyone just hated him so much. Being openly gay in the South, especially in a small town, that is not going to happen. It's probably worse than being black in the South 30 years ago. You could get killed for that. And I'm not joking.

Are you saying you didn't know [you were gay] in high school?

No. I mean, I had experiences, but I never thought of it as being gay, however ridiculous that sounds. I just thought of it as, "Oh this is a really good friend of mine and we are just fooling around." It wasn't until in college when I thought, "I was being gay back then."

How was college?

I started to really be exposed to actual gays. When I went to college, that was really a big issue for me to get over. To actually accept other people as being gay and not be repelled by them, you know? Coming from my background, I had to get over that first. I definitely was homophobic when I first got to college. Like, "Ugh, nasty gays, get them away from me," you know? The typical reaction that homophobes have. So it was a process for me to accept gays. And then another completely different process to accept the fact that I was gay, too.

But was it difficult for you at first?

Yeah! It was very difficult. I mean I had girlfriends all the way through the end of college! And it wasn't until my third year that I even started to consider that I really was gay and there was no way that I could fight it off. And not only was I gay, but I was going to have to live my life openly gay in order to be happy. I couldn't go on pretending to have girlfriends and using women in that way to cover my sexuality.

When did you come out at home?

I didn't come out to [my family] until two weeks before the show started. The idea of coming out to them never crossed my mind until I was 23 years old, and most people don't come to that until they are 30 to 35. And that's warped.

You came out to them because of the show?

No, not even that. I started realizing even before the show that if I ever wanted to have a real relationship with my parents, I had to be fully honest with them about everything. Because when you lie to your parents about that, you're lying about so much more than being gay. You're lying about who you're dating, where you're going, where you're hanging out, what part of the city you're living in and what people you're surrounding yourself with. You're constantly lying and hiding certain people and it just gets old. And it just so happened that the show came along right about the same time. And it forced me to do it. I don't think I would have done it at that point; if not for the show, it probably would've been another year or so.

How was your experience on the show?

I don't know how to really describe it, because half of me really enjoyed it and loved it, and the other half thought, "Why am I doing this?" When you are going through the experience, it's really fun; it's just like being in Disneyland every day. But then it ends and they toss you out into the street, and you're forced to watch it and things you see really piss you off about it. Things that people said really piss you off. You learn a lot about what your roommates said and did that you didn't know, and then you start dealing with the public. And it all hits you at one time and it sucks.

If I ever talk to any new cast people before they go into it, the thing I would tell them is, "You should know that this is going to change your life in a lot of ways and right after it's over, it's not going to be fairy tale land like you imagine it." I think most people who go into it think it's going to be so awesome and fun when it's over, but it's not. That's when you really ask yourself, "Why did I do that to myself?"

Do you feel like you were being forced to represent a community and not just yourself?

Oh yeah! If you watch the show, you know that there are people who represent certain groups. It's always that way, it's a formula they use.

You said once that you didn't want to be an activist. Is that still true?

To call me an activist isn't right, for two reasons, because of the situation with Paul still working.

But you can see why -- because of your situation with Paul -- you guys are an example of ...

We're examples, but not activists. The second reason is, the gay issue and the gay agenda is not my real passion. Yes, I am gay, but it's not the driving force in my life. If I was ever going to be an activist, I would be an environmental activist, like before I became involved with gay issues.

What is it about the environment that you are so passionate about?

I've always been, since about the age of 13. I went to college on a partial scholarship from an environmental group. And just recently, Paul and I did a fund-raiser for an environmental group called the Alaskan Rain Forest Campaign.

How do you feel about the current administration talking about drilling in the Alaskan refuge?

I don't like that at all, which is why we picked this foundation as our charity. This group is fighting against the drilling and works to protect the land and stop the development. We did this fund-raiser through my Web site and eBay auctions.

Are you looking forward to the next installment of "The Real World"?

[Laughs] I can't tell you how ready I am for it.

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