I Kissed a Boy contestant Lars Fellows has shared his personal experiences with dating and rejection as a gay trans man, revealing the emotional challenges he’s faced along the way.
The 23-year-old influencer and reality TV personality said that dating as a trans man, particularly early in his transition, came with “quite difficult” moments of rejection that felt deeply personal.
Speaking with PinkNews, Fellows explained: “Not all gay men will be open to dating trans men and that’s completely fine. I struggled with it more when I was a bit younger because it felt so personal — it’s something you can’t really control about yourself.”
Fellows made history as the first trans man to appear on I Kissed a Boy, BBC Three’s groundbreaking gay dating series hosted by Dannii Minogue. The show brings together single men looking for love, encouraging genuine connection through matched pairings and open conversations.
Fellows shared his identity with fellow contestants in the very first episode, initiating honest discussions about what dating as a trans man entails. Reflecting on the experience, he said it gave him the clarity to distinguish “preferences and prejudice.”
“The more you put yourself out there, you can really see the difference with people,” he said. “Ultimately, I don’t want to be with someone who feels like I’m lacking something. I want to be with someone who doesn’t see it as a problem and really sees me for me.”
For Fellows, an ideal relationship would be one where his gender identity isn’t a “determining factor.” While he admits overcoming that hurdle has been “hard,” he said his confidence has grown through experience and, frankly, “a lot of rejection.”
“There are people out there who, you know, it’s not a problem to them,” he added, offering hope to others navigating similar experiences.
