'Mean Girls' Actor Daniel Franzese Comes Out as Gay

10 years ago his character Damian was labeled "Too Gay to Function," but it's taken a long time for actor Daniel Franzese to come to terms with his own sexuality.

The now 36-year-old actor who made "She doesn't even go here!" a catchphrase, cites the 10-year anniversary of "Mean Girls" as a motivating factor in coming out as gay.

In a Dish Nation interview, Franzese reads aloud a letter written to his past self and describes the process of coming out.

"You certainly hope when you pour your heart into something that people will respond. But to paraphrase Gretchen Wieners, 'We can't help it that we're so popular," he reads. "So, why the hell did it take me so long to come out of the closet?"

"More and more people are coming up to me and talking to me about it again, and especially adult gay males, some in tears," Franzese says in the letter. "People have always asked if I was really gay. While my reps usually lied to protect me, my friends and family all knew the truth, but now it's time everyone does.

"I hate when people say I'm 'too gay to function.' I know you do, too," Franzese tells listeners and readers. "Those people are part of the problem. They should refrain from using that phrase. It really is only okay when Janis says it."

You can read the full letter from Daniel Franzese to Damian here.