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Bretman Rock makes history as first openly gay man to grace Playboy cover
Bretman Rock wasn't kidding when he said he was "da baddest!"
The 23-year old social media influencer and internet sensation made history after he became the first openly gay man to land on the digital cover of renowned men's lifestyle magazine Playboy.
On Playboy's October issue, Bretman could be seen posing fiercely for the camera as he wore a head-to-toe bunny suit complete with fluffy ears and a black corset.
While Playboy said Bretman wasn't the first man to appear on the magazine cover, he was the first to openly identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community.
In the issue, Bretman told Playboy: "For Playboy to have a male on the cover is a huge deal for the LGBT community, for my brown people community and it's all so surreal. A total 'is this even f*cking happening right now?' type of vibe. And I'm so pretty."
The social media star also shared a photo of the cover on his Instagram page. "I'm a BUNNY duh!! Playboy to kick off spooky szn," he wrote.
The cover was celebrated by many, with Bretman's Instagram post receiving over 2.1 million likes, but some were also vocal about their dislike for the magazine's choice.
Bretman slammed the haters and said in a separate post, "posting to piss off more straight men, if you're pissed bc I turn you on then--say that geez."
Playboy also stood up for its decision. In a series of tweets on Tuesday, the magazine said it had received a lot of great comments, but offensive ones as well.
However, it said, these comments were the same as the ones it received when it featured African-American woman Darine Stern on its cover in 1971 and transgender model Tula Cossey in 1991, and when it fought for "abortion rights before Roe v. Wade and cannabis law reform in the 1970s."
"Standing for freedom and equality is in the DNA of this brand. Today, Playboy is much more than a magazine. Our digital covers are creative snapshots that drive and reflect the current dialogue around pleasure, sexuality, equality and culture," it said.
"If a gay man feels sexy in a bunny costume, an iconic symbol of sexiness, why shouldn’t he be able to wear it proudly?" it added.
These are the same kind of comments Playboy received when we put Darine Stern, an African American woman, on the cover in 1971, when we featured transgender model Tula Cossey in 1991 and when we fought for abortion rights before Roe v. Wade and cannabis law reform in the 1970s.
— Playboy (@Playboy) October 4, 2021
"Serving as a platform for representation and freedom of expression is and will always be what Playboy stands for."
Born in Cagayan Valley before moving to Hawaii at the age of seven, Bretman rose to fame with his unique sense of humor and wit. He has since been named MTV's 2021 Breakthrough Social Star, People's Choice Awards Beauty Influencer of the Year, and one of Time's 30 Most Influential Teens.
Now, he stars in his own MTV reality show called "30 Days with: Bretman Rock."
As of writing, he has over 8.83 million subscribers on YouTube, 17.7 million followers on Instagram, 5.7 million followers on Twitter, and 13.1 million followers on TikTok. – Kaela Malig/RC, GMA News
