N30N

Before the move

Growing Up with Ash and Jace

Ash and N30N were close growing up in Ohio. They confided in each other, and through Ash, N30N met Jace, who was a little older than both of them.

When they were sixteen, Ash told N30N she was bisexual. His response was simple: “Shit, Ash… me too.”

Knowing they could share that part of themselves brought them closer. But neither admitted the other thing they were feeling: they were both in love.

Jace graduated first and moved to Denver to pursue motocross. There, he met Sienna, who joined his pit crew before their relationship became something more. For N30N, Jace's departure showed him that leaving Ohio could be an option if coming out to his family went badly.

After Ash and N30N graduated, Ash made the difficult decision to join Jace and Sienna in Denver. She thought N30N would come too. He stayed in Ohio because of family obligations.

A turning point

Leaving Ohio

Months after graduation and Ash's move to Denver, N30N gathered his parents, his older brother Kevin, and his younger sister Dana on National Coming Out Day. He told them he was bisexual.

His parents, who were both dealing with health problems, quietly stood up and left the room. Kevin stormed out of the house, slamming the door. Dana seemed less upset by what N30N had said than concerned about how the rest of the family had reacted.

N30N was deeply hurt. He went to his room, packed whatever would fit into a duffel bag, and left in his car without saying goodbye.

After hours of driving, he stopped at a hotel for the night. Unsure what came next, he called his uncle Collin in Toronto.

Collin was gay himself. He was also the uncle who had given N30N his nickname years earlier. When N30N called, Collin offered to sign whatever paperwork he could to help him move to Canada.

N30N still misses his family. Went Away (From Everyone) tells the story of his coming out, his departure, and the people he left behind.

Toronto / Technocolor

Finding His Audience

When N30N arrived in Canada, his nineteenth birthday was still a few months away. Collin and his fiancé, Dillon, gave him a place to stay while he figured out his next steps.

Dillon owned Technocolor, a popular LGBTQIA+ nightclub in Toronto. He immediately thought N30N would make a great go-go dancer. Once N30N turned nineteen, he got the chance to prove Dillon right.

His looks caught people's attention. His personality, dancing, and singing kept them coming back. Before long, people were showing up specifically to see him.

The story continues

Life Now

N30N still works as a performer at Technocolor, alongside making music and creating content. Some nights he's onstage at the club; other days he's working on something of his own. His followers see plenty of his life, but they don't always see the work that goes into it.