Wilson Cruz (born December 27, 1973 in Brooklyn, New York) is an openly gay American actor. Cruz has in both his acting roles and community work served as a model and mentor to gay youth, especially gay youth of color. Biography Best known for his role as Enrique "Rickie" Vasquez, the troubled gay teen on the short-lived but popular television series My So-Called Life, Wilson knows first-hand the many struggles and hardships that face young gay, lesbian, and bisexual, (GLBT) people as they struggle to come to terms with their sexuality and the reactions of their families, friends, and society at large. At 19, Cruz came out to his parents, first to his mother and then his father. While his mother was initially hurt and shocked, she eventually accepted the news. His father, however, threw him out of the house, and he spent the next few months living in his car and at the homes of friends. Cruz eventually reconciled with his fat