J.P. Calderon struggled with his ethnicity as a youngster. He wasn't what others perceived as the stereotypical look of a Hispanic, and that affected him.
And he also was gay, though he did not come out to the world about his sexuality until after his professional volleyball career slowed and he had excelled as a youth coach, mostly for girls and women. Calderon also was closeted during his run on CBS-TV's Survivor: Cook Islands, which actually also featured fellow gay castaway Brad Virata.
Calderon came out to the world this past February in grand fashion: during a broadcast of The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency ( which airs on the Oxygen Network ) .
Calderon—a humble 32-year-old Southern California resident who of Costa Rican descent—will be honored Fri., Oct. 12, at Runway ALMA at Germania Place.
'It's like a double reward—for my Hispanic heritage and for being gay,' said Calderon who, in the late 1990s, was a standout volleyball player for Long Beach State University and then spent two years ( 2004-05 ) on the pro-volleyball circuit.
'I'm so excited; I'm honored,' he said. 'Are you kidding me?! To be recognized, and celebrated, by people of your same heritage is great, an honor. It feels awesome.
'Growing up, I struggled [ with my ethnicity ] and now it's really nice to be recognized for being Hispanic, because I am very proud of who I am.'
Though he has never lived full-time in Costa Rica, Calderon has been throughout the country.
'It's nice to be recognized for being gay because, well, it kind of gives me closure,' he said. 'I'm getting an award for something that, for so long, I was so scared to be. Now people are commending me for it. I guess, in some ways, I've helped others.'
Calderon said he was 'shocked' when he learned of the honor.
'I just never envisioned getting an award like this. I guess I just envisioned this for, uh, great leaders. I just never thought of myself in that light. It's really humbling,' he said. 'Never, ever, never in a million years did I think I'd be honored.'
Calderon was the fourth castaway voted off the Cook Islands, long before many so-called Survivor experts and even some CBS executives predicted.
He was asked about his sexuality by Dickinson when he was offered a cover photo shoot and accompanying story inside Instinct Magazine—but the publication only uses out gay men on its covers.
'Sharing my life, I think, really helped and inspired others,' Calderon said. 'I think I made a lot of others realize that they're not alone, and it made me know too that I wasn't alone.'
Calderon was filming parts of season three of The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency in September; the episodes will air in December.
'It's so weird to be recognized, honored for being a positive role model to the gay community and also being of Hispanic heritage. Getting an award that encompasses both is, well, like the icing on the cake,' he said.
Calderon also lately has been doing other modeling gigs and has appeared in numerous international magazine ads.
This summer, he coached two youth teams for the Mizuno Long Beach Volleyball Club.
'I want to stay coaching, so I'll find a way. I'll find a way to still be on TV and still coach,' Calderon said. 'And, I'm starting to get the itch again to go play, so I'm going to shoot for next summer [ playing ] again on the beach.'
Calderon made several gay pride parade appearances this summer, including Atlanta Pride, 'which was wonderful; I got such a great reception from Atlanta; it was great.'
What about being a grand marshal for a gay pride parade?
'Sure, why not!' he said. 'That would mean a lot to me, that I'm doing good things for others in the community.'
Calderon also confirmed that he no longer is single. 'I'm dating someone, yes, but I cannot reveal his name,' he said.
Anyone we would have heard of? 'Possibly, yeah. He's not an actor; he's an athlete—but he's not out,' Calderon said.
