Reza Farahan, who appears on cabler Bravo's Shahs of Sunset, says he's proud to represent the Persian-American gay community.

Farahan, who was born in Tehran, Iran and raised in Beverly Hills, is among the group of six young Persian-American friends featured in the reality series, which returned for a second season on December 2.

“One of the things that's most important to me is that there is a gay Persian on the show who's respected by his friends, loved by his family, successful in his career,” Farahan told the AP. “And it's not this big issue that I'm gay. That was the most important thing.”

He added that the show also helps fight negative stereotypes about Persian-Americans. (The video is embedded on this page. Visit our video library for more videos.)

Speaking on ABC's The View, Farahan said he often heard anti-gay rhetoric growing up.

“Growing up, there's a lot of homophobia. So, I would hear things. Jokes, you know serious discussions about how disgusting it is and how we should all be cast away on some island somewhere, we should all be dead. All that stuff. And it really hurt me, it devastated men. But I was strong and somehow I made it through,” he said.