Interspersing serious moments with humorous anecdotes, Wilson Cruz related his difficulties in accepting who he is — a gay, Puerto Rican actor from Southern California.

Cruz is touring the country to promote a message of tolerance. He spoke in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union Wednesday night to an audience of about 300 people.

“My dreams came true very early on in my life,” he said. “I do what I love, the only thing I can do. I’m very thankful to be able to do it and still be true to who I am.”

Cruz is best known for his portrayal of gay teen-ager Rickie Vasquez on the critically acclaimed television show “My So-Called Life,” which was canceled after one season.

Not only did Cruz play a ground-breaking character, but in 1993, he was one of only four Latino actors on network television.

Cruz said he knew he wanted the “Life” role when he read the script because he and the character were so similar.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, someone had been spying on me,'” he said.

When the show was about to air one year later, Cruz said he knew he was going to come out publicly. This caused considerable stress for him, because besides telling all of Hollywood he was gay, he also had to tell his parents.

“I didn’t want to send a mixed message,” Cruz said. “I wanted to say, ‘My dreams are coming true and so can yours.'”

He said “Life” was a rewarding experience, since he served as a role model for gay and lesbian youth — some of whom still thank him for his portrayal.

“I got a lot of mail from a lot of kids who got a lot of help from the show,” Cruz said. “The show holds a dear place in my heart.”

Cruz also has experienced Broadway, making his debut at age 25 as the AIDS-stricken Angel in the award-winning musical “Rent.” The experience was an emotional one.

“I had to deal with one of my biggest fears — contracting HIV and AIDS and dying. I had to be honest about the pain of that,” Cruz said. “I think about the lyrics of the show daily. It changed the way I lived my life.”

In his speech, Cruz also talked about growing up Puerto Rican in Southern California.

“That was hell, to put it bluntly,” Cruz said about high school. He joked about his “Patti LaBelle hair,” swing choir and the fact that he was a “band nerd.”

“I got teased a lot,” he said. “I couldn’t have made it more obvious. But I had this fantasy that nobody knew that I was gay. I had to learn to love myself and accept myself because of it, not despite of it.”

Cruz said he encourages other gays and lesbians in the entertainment industry to come out publicly. “They are not going to be damaged by it,” he said.

Besides his acting career, Cruz is also an advocate for the Los Angeles Gay Community Center, a “place to hang out” for homeless gay and lesbian teen-agers. “I try to give back as much as I can,” he said.

As he is touring college campuses across the nation, Cruz noted that Iowa State was one of his last stops.

“I could have made it easy by going to large colleges. But I wanted to go to the smaller colleges in the small states and start the conversations that are not really happening,” he said. “I try to act as a catalyst.”