MAY 15TH - MAY 21ST, 2019 THE ULTIMATE QUEER GUIDE

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think that was a giant step forward in terms of
LGBTQ+ acceptance,
but we still have an incredibly long way to go.
Do most people realize that way before Queer
Eye, you played ‘Angel’ in RENT when you were
eighteen years old?
Most people don’t know that Netflix’s Queer
Eye is a reboot lol. I did RENT for five years
and Queer Eye for three. To me, I’ll always be
that boy from RENT. I did host the RENT
LIVEscreening as Angel in Weho. It was fun
throwing on the look 21 years later. Mama still
got it.
You are involved with Positively Fearless, a HIV
advocacy organization. Tell me about that.
The movement is about being fearless about
keeping yourself safe, staying healthy if you’re
positive and empowering everyone to remove
the stigma around HIV. Even with PrEP
and knowing that U = U (undetectable = un
transmittable) there are people who still see
positive people as other. When my aunt passed
from AIDS related complications in the 90’s I
knew I would make it my life’s mission to not
let her passing be in vain. That’s why I’m an
advocate for the HIV community.
Tell me about your talk show, The Morning
Beat, on Channel Q.
I host on air with Mikalah Gordon (American
Idol). She’s a lesbian and I’m queer, (but really
she’s more of a drag queen and I’m an old
man). It’s a funny mixture of talk radio and
great music. We laugh a lot. I get a lot of DMs
and texts saying “you guys are killing me this
am”). We like to think of our hours on air as
a party with a purpose. We cover informative
stories that impact the community while also
keeping it fun with games, give-away’ s and
celebrity interviews.
Channel Q is a new source for LGBTQ+ talk,
news and music across the nation. How is it
being part of this new queer network?
It’s been really remarkable to launch this
alongside our other radio fam. KROQ, JACK
FM, AMP Radio, The Wave, etc. are all on
our floor. There were only a small handful of
LGBTQ employees at the company until we
showed up. I’ve been amazed at how warmly
we’ve been accepted by the sister stations.
Even in this era of post-marriage equality and
on the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, LGBT
media is as important as ever. How do you
see your role within Channel Q in regards
to all the important conversations that are
happening?
I’m in control of the narrative. Finally. My 21+
years of working in entertainment and being a
go-to person to tell LGBTQ+ stories through
my work is now broadened. I get to give my
opinion and tackle topics I previously might
have been fearful to unpack. At Channel Q we
are giving everyone in our community a voice
and aren’t afraid to take our adversaries to task.
Name three persons that you would like to
have on The Morning Beat that you haven’t had
yet.
J-Lo (she’ll be 50 I’ll be 40 a week a part in
June). She was a big Queer Eye fan and it
would be cool to reconnect.
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