![]() ![]() “I don’t want to sound like an asshole,” J added, laughing. “When I suggested that we make Davina and Shea HIV-positive so we could tell the story of what it’s like to be a trans person living with HIV, that was the first time that I saw the glimmer of myself being represented - writing myself onto the show.” “I hadn’t seen myself represented on screen, and that was one of my passions behind writing ‘Transparent,’” she told Variety. Growing up, she never imagined that a show like “Pose” could not only exist, but thrive. Our Lady J is similarly excited by what the future holds. What does the universe look like? What does love look like?” “But I think we’re going to see them perhaps be happier and really rediscovering each other - no pun intended! There are so many possibilities when you’re going years into the future. Angsty, if you will,” Cruz said, laughing. “Anthony and I are gearing up for Season 3, and we’re really excited because last season was very tumultuous. ![]() He’s continued to break new ground ever since - most recently on “Star Trek: Discovery,” where he and Anthony Rapp star as the first canonically gay couple in the franchise’s 52-year history. “Embodying Rickie Vasquez was transformative for me as a 19-year-old boy figuring out his life,” he told Variety. “It was life-altering.” He was still in college when he accepted the role of Rickie on “My So-Called Life” - and became the first openly gay man to play an openly gay character on primetime TV. But aside from “Soap” and made-for-TV dramas like “An Early Frost,” he recalls “very few moments” in which he felt seen. ![]() They were hearing two men sharing their feelings for each other.”Ī young Wilson Cruz was watching, too. “But here’s the truth: they may have had a problem because of the era, or the way that they were raised, or simple ignorance and fear - but they were watching. There were many times when I wanted to break character and just scream, ‘What is your problem?’” he said. “They would giggle and laugh because they’d never seen this before. I’ve made my mother watch with me, and slowly we’re healing together.’ That’s when we realized we were representing a community that had never been celebrated.”įor Crystal, the feedback for his historic role on “Soap” was more immediate - when he first said “I love you” to another man in 1977, he did so in front of a live studio audience. “He said, ‘My best friend won’t speak to me, my mother cries all the time, but I’ve been watching your show and seeing myself reflected gives me strength. Still, the cast didn’t fully grasp the significance of what they were doing until the show’s second season, when “remarkable, personal, profound fan letters” started arriving on set - including one from a teenage boy that she’s never forgotten. ![]() Once I found out that was their intent, I had absolutely no hesitation.” “We started right after ‘Ellen’ was canceled after she came out, so we knew when we did the pilot that it was provocative, and we didn’t know if we would be accepted,” she told Variety. Even so, she had only one condition when taking on the role: “I was adamant that it had to put all stereotypes aside and show all four of us as equals. Messing herself had no way of predicting the impact “Will & Grace” would have on the culture. Jesse Tyler Ferguson, who stars in “Modern Family,” said he “would love for kids to see a future for themselves in characters like Cam and Mitch.” As he tearfully explained (prompting a hug from Debra Messing), “I had that in ‘Will & Grace.’ That show for me was a lighthouse when I was struggling with my sexuality.” Not all of the gala’s attendees had such ready access to their history - and for many, that crucial first glimpse of the LGBTQ community came through television. ![]()
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