Actor, singer and author Billy Porter sat down with Soledad O’Brien to discuss his unconventional path and how becoming his authentic self seemed like a “very radical thing to do.”
This conversation is part of the fourth and final leg of the Matter of Fact Listening Tour “Trailblazers, Troublemakers & Dreams,” which will explore difficult issues surrounding race and equity through discussions with a diverse collection of accomplished individuals representing a panoply of fields.
“I want to be an entertainment mogul/guru/visionary that moves the conversation of humanity forward,” Porter said.
Porter said he wants to do that on a large scale.
Porter, the star of Pose and Tony Award winner for Kinky Boots, has had a very unconventional path.
“There has always been this sense of urgency just in terms of why I’m here, why I’m here on the planet, the importance of my art, all of those things have always been in place,” Porter said.
Simultaneously, Porter said there was a huge hurdle for him to get over, which he said was his queerness.
“I was told from the moment I could comprehend thought that something was wrong with me, I needed to be fixed, it was from every space that I vibrated,” Porter said.
Porter said those spaces included his home life, school life, church life and performing arts life.
“It’s like there’s no space for you, there’s no room for you, you have to do it like this or your queerness will be your liability,” Porter said.
Porter said because of that, he spent the first 20 years of his career being “masculine enough so that he could eat.”
“And then, I just decided in my 30s, I was like, this is toxic and no matter how well I do it, everybody already knows, so I don’t have a shot. So I should probably just lean into myself and let the chips fall where they may,” Porter said.
While laughing, O’Brien pointed out how Porter just being himself was a very radical thing to do.
“Yes. As a Black, queer man in this world today and for the entirety of my life, it is radical, just being myself is radical,” Porter said.
“Trailblazers, Troublemakers & Dreams” will stream live Wednesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. EST.
Wednesday’s digital-first presentation will be streamed live on MatterOfFact.tv the Very Local phone & TV app, and other Hearst consumer-media digital platforms.
Parkland school shooting survivor and activist, X González, sat down with Soledad O’Brien to discuss making change amid the continued gun violence in the United States.
This conversation is part of the fourth and final leg of the Matter of Fact Listening Tour “Trailblazers, Troublemakers & Dreams.” The June 8 show will explore difficult issues surrounding race and equity through discussions with a diverse collection of accomplished individuals representing a panoply of fields.
In the interview, González spoke about the work and progress they have done with gun violence prevention following the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
“We managed to actually get laws passed, even in Florida, gun violence prevention laws in Florida, which had never been done before,” González said. “That is definitely something that is comforting, to know that when you’re demanding change that you actually are capable of making it.”
Despite that progress, González said it is disheartening to see that despite the changes they have made and laws they have passed, gun violence still happens every day and in very large numbers.
“Trailblazers, Troublemakers & Dreams” will stream live Wednesday, June 8, at 7 p.m. EST.
Wednesday’s digital-first presentation will be streamed live on MatterOfFact.tv, the Very Local phone & TV app, as well as other Hearst consumer-media digital platforms.
Matter of Fact is hitting the road! Correspondent Jessica Gomez and her crew set out on an epic adventure traveling along I-70 from Colorado to Maryland. She asks Americans what matters most to them.
Expect to see thoughtful insight from people in places like Hays, Indiana and St. Louis, Missouri.
In Wheeling, Virginia, Jessica talks to a couple of moms just trying to make a difference in their community where homelessness is a big problem.
And in Baltimore, Maryland, a community leader uses dirt bikes to spread a message of hope to children.