spotlight queer eye


from the community of color for the reboot. “When I had the opportunity to doQE I saw it as more of an opportunity to show a gay man of color on a successful show, which is really important to me,” he offered, “We have a lot of white gay representation on TV and I love it and we do need even more. But, I have never seen a version of me on television, literally never, and that was really important to me. I’ve never seen a Middle Eastern, immigrant man who is gay, represented and especially with my coloring...so I felt like it was really important for me to take this job. If I had something like this as a child, someone who looked like me, talked like me, was any kind of version of me, life would have been easier. I would have been able to understand that it wasn’t a curse that I had on my head, being gay.” “For me the important thing when I agreed to be


the new fab five: antoni porowski, bobby berk, karamo brown, tan france and jonathan van ness


a part of it,” continued France, “was that I was able to do for my community—and I’m not just talking for my Middle Eastern community—but for the broader world and not just the U.S. I want to do for them what the original show did for Americans, or maybe the West. The original show really did a lot and I think that sometimes they aren’t given the credit they deserve. Yes, it was a pop culture show, but it was so much more than that because it was a pioneering show. I know that is sort of a grand statement and that there’s a big presumption here, but I do think we can affect change because it is such a massive show with a big audience.” One of the interesting changes in the newQE,


is that even though being gay is a big part of what drives the show, it isn’t the only thing doing it. In fact, in many ways it’s kind of an afterthought, or maybe better said, like it is for each of us, it’s just an aspect of the overall show. Karamo Brown talked about the differences, “Most of the time we walk through life and gay is not the first thing we talk about. We have so many other parts of our identities that come up: As husbands, or fathers, or as businessmen, or as religious men or whatever the case may be. Those things come up and not the person I’m sleeping with—unless you’re discuss- ing your husband or partner—most times that’s the last thing I talk about. When I meet someone it’s not like, ‘Hey I’m Karamo and I’m gay.’” “I think for a while, people in our community felt


this need to identify first, instead of showing the complexities of intersectionality and who we are,” Brown continued. “I think that’s why this show is special. Even though it’s calledQueer Eye, we’re all


30 RAGE monthly | MARCH 2018


proud to be who we are. None of us are hiding that. We also don’t forget like with Bobby, who was very religious and then traumatized by religion. When he met this guy it wasn’t like, hey let’s talk about being gay, it was, ‘I used to be a Christian and ya’ll tortured the shit out of me. So, let’s talk about that because I don’t really care for you at all.’ Same thing with me and the cop—I’m a black man raising two black kids and before I even try to help you—I need to get through that conversation first.” France added his observation about how powerful


the show’s message can be and the affect it could have on those who need it most. “With us being in the South, it’s so much more effective, because we’re meeting people who most likely haven’t met anyone like me, who looked like me, talked like me or had the opinions I had. And that’s the same with Karamo, as well. I’m again not trying to denigrate my boys, they are wonderful, and I love them to pieces, but the world has seen white gay boys on television before. What they haven’t seen was what Karamo and I are about and what we have to say. I think it was a genius move on Netflix’s part to have it shot in the South, because if it was in New York or London, the show would not be what it is.” “And, we can do it without being overly political


at the same time,” he continued. “We’re telling our side of the story, but we’re not pushing forward an agenda. We’re saying, ‘Meet us in the middle and let’s talk about this.’ It’s not a case of your way is wrong and I need you to understand my way is right…That’s not the case at all. It’s more of an ‘I don’t understand your politics, you don’t under- stand mine...let‘s have a conversation and see if we can find some common ground,’” France offered. “It’s all done on an open platform, we’re playful, we’re very loving so it’s a lot easier to digest than it would be if it was five guys on a political panel show. For me the show means so much more than being famous…It’s not at all about that. Hopefully


it means that we get to be a presence or a comfort for a community that is still so massively underrepresented.” Brown added his views about the timeliness of the show and how necessary the message of acceptance still is. “It was ironic to me when the show was first announced that LGBT people thought there was no need for the show. As if we had just progressed to a place where there was no longer need for images of our community on television and there was no longer a need for a conversation.” He continued, including his ideas about the importance ofQE, queer


visibility and how it is about politics in many ways. “The unfortunate part is, especially when talking about Donald Trump and Mike Pence, we have an administration that is trying to dismantle everything that had been done. They are very vocal about it and have awakened a very ugly spirit here in America that agrees with them and believe that LGBT people don’t have a place in this world.” To prove his point, Karamo talked about the effect


of the show and why the message of acceptance is doubly important right now. “I’ve been getting messages worldwide from people saying, ‘My mom who had a very specific view believed this because she identified with the person in the South. Now, the conversation we’ve had has broadened and opened her mind.’ You know people watching are now reevaluating the way they think. That’s the beauty of the show; people who are on opposite sides seeing themselves in the people they’re working with and being forced to reevaluate how they see life.” Talk about a redesign!Queer Eye might ap-


pear to be a fluffy, pop phenomenon to many, but the five men who are currently taking on the task of changing how we see ourselves, might beg to differ. Their message is all about feeling better, figuring out what makes us tick and learning how to affect real change. After all, when you learn to accept and feel better about who you are and claim your place in the world, isn’t that part of what true acceptance is all about? Queer Eye is available on Netflix now, catch


the fab five as they attempt to make the world a more beautiful place... both inside and out.


For more information about the boys and to catch season one’s fabulous episodes, go to netflix.com/title/80160037.


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