Shannon Purser Quotes

And I'd like to believe that's true, you know, kind of showing gay people in this kind of light and - where it's not about that, it's just about the characters for the first time, like those shows were.

The mainstream needs Ellen DeGeneres and Rosie O'Donnell. The mainstream needs RuPaul.

I think there is much more queer visibility than there was when I was a kid. There is marriage, more trans visibility, and many more celebrities who are open about the sexuality. This was so not the case when I was a kid.

The fact that I'm able to portray these complex, fully realized, queer Asian characters? I never thought it would be in this position. You just never see those types of characters and that type of representation.

The representation of gay characters on screen is important for us all to think about because there are sadly too few representations of gay characters on screen in mainstream cinema. If Marvel starts making movies about gay superheroes, then we'll be in a really great place. We're not at that place.

It's going to take generations of gay people marrying before these things start to feel natural. We haven't had it long enough to remake it as our own, so it does feel like you're getting dressed up in straight drag to do it.

I decided to host a couple of the 'In The Life' programs. And I did that really as a result of meeting a lot of young gay people in the Midwest who really had nothing to relate to. At least I felt this program is presenting them with some options.

For me, every music video is a hurdle. Every time I do a music video, I'm constantly fighting to get my point across. As a gay woman, that's also a big hurdle.

What I would love is for a normalization of queer characters on TV.

I'm really into gay stuff getting funded: having it be on TV and having a show.

I hope we see more avenues for representation. More TV shows and films starring queer people, especially QPOC and nonbinary folks, more mainstream press coverage of our artwork and fashion, and more representation of our interests within politics.

There definitely has been this kind of Hollywood swing back from the pendulum of, 'OK, we're gonna do gay people; we're gonna do queens.' And then it's like, 'No, no, no queens. Queen is too much.'

It's important to be able to have representation for black queer women, because I feel like there's not much representation for them in the mainstream.

The only way to really change perceptions, to break down barriers, break down homophobia, is through representation. That's definitely not something I had as a kid. I never saw a gay athlete kissing their boyfriend at the Olympics. I think if I had, it would've made it easier for me.

I won't do press anymore unless I can talk about the homophobia and let queer people know our ideas are mainstream.

I think that there's not always been queer person of color representation in pop and so I'm making the most of it because that is who I am.

I think the earnestness of what we're saying and what other bands like us are totally saying - or other queer bands - is 'We exist.'

We must be vigilant in sharing our stories and our truths as queer parents of color at every chance we get if we hope to see art imitate real life.

The more queer characters I play over my years of working as an actor, and the more I see other young artists stepping up with the same intention I have, to make space for the voices of a generation of people who may not fit the status-quo, the more it inspires me to keep going.

As a gay black man, it's important to me to show up - that I'm able to show up as my whole self, in every space that I'm in, because that's how I'm able to be the most true to who I am.

When I was in high school, there weren't a lot of out gay actors playing gay roles. I didn't see myself represented truthfully in the media.

It's movies like 'Love, Simon' that are so pivotal because it's this sweet rom-com that you would watch about a straight couple, but it's two guys. It feels natural and real and just charming. I would love to see more movies like that.

Pop music has a pretty good track record of embracing queer culture.

It's about how you exist as a person in the world, and the idea that your work is more important than you as a person is a horrible, horrible message. I always think about a little gay boy in Wisconsin or a little lesbian in Arkansas seeing someone like me, and if I cannot be open in my life, how on earth can they?

They might have a long way to go before truly accepting gay people into their lives, but they have accepted the show into their living rooms each and every week.