The White House hosted an event on Thursday to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the seminaltelevision series Queer Eye for the Striaght Guy and its current reiteration Queer Eye.
Vice President Kamala Harris welcomed the show’s creators and cast members, both past and present, to reflect on two decades ofLGBTQ+ representation and advocacy.
Among those in attendance were original cast members Carson Kressley and Jai Rodriguez, current cast members Karamo Brown and Jonathan Van Ness, and co-creators and executive producers David Collins and Michael Williams.
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, as it was originally known, broke new ground on Bravo, bringing a different sort of LGBTQ+ visibility into American living rooms.
The show’s impact has continued with its revival on Netflix, providing a platform for discussions on identity, acceptance, and social justice.
Harris and the Queer Eye team engaged in a frank conversation about the intersectionality of struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community. Harris remarked on the interconnected nature of civil rights movements and the necessity of collective freedom.
Van Ness shared their personal experience living withHIV, revealing that they found out their status at Planned Parenthood. “I’ve been living with HIV for over 10 years, and it’s so important to think about funding, intersectionality, and making sure we can protect institutions that are protecting people,” Van Ness said.
Harris emphasized the critical role of institutions like Planned Parenthood.
“I went to a Planned Parenthood clinic a few months ago now because I wanted to highlight this point, which is that when all of these abortion bans happened in the states, where clinics have had to shut down,” Harris said.
“They provide so much care, Including HIV testing; they provide…screenings of every sort. And the thing about these clinics, which I’m sure you could talk about, is that they give people dignity.
They’re trusted; they’re in touch with the community. People know that that’s a place you can go forhealthcare where you will receive dignity and you’ll not be judged. And that’s so important.”
