PGN sat down with Billy Porter to discuss Sen. Bob Casey’s reelection campaign. Billy, who asked to go by their first name, is famous for acting, singing, dancing, directing and activism, and was the first openly gay, Black man to win a lead actor Emmy. Billy is working as a spokesperson for Casey’s campaign.
What inspires you the most about Casey’s campaign?
I feel that he’s a good man. He’s already proven that he represents all of the people. I had an interaction with him a couple of years ago on the Carnegie Mellon campus, where I watched him in action. Sen. Casey was at an LGBTQ+ summit event speaking about trans rights. And there was a trans-identifying protestor there who felt very angry.
I stopped the process respectfully, and I offered her an olive branch to speak in front of all of these people. Sen. Casey was so still and present. He was open, he listened, and had the humility, vulnerability and the compassion to apologize for his own mistakes and to promise to learn from the experience and fix it.
We’re not seeing that a lot right now, particularly on the GOP side. And so to see change happen, we have to understand that he’s there speaking for us, creating policies for us and we must have him back in office.
Politics really is governed at the local level. I don’t think we understand that as much as we should, and he’s one of those local officials that helped to move the needle of equality forward.
What made you decide to work on behalf of Casey’s campaign?
Well, I’m from Pittsburgh, PA, one of the biggest battleground states this election. So my work is always going to be here. Every time I’ve done this, it’s been in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, because that’s where the work is necessary. So it’s a no brainer.
Why is it so important for LGBTQ+ individuals to be politically active?
My generation and older fought for many rights that historically didn’t exist before these younger generations were born. All of those rights are on the chopping block right now. And what’s exciting to me is to see the young people, in this microcosm of time, realize what’s at stake.
It’s a vital, explosive moment. And the younger people are realizing that democracy doesn’t just happen. The people must be engaged for democracy to survive.
If there’s one thing that makes me feel better about this time that we’re in is that I see our electorate, across the board, re-engage in ways that I haven’t seen in a very long time. And that is a good thing.
What are some ways you’ve seen them more engaged?
The fact that they’re out in canvassing and voting. They didn’t vote the last time. They took their toys and threw a temper tantrum and went away. That’s why Trump was able to be elected and now they’ve seen what the consequences are about that.
You must always participate. If you don’t participate, then the other side wins. We can’t be naive in thinking that if we want it, we’re guaranteed to get it.
Change has always been a process. Slow and steady wins the race.
You have an incredible history with activism. Can you tell me about your experience with the transformative power of activism?
I was born in the first generation post-Civil Rights movement, on September 21, 1969, so my younger years were in the aftermath of what my ancestors and my community had achieved during that time. I was there for the benefit of the work that had been done before me.
I came out as gay in 1985 and we went straight to the front line to fight for our lives during the AIDS crisis. The only thing I know is to fight. I’ve never had any other choice. When we fight, we win. That is the truth. I am a Black, gay, Christian man in America and I stand at these intersections where, if I don’t fight, I die.
We must stand up and speak truth to power and fight for justice and equality for all people. Otherwise, democracy dies. It’s never been clearer, I think, than right now. The choice is democracy or not. There’s no nuance right now.
I hope, as we continue to move forward in the last days of the election, that the more intelligent, loving minds will prevail.
What kind of message would you like to send to LGBTQ+ Pennsylvanians?
Fear not. The change has already happened, which is why this fight has intensified so much. We’re on the precipice of a progressive equality expansion that the world has never seen before. We can do it because people are showing up. And when we do it this time, we get to be the generation that changed the world for good.
We’re not going back. Rest assured that this change cannot be undone and then use that energy to move us forward.
