Yes! Angels in America, which Lenny and I watched two evenings running on Broadway, was shocking in that reading subtext was not required. We watched plenty of great plays Off and Off Off Broadway that centered queer storytelling, but on Broadway, typically, if the play contained queerness it was coded — deniable, something you had to squint to see.

Angels, which dealt with tragic material, was still shockingly joyful for its directness and authenticity. Not a dry in the house, as they say — and most of the tears didn't seem to me to be tears of grief, though we all had plenty to grieve about.

Walking into that prestigious Broadway theater knowing that queer storytelling was centered — it's hard to describe the revolutionary joy of an experience like that, even though AIDS was the reason for the storytelling.

You know, I read a report yesterday from GLAAD about how the number of queer roles in film and television has shrunk substantially over the last 2 years. A bright spot is that there are slightly more shows being marketed that feature queer leads.

For shows that don't, It looks like studios are not anxious to feature queer supporting roles or queer storytelling in subplots.

That's probably a result of the anti-LGBTQ backlash and general conservative backlash going on in the United States right now. The same people as ever want to silence our voices and storytelling — want us relegated to the subtext if we exist at all.

So I'm fascinated to read about how you coped as a professional actor, especially as a very young aspiring actor.

I very much yearn for the day when authenticity, as you write, is what really rules.

Thanks for this story!