I hadn't really experienced the joy of physical attraction,
an innocent crush or any sort of romantic love. As
alienating as it is to be gay, it's far more alienating to be
asexual. Maybe that's why I write so much about love. I
spent the first 23 years of my life hearing about this
amazing thing, and not believing it existed, because I
hadn't experienced it for myself. When I realized I was
attracted to men, a weight was lifted off my shoulders.
Life became much simpler, I had finally uncovered the
secret to understating this universal feeling.
You've been awarded with Best Gay Musician of the Year
award twice, in 2011 and in 2012. You've also taken a stand
with your videos and touched topics such as the army's
Don't Ask Don't Tell policy. How big a part of your mission
is to bring these issues to the forefront?
My main goal is to tell stories, to share my human
experience. That said, I'm married to a man. That makes
my experience different than the general population, still
no less real from my perspective. That's all I'm trying to
do. I'm trying to tell stories that other people aren't
telling. I'm trying to tell stories from my, and my
community's, perspective. My love for another man makes
those stories political, not my experience of love in or of
itself.
much of that from the outside, we don't need it from our
own community. Sadly, that's how the world is. There will
always be someone willing to discriminate on the basis of
race, gender, body type or social economic status simply
because it helps feed their own ideas of themselves.
What has been the most memorable moment of your
career so far?
That's a tough one. It's always the most recent moment if
I'm being honest. Releasing 'Breath and Sound' was a
huge moment for me. It's such a heady and artistic video.
It's not campy, there are no gimmicks and it's not funny.
Those kinds of videos rarely do well. People just want to
laugh and see something silly. The fact that the video has
done, and continues to do so well, speaks to how
beautifully we executed the project. I'm very proud of that.
Watch 'Breath and Sound' by clicking the link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVltvZW9KOU
Do you feel a responsibility, that you need to represent
the community? If you do, is it a welcomed responsibility?
I do feel a responsibility to tell these stories. It's
important. I welcome the responsibility because it pushes
me to be honest and authentic in my artistic expression.
You've now toured nationwide in the U.S. and also in
Europe. How has it been for you and do you plan to tour
with the new album?
How many bears shake your hand for writing 'Bears'? It's
such a fun song and the video just makes you smile. So
much of gay culture is focused on the perfectly fit body,
it's refreshing to see someone celebrating bears although bears can be just as fit, of course. What do you
think about the discrimination that is quite rampant within
the gay community itself?
I love touring. That said, I moved to LA a year ago and
have been mostly a home body since then. Touring is so
fun for me, I would love to do it all the time but it's also
exhausting! I'm starting to think about a tour to support
the new record. Also, I'm getting antsy! (laughs)
Hahahahaha. Yeah, bears was a hoot to make. I'm glad
people responded positively to it. Honestly, I find it
appalling that a community of people that has been
discriminated against for much of human history, would
turn around and discriminate against itself. We get far too
Back in 2014 you landed your first starring role in a
feature film - the gay-themed Out to Kill. How was that
experience for you and do you pla