Who's Billy Porter? He's a well-known Broadway actor and African-American gay man who, in the 2018 case of the US Justices' sexual assault, revealed his childhood experience of sexual assault by his stepfather, and expressed solidarity with Professor Ford, who wanted the world to see that as a minority should be unsettling and cause a stir, and that in the battleground of gender, you should be angry and let everyone see your revolution.
Every May, fans around the world take on the oscars of the fashion world, the Met Gala, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Many people were hoping for celebrities to make a surprise appearance on the red carpet, but as the outbreak of pneumonia in Wuhan heats up, Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, announced that this year's show , "Duration Time: Fashion and Fashion" and dinner, would be postponed indefinitely. But also feel helpless pity.
I think anyone who feels sorry must mention Billy Porter, the Broadway actor who's been on the red carpet every time, and if you've paid a little attention to Met Gala, you'll never forget the way he was brought in by six men last year to make his appearance in Egypt.
Why would you say Billy Porter feels sorry? I believe that no one, more than he is, will use the fashion world to declare his political intentions - to break through the gender boundaries and challenge the dualism of society.
Every action is meant to create a commotion.
First of all, who's Billy Porter?
He's a well-known Broadway actor in the U.S. and has appeared in a number of TV series, such as the 2018 hit-and-run album "Fancy 80," which recreates the 1980s african-American gay, transgender community, and Billy Porter, who won best actor in the 2019 Emmy Awards.
Photo: "80"
As an African-American gay man, when he entered Hollywood in 1980, he felt deeply that the film and television industry was unfriendly to gay/African-American communities. He mentioned on New Yorker Festival that at the time, the film and television world was looking for only three African-American actors: James Earl Jones, the sexy Denzel Washington, or Eddie Murphy, a clown. But he is nothing.
Not only film and television, but also the music industry. He once said that film and television music is an extremely homophobic industry: "This industry is trying to change me to make the people around me feel comfortable." In order to get a bite out of it, he had to hide his true appearance in order to get a job offer. However, he also discovered that art and theatre were the place to really embrace him, so he began to dig deep into musicals and began to speak out on LGBTQ-plus issues.
Also because of the influence of his mother and grandmother's fashionable dress, he showed great interest in fashion, every time at the awards ceremony, red carpet, you can see him trying to stir up the most sensitive nerves of society, such as wearing high heels and long skirts appear: "put on high heels, let me feel the power of masculinity like never before, It made me feel very powerful to liberate myself. 」
In an interview with Vogue, he said: "My aim is to show political art every time I make an appearance, and I'm going to challenge the public's expectation: What is masculinity?" How do you define it? Women can now wear pants, but when men wear skirts, so-called inclusion disappears. 」
Photo: Dazhi Image Courtesy (AP)
"The industry pretends to be a lot of meta-inclusive, but actors don't dare to be themselves, because once the look is not in their expectations, it will be directly classified as feminine. Then as a soft person, you can't get the job you need to show masculinity, you can't get the hero's role, that's the truth. 」
In #Metoo this war, you should be angry, you should say anger.
He fought for sex and more women in the theatre and fashion scene.
On October 31, 2018, Billy Porter published an article on out of his childhood in which he was sexually abused by his stepfather, in solidarity with Professor Ford in the case of sexual assault by the US Justices (Extended reading: Sexual assault suspect son-in-law, U.S. Supreme Court nominee, accuser Christine Ford: I'll never forget, he's smiling at me)
"The 250-pound stepfather sexually assaulted me in the face with his genitals, did you say that detail was enough?" Are these memories credible enough? Or is it not important because it's been too long, because I don't remember what kind of posture he hurt me? "I don't know, "
"As these monsters continue to be given sacred places, even to the highest halls, to legislate to govern our lives, we continue to endure public ridicule and humiliation of the victims of these atrocities. (Extended reading: "Mom doesn't believe I was sexually assaulted" Ellen DeGeneres recalls being sexually abused by her stepfather at a young age
For more than 40 years, Billy Porter has moved on with trauma, choosing to expose his childhood in Professor Ford's case, opposing the society's repeated review of its victims. He knew how much courage it would take to explain a painful experience, and he wanted everyone, to know and to be the same survivor, how hard he was asking for help.
We cannot and should not just be bystanders.
Photo: Dazhi Image Courtesy (AP)
Billy Porter let his body as a weapon, every appearance, very deliberate, you say he is no matter what. The fight is in fact an action show, in that age of forced silence, Billy Porter does not want to be quiet, he wants the world to see as a minority, should be disturbed, but also create unrest, in the gender battlefield, you should be angry, let everyone see you and your generation of revolution.