{"id":110524,"date":"2019-12-03T10:25:22","date_gmt":"2019-12-03T15:25:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/category-is-givingtuesday-realness-pose-star-billy-porter-talks-fashion-politics-and-giving-back\/"},"modified":"2019-12-03T10:25:22","modified_gmt":"2019-12-03T15:25:22","slug":"category-is-givingtuesday-realness-pose-star-billy-porter-talks-fashion-politics-and-giving-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gayfriendschat.com\/socialblog\/category-is-givingtuesday-realness-pose-star-billy-porter-talks-fashion-politics-and-giving-back\/","title":{"rendered":"Category Is GivingTuesday Realness: \u2018Pose\u2019 Star Billy Porter Talks Fashion, Politics and Giving Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

Category Is GivingTuesday Realness: \u2018Pose\u2019 Star Billy Porter Talks Fashion, Politics and Giving Back<\/b><\/p>\n

Photo: Poppy Gordon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Actor, activist and icon Billy Porter knows how to rock a red carpet, but for him giving back is always in vogue.<\/p>\n

This GivingTuesday, Porter is teaming up with PayPal to spread the word about all the ways it\u2019s possible to give back. Donating money certainly is the quickest way to make an impact for those who have the means, but there are lots of ways to give your time and talents to support the causes that mean the most to you.<\/p>\n

We chatted with Porter about his favorite ways to give back and how he\u2019s using fashion to change this \u201ctoxic gender world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo: Michael Simon\/startraksphoto.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What drew you to this campaign?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The spirit of giving has always been a part of my life growing up in the church environment, it\u2019s one of the first things they teach you. So, when PayPal called me about this, it was a no-brainer. I really, really try to live<\/a> my life in a space of paying it forward as much as I can possibly can.<\/p>\n

What are some of your favorite ways to give back?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m an artist, so I always try to use my art in some way to give back. When I first moved to NYC, back in the early \u201990s, I worked with the Actors Fund and Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS very often. I would show up and sing at benefits, or do my own personal concerts where all the proceeds would go to the those organizations, so I\u2019ve always done it through my creativity, because I haven\u2019t always had the finances to give in that way \u2026 Money is always a way to give, and PayPal is going to be matching by 10 percent, but I think it\u2019s more important for everyone to know that giving is a hard thing. Giving of your time, whether it\u2019s volunteering at food bank or mentoring someone who needs that kind of assistance, supporting small businesses, for instance, donating. Donate some of those clothes you got in your closet that you can\u2019t wear no more, it don\u2019t fit no more, you\u2019ve been holding on to it for two decades \u2014 you ain\u2019t that size no more! Donate those clothes somewhere. It\u2019s getting creative with how we give, but every, every bit of it counts and matters.<\/p>\n

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Giving back and and paying it forward happens ALWAYS. It\u2019s a way of life, it\u2019s the oxygen that we breathe. It\u2019s the only way the world is going to become a better place.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

What are causes you\u2019re excited about right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I always speak of the Actors Fund because the Actors Fund of America has been around for 137 years. They\u2019ve been dedicated and committed to making sure that artists \u2014 people in the arts, very often we\u2019re freelance \u2014 are taken care of when the insecurity of freelance-ness rears its ugly head. I have been a beneficiary of them when I was in my downtime period, they helped me through a really, really rough period, helping me with rent and utility bills and medical bills \u2026 They\u2019ve been really present for me. They\u2019ve been available for me in ways that are unimaginable. So, I\u2019m always finding ways to give back.<\/p>\n

What are the urgent needs for the LGBTQ community during this giving season?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The rights of LGBTQ people in general are under attack, like many other people\u2019s rights are under attack. I have specifically been enlightened by being a part of Pose<\/em> and now being a part of the transgender community and what that means and what that feels like. It\u2019s really, really time for our focus to shift into how to protect that part of our society, our human society.<\/p>\n

Why is Giving Tuesday particularly relevant now in 2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Giving is always relevant, let me just say that. Giving is ALWAYS relevant. This is no different than any other time, other than the fact we feel like some of us are under an oppressive regime. That means we keep giving, and we keep giving. Frederick Douglass said, \u2018Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,\u2019 right? So, we just keep doing it. For me, it\u2019s an extension of what I\u2019ve always done. What I hope is that this moment is a springboard to remind people that giving is ALWAYS. Giving back and and paying it forward happens ALWAYS. It\u2019s a way of life, it\u2019s the oxygen that we breathe. It\u2019s the only way the world is going to become a better place.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re no stranger to making a statement on and off the red carpet. What is your philosophy on fashion as a political act?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m from a generation of artists where the politics of it come first. The politics of it is rooted and grounded in the work, in general \u2026 So, we\u2019re in this toxic gender world, where masculine and feminine are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and the twain shall never meet. That\u2019s the conversation I knew we needed to have, but I didn\u2019t know how intense it would be. It\u2019s intense. It\u2019s crazy. I feel humbled to be a part of that conversation, and I think it\u2019s changing stuff. I know that it\u2019s changing things. Fashion is art, and art is always political.<\/p>\n

The post Category Is GivingTuesday Realness: \u2018Pose\u2019 Star Billy Porter Talks Fashion, Politics and Giving Back<\/a> appeared first on Towleroad Gay News<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Category Is GivingTuesday Realness: ‘Pose’ Star Billy Porter Talks Fashion, Politics and Giving Back<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n