Billy Porter made history in 2019 by winning an Emmy for the role of Pray Tell, a character who is HIV-positive on FX’s “Pose,” series.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Porter shared that he and his character have similarities. He too is an HIV-positive Black gay man.
When first diagnosed in 2007 he had also just learned he has Type II diabetes and had filed for bankruptcy.
“The shame of that time compounded with the shame that had already (accumulated) in my life silenced me, and I have lived with that shame in silence for 14 years,” he said in the THR interview. “HIV-positive, where I come from, growing up in the Pentecostal church with a very religious family, is God’s punishment.”
He unapologetically stated that he’s now ready to tell the world his story and say, “This is what HIV-positive looks like now.”
“I survived so that I could tell the story. That’s what I’m here for,” he said.
“I’m the vessel, and emotionally that was sufficient — until it wasn’t.”
