Words: Steve Brown

Billy Porter has recalled coming out during the height of the Aids epidemic.

The openly gay actor – who is currently starring in Ryan Murphy’s latest series Pose – has been vocal in LGBTQ rights and during an interview with Variety, Porter recalled coming out during the height of the Aids epidemic.

Porter said: “I came out as gay in 1985, it was the middle of the Aids crisis.

“It was a dark time, it was a dark, dark time. We were living through a plague. And it was a group of people that it felt like nobody cared about and that cloud was hanging over the city in a really hard way.”

During the Actors on Actors interview, Porter was asked about his involvement in Murphy’s new series – which focuses on the New York ballroom scene – and how he feels to portray the historical story on screen, something he claims he never thought he would see.

He continued: “The great part about it was that – and I think this is what infuses the show – is the choice to choose life anyway is such a powerful thing.

“It’s a powerful tool to have in life in general and you can’t have a testimony unless you have a test.

“If I’m being honest with you, I never felt like this story being told would ever be an option.

“My dreams have always been huge, but they’ve always been spring-boarded off to something I had already seen. Never the impossible.”