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" Being an openly gay black man, unfortunately I've had experiences working with individuals who've tried to exploit my blackness or my gayness in a way that doesn't make me feel comfortable, or they try to manipulate me into being a caricature of myself. "

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" The black community can be competitive and cautious when it comes to those we want put on display for the world to see and judge. We are a prideful people who believe that anything that will make us seem 'less than' should be hidden. "

Karamo Brown

People

World

Community

" People always look at reality shows and think, 'How do they fall in love so quickly?' When you are quarantined with the same people, the emotions you normally feel after a year come within a week. "

" My favorite job, and definitely the one that means the most to me, is 'Queer Eye.' "

Karamo Brown

Most

Queer

" My first job ever was, I got hired by Oprah Winfrey. "

" Hollywood, at the bottom of it, is about money. "

" The funny thing is, we teach - as a culture, we teach people that it's OK to talk about your fitness goals... Like, I want to be more physically fit, I want to drop 10 pounds, but no one's talking about how I can spend 10 days to get happier. "

" We must be vigilant in sharing our stories and our truths as queer parents of color at every chance we get if we hope to see art imitate real life. "

" The perpetuation of family and cultural pressures to conform to prescribed masculine behaviors is what creates social isolation and distress in many young gay and trans people of color. "

" Really, I think the extra layer of raising a son as a gay black man comes from trying to raise a son who doesn't subscribe to masculine stereotypes. "

" Unfortunately, a lot people still don't understand queer culture. "

" I think that's one of the greatest gifts that I have: that I can get someone to open up, and all you have to do is ask a question and not feel like you need a response. "

" We have to start making sure that churches start to talk about... black queerness in a way that's affirming. Because a lot of young black men are in the church, and that's where they start to learn this self-hate behavior. "

" I was a social worker most of my life while raising my two boys. "

" My background is in social work and psychotherapy. "

" I know a lot of people who are depressed, and they walk around, and they're smiling every day, but no one's asking them how they're really doing. "

" Encourage your friend and family member who are queer parents of color to post their stories and share it with the world. It's time for us to be seen. "

" The worst thing about our political system is that people debate; I wish our politicians were able to talk to each other rather than scream while trying to gain sound bites. "

" I don't like the term 'coming out' because it gives the power to the other person. "

Karamo Brown

Because

Coming

" Although someone's vote may hurt me by supporting the structures in place that hold people of colour, women, and LGBT+ people down, some people just don't realise that these structures exist. The way someone votes doesn't make them a bad person; it just means that, at the time, this was the best decision they thought they could make. "

" No matter if someone has personal feelings about my sexuality or how they view me, it's all of our job to continue to show up in spaces where we can say, 'You know what? I can figure out how to try to work with you.' "

Karamo Brown

Know

Job

" It is important to remember that if we treat people who could be allies as enemies, we can only alienate them from our cause. "

" A lot of times, we look at people who have disabilities as, 'Oh, we can't invite these people here or there.' And I hate that, because it's inappropriate. It's so weird to me when people say they don't have friends who have disabilities. "

" Life experiences with oppression and homophobia often become internalized and can have detrimental effects on the development of positive sexual identity for Southern black gay men. "

" What does culture mean? It's not a physical thing. I love a museum, but that, for me, doesn't make you a better person. "

Karamo Brown

Love

Culture

" Bangkok is one of those places where it's so rich and full of tradition, but they're so open to different people - different gender expressions and gender identities. As a gay man, I never once felt uncomfortable there. As a black man, I never once felt uncomfortable. "

" Literally, I look back on it now, and I often think to myself, 'Karamo you should have done better.' But that's the thing: when you're in that dark space, you can't do any better. And it's for people around you to say, 'You know what? I need to check in with you and be there to support you.' "

" So often, we take photos on our iPhone, and then they're gone in a year, and we don't even remember them. I like to experience life and disconnect from that. "

" I've been on reality TV since I was 23. "

" My household runs the same way it was with my parents, who were a mother and father with their kids. "

" I came out at 16 years old as a proud, gay man. My last girlfriend in high school - when I was 15 - became pregnant with my child but did not tell me. "