Billy Porter

#BillyPorter (September 21, 1969 – ): Born in Pittsburgh, Porter grew up in a very religious household where he had revealed he was sexually abused as a child by his stepfather. As he became older he became more interested in acting and graduated from #CarnegieMellonUniversity with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drama and a certification in Screenwriting from #UCLA. A performer on and off Broadway since 1994, he became best known for his original portrayal of “Lola” in #KinkyBoots in 2013. That year he won both the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical as well as the #TonyAward for Best Actor in a Musical. The following year he wrote a play, “While I Yet Live,” which premiered Off-Broadway. From then until his now famous role on the TV Show #Pose, he worked on musical performance pieces and released albums where he sang solos and duets with stars of stage and screen. In 2018, Porter began starring in the show “Pose” as #PrayTell, the emcee of the legendary balls. This role landed him the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2019, which made him the first openly gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category in the #PrimetimeEmmys. Known also for his fashion on runways, Porter has dazzled the public with a plethora of looks over the years, from his #ChristianSiriano fitted tuxedo jacket and velvet down with 6″ #RickOwens boots to the 91st Academy Awards to his “Sun God” ensemble at the 2019 Met Gala to his floor-length pink poncho-style gown at the 2020 AFI Awards. As Pose has now concluded with its series finale, Porter recently disclosed in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter that he was diagnosed with HIV in June of 2007, the same year he was also diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. During this interview he also stated that he is releasing his memoirs (#Unprotected) in October of 2021. #PrideMonth #LGBTQIA #LGBTQIAPride #Pride🌈 #LegendsOfPride #YouCannotEraseUs