The O.G. Trailblazer Lea DeLaria

Published May 18, 2022, 4:00 AM

Lea DeLaria, growing up queer in church, gay Jesus and President Biden story time.

Lea joins Jonathan and Jaymes to discuss the journey to becoming the first openly gay comic to perform on American television. Lea gets into the behind the scenes details of those now infamous 9 minutes on the Arsenio Hall Show and how reclaiming certain words is empowering for the LBGTQ+ community.  Jonathan explains how Lea inspired him and they reminisce about a movie they were in together as Jaymes playfully struggles to keep their egos in check. 

This is Pridecast with Jonathan Bennett James v on I Heart Radio. Hey, what's up everybody. Welcome to Pridecast on I Heart. I'm your host Jonathan Bennett, joined as always by my fabulous, hunky, sexy husband, James Vaughan. Quite the intro. Baby, thank you so much. That's not what you were calling me five minutes ago. So it was okay, it was what I was calling him five minutes ago. It's just you know, when you're married, love takes a different it. Love takes a turn when you get married, because now like you can just say, hey, you gotta put the toilet seat up, you gotta put the toilet seat down. All the little things that happened daily you now can call I can call you out for everything. I just okay, what happened was he spilled what had happened to cardinal sin with Jonathan. Coffee is my favorite thing in the world. He just spilled my ice coffee on not only the floor and the carpet, but the dog and the Pridecast background can relates ice coffee gaze. If you're listening, I identify with you, I see you, I understand. Maybe let's jump right into this broadcast into Well, Sarah's already done our guests today. I'm just a little bit Leo Dularia, who's a good friend of yours. And you've you've worked with Leo Dularia legend. I think it's just so you did this movie. I don't give too much of wigs. Would you guys be to talk about it? But see how Jonathan was in this movie with Leah where he plays Potato. Well, well we can talk about a little later. Well, don't tell the end concept, just tell him it was in a movie. Okay. I was in a movie and I played gay Jesus, all right. I was in a movie with Leodolario called Potato, and I played Jesus, Buddy's gay, big old homosexual Jesus. All right. So and you'll hear the reason behind because I'm sure you guys will talk about it. But I just thought it would give us a chance to maybe have a little conversation at the start of this because I know there's a lot of queer kids that grew up are growing up in this right now, and that is religion. And I mean, I gonna get deep about it, and I could talk about it. We're gonna we're gonna talk about like I just I just for a minute about So I grew up at the church where you went every Sunday morning, every Sunday night, every Wednesday night, the Baptist church, and you were there and you were dressed to the nines and you were judged for every single thing that you do. Did you grow up in church, baby, I did grow up in a church. I grew up in a Methodist and then like a Presbyterian church, and we would go something like we were in the church and we would go every Sunday, and like I would go. I would go there, not necessarily like I went there, and I hated it because like I was gay, and I knew that no one at the church was accepting of it, and it was the cardinals sting to be gay. But at the same time, I really liked the theater because there was a like they would put on shows and the My my debut on the theatrical stage was at the Presbyter's Dony Creek Presbyterian Church in Burlington, North Carolina. I was in seventh grade and I played the innkeeper like peasant Boy in the show Innkeeper for the Christmas Plate and I got to like make my stage debut where I was like, Mom, you gotta put more eyeliner on. I need I need my eyes to pop. And I was like yelling at my mother to like put on more and more eyeliner, and I would just like walk, I would like just prance around the stage and like wipe down the table with this like fake jug of water. And that was my entire performance. And then after the show, my dad said, all these people were coming up to him going, oh my gosh, Jonathan was amazing. His performance was so good, and my Dad's sitting there going he didn't have any freaking lines. He just sat around and wiped up the table. What are you guys talking about? He was so good. It was it was the It was the eyeliner. And that's when he knew, Oh, my son was probably destined to be a star and to be on stage. And so that's kind of like how my career started was in the church. But other than like half of my first time like doing anything with with a boy like was unusually like a church trip. Oh wasn't it always? It was always on the church. That's when I learned like, oh, this is what it's like. To do this. Well, yeah, as much as I say, like, I mean, I grew up in a very hateful church, a church that taught you to judge other people, a church that taught you that if anyone was doing something different than than what we say, it should be like they're wrong and they're going to hell. It was a dark place, it really was. And I say, though, which you talk about, like, but there's an outlet to church. There was also the performance aspect. And as much as we were getting the fire and brimstone and told we were going to hell for anything different, obviously they were like aware I was gay, and we're trying to push me to I don't know, like pray it away or some crazy stuff you can't do. But that was the performance aspect, and that was the element of that. And there was this thing called teams involved, and we would go and we would take these trips and do puppet show was as a competition. We would sing as a competition, we would do plays as a competition. But you would go and you wouldn't meet other gay kids, and there would be other kids that were going through the same experience you were going through. And this place that was trying to make things so dark and so hurtful for us actually ended up providing an outlet that was there was a lot of hope and a lot of light, and I just, like you, started having some experiences there and and really figuring myself out. But I look back at the time, like, obviously I'll go to that church now, But I look back at that time there and there's so much darkness, but there's also so much that I look back around like, man, but y'all, y'all unknowingly probably provided me the outlet that probably saved my life absolutely, And I mean, I mean, that's the thing I'll do. I'm sure there's tons of queer kids out there, like, yeah, you know. I did enjoy doing the show as a church. Actually, as soon as I could drive, switched from my parents church, which is the Baptist church, to my own uncle's church, which was the Church of God because they did the big production to Christmas where the angels flu and all I wanted to do was flying. That's you're like, I want to be in the harness and don't want to be brought in like with with angel wings flown from the back of the auditorium. I totally understand that feeling like I relate to and I get it. I think there's just such a being queer and being having religion in your life. It's I'm sure people they're listening understand that there's a love hate relationship to for a lot of people. For for me at least, there is like that, you you love religion, you want to have a religion. I want to believe in something, but at the same time, the religions, so many religions throw in your face and and reverse how I'm supposed to feel. You know that they tell me everything I'm doing is wrong and being who I am is a sin, and the list can go on. We all know what it is. We all know what's out there. But I think there's an interesting relationship that many people have that are queer with religion because I know there are people that want to have something and want to believe, but at the same time are told that it's wrong. So so that is a story for another day. I think there can be we can do a whole episode on it. Yeah, but just just know they're not the only ones experiencing that. And if you're going through it right now, and if you're in a hateful place that makes you feel bad about yourself. Like, my religion is love, y'all, so love yourself, look at you, love yourself, love who you are, and like it's just you always remember when people are like that and they're being so dark and dirty, it's them, it's on their soul, it's their heart, it's something that's wrong with them, and you just have to almost have sympathy. Like I see the people that still go to that church, and I just have so much feel bad for them living with hate in their heart all the time. So God bless them, as we say in the South, bless their hearts. What do you think? I mean? I love this chat and I like, I have so many opinions to share because you know, I was like literally the religion commissioner in high school. But the story for another day, because our guest is waiting. So let's go to break and come back with Leah joining us today, all the way from New York City on the broad Way. The legend, the one and only one of my friends who I absolutely adore, the one and only talented Leah Dalaria joins us here on Pridcast. Welcome Leah, I mean, the last time in my contact with my phone Jonathan King Bennett as you should most people do, or usually it's King Jonathan Bennett, like God damn him. You know that's that? Or if you do with my husband, that's a whole another story. That's a whole another story. By the way, Congratulations, Sadie. Sadie married lady than just two months. Maybe it's been two months we've been married. And let me tell you, the only thing we do different now is poop with the door open. You know, that's that's what we're not doing that. That's not happening. We're never gonna We're not going to see you think you would think, um, the last time we saw each other. We have to before we talk about all these amazing things you're doing, we have to talk about some amazing things that we've done, which is Potato Dreams of America, a little movie we did together. It's hard for me to explain what this movie is. Can you please tell us give everyone who doesn't know about it, just kind of the recap of this is the movie we're telling you about. The Jonathan ga Jesus in Yeah, yeah, I look, well Jonathan places Jesus. So for that alone, everyone should see it. Um, But it is the story of the directors Westurley. It's his actual real life story. It's a story of him being raised in in Russia and his mom doing everything that she can to get him the out of Russia because she knows that he will be murdered, he will be killed and Um, like a good mom, she does everything she can and becomes you know, a male art of bride or sex slave is like, and moves to moves her son to Seattle, Washington and uh and then Hi jinkson Sue Um and then there's a huge twist. What I think it's great about the movie, Jonathan is our stuff, the stuff in Russia, how surreal is and how dark it is and how beautifully shot it is. I just find I'm fascinated by it. I think the movie. The movie is so good. It's it's got nominated for a ton of awards and the people are loving it. And if you haven't seen it, check out Potato Dreams of America. It's where I played Gay Jesus and I gotta explain why I played. Can you describe your own movie and say the people are loving it, that people are loving it, Like when you go to the When you go to the festivals, people love it. They come up and they say how great it is. But yeah, and people love it. I'm sorry that we're awesome and did really cool content. Okay, listen to me content because even John Waters loved it. I was at the Provincetown Film Festival with John Waterson. He hates everything, and he loved it. And I guess I'm the people. It's just funny when you say, like your movie the people, the people did it. I remember watching it having no idea what to expect, and then just being like wow, and then not wanting it to end, and the But I have to explain to everyone why I played gay Jesus because in in Russia, when when when Potato the the little boy is, he's put into like Sunday school, into like church, into school, and they always tell him like Jesus is your friend. Jesus is always with you, and so whenever he gets to a dark place and he gets scared, he goes Jesus is always with me, Jesus is my friend, and I appear as Jesus. And right before we went to like kind of like his imaginary friend, and right before we went to roll the first scene. The first time we went to shoot my mike first close up and we're gonna film it. I turned to the director and I go, I'm a figment of your imagination, so I'm technically you, right, and West said, yes, your extension of me. And I go, you're gay, So I'm gay Jesus and he goes, you're right, And in that moment before we rolled the first take, I became gay Jesus. And it's a really fun check it out. But Leah, let's talk about the giant show that's in the room right now. I mean, you're back on Broadway. Well, why does it feel like I need to know everything? You're in Podus to tell everyone the full name of the show, because I don't want to screw it up. Yeah, Podas are behind every dumbmasses seven women trying to keep him alive. Right, But what's the name of the show, And what's it feel like to be back on Broadway doing this show. It's crazy to be back on Broadway. I'm really happen back on Broadway and not in the musical. All I've ever done is musicals on Broadway, So it's really fun. Just play um and it's also crazy because we're in the Shubert. It's like the Jewel Broadway, right, it's amazing, except it's covered in scaffolding. Right now, you'll win someone loose. So I finally get my picture on this side of a huge Broadway house and it's covered in scaffol guys a lot. That's a humor about it, because it's like it says even on the billboards, it says, you know, the our one nation under scaffolding one of the build billboards saying that's so and uh. And it's with a crazy group of people, Julie White, Vanessa Williams, Rachel Draft, Julianne Huff, Susie Knocka Mora and Lily Cooper and myself. So it's seven pretty strong women in a very strong ensemble situation having the time for our lives. We're just all we do is laugh. All we do is laugh. I mean you have to because I looked at the cast and and just you, you and anything like I've worked with you, I've become friends with you now, I've known you. I've known you for a few decades now. But we'll get into that in a minute. But just you being in any situation absolutely changes the dynamic of the group. And then when I saw the cast, that's us alongside you. That has to be one of the craziest energy forces, like energy vortex is. To be in backstage with those people on show night, it's insanity. Yeah, And I mean we met. I met you, and I I think I told you the story and you might not have remembered, but I met you back in the Jason Egan Kevin Cahune in the ghetto cowboy days back and I want to say two thousand, were you doing Rocky Horror at the time or was it Harry then? Yeah, you were doing Rocky Horse Circle in the Square, right, is that where it was? Yeah, you were doing Rocky Horror. And I met you at a party at um what was the name of the place down in Lower East Side that that you would go to for the music? Um uh cbg um CBGBs? Is that it? Yeah? That was it was? It was No, it was a place like that though. It was one of those like it was Kevin Cohune was doing like a show. It was doing Plam cowboy thing. Yes, yes, that that one, and we met. We met there and I remember just you Okay, Yeah, So we were in public and you were telling, you know, just out of the bar, and you were telling a story of I think maybe it was an ex girlfriend or something. You you were just telling your story and living your life. And this is back in a round two thousand when I was still a young gay kid and I had I was out, but still being from Ohio, like to be out out was a different story. Right, I was out, but I wasn't out out. And to hear you tell just talk about your girlfriend in such a just bold, loud way, it struck a chord with me. And I remember, I've had podcasts that they've asked me trailblazers and people that I've looked up during the commune in the queer community, and you're one of the people I always list because you were. You were the first time I remember in real life, not on TV, not you know, in a in a movie, but to see a person that was queer in real life living there truth, boldly, unapologetically and loudly in public. It was you lead, Laria. And you don't realize just by doing that and having someone overhear your story how it changes them. Wow. Thanks, It's it's crazy. I was probably wrong com No, you were absolutely yeah. Well, I mean I think we all were. I think we barely remember the night, but it is it is definitely something that I remember, and it's very distinct in my brain remembering it. I mean, you were one of the first openly gay comics to appear on TV, on our Senior Hall, right, and in America, the very first in America get comic on television. And they told you not to say the word. They told you not to say the word dyke, right, yeah, the after I but when this was our City of Hall, So it was in March of so um when I was on there for like, I was on the couch and I did four and a half minutes and then I was on the couch. So I was on the air for nine nine and a half it in total. And apparently it was the advocate that counted I said the word dike fag. I said the word dike fag or queer forty seven times, and that which is is a But then the lawyers for Fox of all he came down and basically said, we can't really air this because of the language that she used. And it was our studio that went to bat for me and said, uh, you know, she calls herself a dike and who are we to stand, you know, to stop her and say that she can't. It's such a that's such it's such an interesting thing to say what we're talking about, because there's such the movement and the way that the world is changing. The meaning and the power behind the words have changed over time from now. I remember James and I talked about this in the last podcast. We we would never call ourselves queer. We would queer was what you were called when you up hunched in the face. That's how you're made fun of. And for you to use those words and to use them as sense, as a sense of power and in a way to express yourself, there was power behind those words. How do you feel? You know, what's it? What's it feel like to see the world changing? And what are your thoughts on all these things? That part of that sort of thing has been going on, um within the disenfranchise communities of the world for a very long time. UM. We'll have the discussion of the N word. And you know, I remember when Larry Cramer's book Faggots came out in in so that was the title of the book faggot, and I remember him listing how many and he used the word faggot in Queens there are x amount of faggots and like, and he did all the boroughs in the neighborhoods of New York. And this is like the very first page and the very last line on the page was there are no more fags. That there are no more faggots than to use in New York City. But that's the word that we have been claiming for a very long time, fag, dyke and queer and um now it's just it's second nation. You still run into those mainstream middle classes, simulationists, white gay boys that have issues. I always do, but you know, there's not a lot they can say to me. Right now, I'm gonna hit hit Broadway show. I was in a hint television show and I called myself a dyke. Good luck trying not to do that, especially what just happened on the oscars. You know, we have heard the word queer. It was fantastic. Yeah, and yeah, I know that's the the I've tried to use those words to like with within my friends in my circle, to to to get the power back, because yeah, like queer. Obviously I got hurt with but man fag and I got hurt with a lot as a kid, especially emotionally. Yeah, it was when I went when I said to myself, why is that an insult? I am a dyke? Yeah, And then when you take it back and then you have your friends and you HiPE each other up with it, it takes a totally different mean and it's and it's it is. It's like you just you pull every piece of that power back, you pull every little bit of hurt that somebody gave you from that word back, and you're like just dunking on them with it, like no I am, I am, And it's freaking awesome and it's and it's better than what you are. So I'm sorry that you're missing that on being one of these and we have we have joining us Leo, we have our our let's call him our gen z leaning producer, Raymond. Raymond always has a take on the world from his perspective, which we love. He's way younger than us. And so, Raymond, you hear these conversations that we're having with legends that have been trailblazing for decades, and what do you think how do these conversations feel to you, Well, I think first of all, my first note is a lot of the kids don't know who our senior Hall is. Okay, okay, our senior Hall. There you go, we'll take it. We'll take it. They don't know who are saying Hall is. But so put in context, he had his own talk show, he was a comedian. He had a late night talk show that was iconic. I've watched it because my parents made me watch it. It was great. So that's number one. And then too, I love that you use those back then, Like that's incredible. I had no idea, you know, like there's a lot of power in those words. It's funny you were saying them in on TV and I was being called them when I was five right at the same time. But it's great. I love it. Um, it's so nice to meet you. And speaking of that, like talking about troublazing, we always like to do this thing where we have like a little bit of like gay history and every podcast, so I'm gonna let Jonathan James take away a little moment in gay histories and like get your take on it. Alright, Leo, we like to do a segment on podcast called Gay History or This Week in Gay History, because in order to know where we're going and see where we're going, we have to always remember where we came from. So, James, what happened this week in gay history? Let's take it back to nineteen you were you were in baby third grade? No, you were, No, I was in fifth grade. I know you were a little behind, but I was held back. You were in nine fifth grades. In n I was the Southeastern Region roller skating figure skating champion. And also at the same time in n this week in LGBT GOO plus history was the first Lavender graduation. It took place at the University of Michigan and there were three graduates. So let me explain to you what it was. So Lavender Graduation was a ceremony that was created to honor lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and allies students and their achievements and contributions to the university because it wasn't happening. You think about, like now we see like people being hyped up and praised for what they're doing and their contributions as members of our community, But it wasn't happening. So in nineteen it was created at University of Michigan with only three students and it's now obviously grown into so much more. But it's it's beautiful to think about, Like that's when this started. People started getting recognition for being fabulous and fantastic and doing great things as members of our community. How you feel about that? Um? How do I feel about that? Uh? Great? Sure, I think it's great. I think what what's gotten bigger? You know what I mean? It's like we have that in high schools now, So that's that to me is the real change, because you know, once we get our youth once, when once we have our youth understand where they came from and where, then then we know where we're going, if you know what I mean. So yeah, I think it was amazing that they did that. Um where was I? And I think this time in this week, I'm pretty sure that I was performing in England. I want your life. I want to get like, who do you want to be when you grew up? Alia are Obviously she does it? Does it a hello? That's my girlfriend day? And she has apparently gotten the delivery for McDonald's love. Is there any better girlfriend than one that brings McDonald's Hello? Probably now she's gonna go eat. No, you met Dadyet, you met Dallia at the potato Yes, we did. Just lovely and very beautiful. Leo. We told the Pridcast fans and the Pridecast community that we were talking to you today. And we have a question from um Chris. He wants to know what was your favorite thing while filming Orange is the New Black. He's the biggest Orange is the New Black fan. Uh. My favorite thing about filming Orange is the New Black was how many shower scenes I got to partake? Him? Yep, that makes total sense. That makes absolutely total boom. That makes total total sense. Um. Here we are on Pridecast and we're talking about pride. This is this is why we're here. Leo. What does pride mean to you? Um? That the word pride and the experience of pride has changed for me throughout the course of time. Uh. It in the beginning, when I was much younger, it was it was a radical expression of um of anger and rage at society. Um. And then it then it started to become kind of a how's like with this a commercial for for corporations that we're trying to make money off of us. It kind of got usurped by a lot of people. And these pride parades. It used to be a protest, and you know, this is why we're here because of protests. Uh, became more of a party, and which I'm not mad at a party. I love a party. But how it got you served by corporations, like what does the Bank of America have anything thing to do with queer pride? That's where I go, That's where I start going crazy. And so that started to happen. So I used to say, I can't do Iday because right now I don't have enough pride for an entire day, you know, And yeah, call me for Gay Humiliation Day the next day. I'll be whip. But um, but I've noticed over the course of the last ten years, it's become more and more you know what I mean, especially since Obama legalized gay marriage. Uh, there's been more more of what this is about about saying to people, we demand our rights, we demand our rights. And especially after you know the last president, um, he who shall remain nameless, we were really out in mass and I see us, um, I see us becoming rageful again. I see us again pushing and saying you to the powers that be. You know, we deserve to have this, and given what's what's happening with the Supreme Court and stuff, I imagine that Pride this year is going to be very very very very great, full of strong protests out there. You know what Pride ought to be. So how's that? I mean, that's absolutely perfect. That's that's the that's the answer. That's that's how you I there's that side. And then I have to say, just for me with Pride, I always think about I remember Pride being the first time and it was that party, but I remember being the first time I didn't feel alone, especially when like you're a gay kid that comes from a small town. So to then think about what Pride is to you and where you're saying and how we are getting that fight back. To know that you're not alone and you're part of this group that's fighting for each other to have better lives, that's a beautiful thing. That's that's really beautiful what Pride has evolved into. The first Pride I went to was in St. Louis and it was in and it was St. Louis's first Pride. There was maybe a hundred people there at that and you know, this is how things were different. The person I went with war masks wow covered her face and just for the kids listening, not like a COVID mask because it was COVID like in a mask to not know who who they were, that you could not tell who she was, so she would not be Wow. Okay, baby, I know you want to do something else that has fanfare in music, So I don't have another fan Fair moment. Because we were just talking about you know, we're talking talking about Obama and the presidency and politics. Just we touched on we have to shine our big gay spotlight on people that are doing the most good for the lgbt Q plus community or people that are just need to be recognized in the lgbt Q plus community. And so this week we want to shine our big gay spotlight on who James Well, I let your music plague playing right now. My favorite party, like Fanfair, you on, I wanted to do this one, but but but I had one last last week, so I had to figure out what I was gonna do it. So I was like, well, the wait, though, she's she's doing the job. Karene Gean Pierre, who is the first black and openly gay a press secretary for the President of the United States. I mean talk about seeing it and then knowing that you can be it. That's what I always say when like we're out there and people in our community are doing it, that other people see it and know they can be it, and oh baby, she's she's she's showing little black gay girls she can do it. It feels, it feels great. And what's interesting I have to tell you is that we have in Potus an Asian gay press secretary. We were on we were on the nose of this one. I mean to talk about art imitating life, huh. I guess life imitated life imitates art. Now imitated art this time because that was like so we were really on the nose of that and when had happened, we were just if we were taking pictures of it and sending like there's a you know, a Podus group chat. So try can you believe this is happening? It's amazing. Yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah, because it is. It's just like when you see it, you can be it. Like that's all you gotta do. You gotta see it to know you can be it. I hope Fox News comes out of because do not put the black lesbian not i'd say, and not to put you on the spot with a spotlight. But we also always want to always give our guests a chance to shine their spotlight on someone. If there's someone that's really standing out to you right now, or someone that's doing something amazing that you're just like, wow, you know what, I want to shine my big gay spotlight on you. Okay, I would have said that, So what what else? What else we want to what else we want to do? I just I would have said that. So and that's great, that's like the best to me, the best news that we've heard in a very long time. But let me just say this about the Biden administration. There are a lot of openly gay people, and there's a lot of queer people in the Biden administration, and I you know, he did us right. You know, it's not just a token here or token there. Let's appease the queer community. There's a lot in every level which I think I thought you might want to take the opportunity to tell she she's talking about the Biden administration doing right. When we talked to Joe as we call him before, when he was running for office. We actually uh got to go. The very long story short of it is that because of our dog being friends with another dog on Instagram, how very um of this era that happened, we got to go to an event that Joe Biden was speaking at while he was running for office, and we got to have a really cool moment with Joe and talked to him but beforehand. But then after he was done with everything, he came back and he found us. He found me in Jonathan and I don't want to mess up, and I remember that what he said better than I. Okay, So what such a great moment because I'm the biggest Joe Biden fan absolutely in the world. And you know when when I met when we met him, I told him that my father had died of a glioblastoma, which is what his son had. And as soon as he heard those words, he dropped everything in the look on his face wasn't a politician, it was just a dad. And he goes, what was his name, son? And I said David, And he said it's a hell of a disease. And I'm really sorry, and I'm glad that you're here, and just had this great kind of words of wisdom. He was hugging me. It was the most I was bawling my eyes out. I turned into like just a fish and I was just crying. And when you know, I told him, there's three things in your book that you you say you have to have in his book, promised me, Dad, Um, there's three things that you have to have which are to succeed, Which are you need something to hope for, some someone to love, and something to do. And I said, I said, well, I have something to do. I'm an actor and a TV host and I love my job and it's amazing and it's it's something that I do. I have the person I love and that's James. And because of you and Obama and we are able to get married and we'll be able to have the person I love and be protected that level be protected because of you. And then something to hope for is you, Joe. You're the thing that we hoped for. And it was a really great moment. And when he was leaving, he did his whole speech and he did you know, all of the donor things. And when he was leaving, he saw us out of the corner of his eye and we were across the entire field, like way far away, and he stopped and he belined over towards us. And that moment when James and I are standing there, I'm like, is job I didn't walking up to it coming to us. He's coming to us. And I said, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, he's coming to us. And he comes up and what I had said when a mademo said thank you, thank you for the work you've done. It's because of you and Obama were able to have this, and he be lined over to us and he goes, I mean, it was just out of a movie. He goes, you got it wrong, son. It's not me, it's you, guys. It's you doing the work. It's you living your life boldly and loudly and fighting for your rights. That give me and my friends straight men the ability to stand up when we can for you. Because back in the day when you would go to you know, years ago, you'd go to a restaurant and you know, maybe the waiter would be gay, and maybe the other men at the table would kind of pick on him or say something, and we just didn't know, and we didn't have the courage back then because we didn't know what to do. And now because of your strength, we now know that we can look at someone if they're bullying him and say, hey, not get the golf. He has feelings too. Dropped an F bomb and I was like yep, and he walked away. So he goes, it's you and then he pats me on the shoulder and goes all right then and walked away. And I was like, well, that's my life there. I just that's what That's what happened. But it was a really cool moment because you get like you he really was like it's not like he's just doing it because it's like policy or politics. Like he was doing it because like you saw in his eyes and you could feel his heart that like you care feel it. You could feel it. And here we are on proadcast. We want to ask you before we go, Leah. We we talk about all the struggles that the community faces, which are very important, and we want to we want to talk about those who want to change the world. But also with being queer and being gay and being whatever you want to call yourself, there comes a lot of fun and there comes a lot of power. So what is the best part about being queer for me. The best book bears being comfortable in my own skin, being able to get up in the morning, brush my teeth, and likewise see in the mirror. Um that is that is just one of the most wonderful things that person I think of human being can have. And then of course the fact that queers are just fabulous. I mean it, uh you know at least yes, we're ostracized by a society and often murdered in the street, but we always looked ten years younger than we actually are, and we lead fabulous lives. And you heard it here on priadcast. Thank you so much. There is no one better than Leo d. Laria. We want everyone please go see her show on Broadway right now. Potus is on Broadway. Say the title one more time, so don't screw it up. Lea Podas are behind every dumbasses, seven women trying to keep him alive. That's the Supert Theater. Go see it right now on Broadway. Lada Laura, thank you so much for joining us on podcast. We'll talk to you soon and we're gonna let you go and joy your McDonald's and your girlfriend. Yeah, eat, eat one or eat both, whatever you want. It's your day, your life probably both. Yeah, there you go. Bye,

Pridecast with Jonathan Bennett

Jonathan Bennett a.k.a. Aaron Samuels from Mean Girls has added another a.k.a. to his name, as host  
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