Living Out Loud with Darian

Editor-in-chief Cleavester Brooks of the new online and print magazine SGL Weekly features Finding Me actor Eugene Turner and yours truly on dual covers of the latest issue along with in-depth interviews. SGL Weekly covers news and entertainment important to same gender loving people of color and is working hard to fill the void left by past publications who served our community but are no longer around.


Brooks chats with me about my former career as a dancer, my transition to activism, and the success of Living Out Loud with Darian. Actor Eugene Turner discusses the similarities between his life and the bisexual character Greg he plays in Finding Me, life on the set, and what the future holds for this talented and incredibly sexy actor.


Get into a few excerpts below:


Cleavester: Your character is a down to earth bisexual guy. Are you down to earth and Bi-sexual?


Eugene: Lol. Well I am definitely laid back. It takes a lot to get me worked up, and like Greg I enjoy kicking around in sandals and cargo shorts, looking at T.V. (my favorite pastime) and whipping up meals for my friends. But unlike Greg I am not bisexual; I just play that role in the movie.


Cleavester: What is your take on men and women who are bisexual?


I say do you as long as you are being honest and no one is being left in the dark. Life is to short to be worried about what others think. I truly believe that people fall into these supposed categories that society has placed on us, there are subtelties and nuances that make each of us as different as our shades of skin color or our fingerprints.


Cleavester: What can you tell us about you character in the sequel? Are you finally going to pick a team to bat for? Will you finally settle down?


Eugene: "What a tangled web we weave". I will start by saying that. There is so much drama in the sequel the name should be the young and the over-sexed. To answer your question without giving anything away the choice is made for Greg.





Cleavester: How has blogging changed your life? What would you do if you didn't have the internet?


Darian: I stumbled into blogging by accident. I knew there was a desire within me to advocate for those in our community who were too afraid to speak out or who had been silenced by the pervasive homophobia in the black community. My blog and the lives it's touched over the past 3 1/2 years is greater than anything I could have ever imagined. I feel incredibly blessed that I've been able to impact someone else's life the way my mentors impacted mine.


And I can't imagine life without the internet. I need to write like I need food & water. But I'd probably work for a non-profit organization.


Cleavester: Does your blog produce an income for you? What do you want to become of your blog (entertainment show, TV channel, movies, etc.)?


Darian: My blog does produce a small income from the ads displayed on my site. Not enough for me to quit my day job. I'm open to whatever opportunities that may present itself. However, I want to make it clear that I'm not a celebrity nor am I seeking fame from writing my blog. I understand the work I'm doing is bigger than me. It's about creating a world that is safe for our LGBT brothers and sisters to live in peacefully and flourish.


Cleavester: What do you think of others in the community calling themselves celebrities and who seek fame off of us?


Darian: I have no problem with someone who seeks fame and works tirelessly to achieve it. However, I do have a problem with individuals who purport to advocate for the community as a whole when it's clearly obvious their main goal is to acquire celebrity status and become a household name.


Read both interviews in full by joining the SGL Weekly social network here. Purchase SGL Weekly here.