Back in 2019, Billy Porter stirred up a lot of conversation when he appeared on the Oscars red carpet in a black tuxedo gown. Like all of his red carpet appearances, Porter didn’t simply walk; he performed, and his performance was one that proudly defied fashion’s gender norms. The Broadway-star-turned-on-screen actor knew exactly what he was getting himself into at the time, telling Vogue ahead of his appearance: “People are going to be really uncomfortable with my black ass in a ball gown—but it’s not anybody’s business but mine. Now, a few years later, Porter is still holding firm in this belief and continuing to publicly push societal ideas about gender.
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The gender conversation has exploded over the last decade or so, Porter tells HelloGiggles over the phone in April. Everyone is learning that gender has no boundaries. There’s the masculine, the feminine, and everything in between and on the outside of it.
Indeed, not only have we seen more male celebrities, like Harry Styles and Jared Leto, following in Porter’s gender-bending footsteps on the red carpet in recent years, but we’ve also seen more trans and non-binary characters represented on screen, with shows like POSE (in which Porter stars) leading the way.
The actor includes himself in that population of people who are still learning more about gender, explaining how he, at age 51, is largely informed by younger generations. These conversations are important and they’re being led by our young people, who are inspiring me and encouraging me to think beyond the boundaries of the binary, he says.
My tagline is ‘magic has no gender,' he explains now. It’s not about gender. It’s about magic and magic is about love…that is really what Cinderella is about. And I hope that everyone will take that message away when they see [the movie] and incorporate it into their lives and how they move through their lives.
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Unfortunately, though, anytime there’s a modernized take on a classic (think: the female-led reboot of Ghostbusters), a wave of backlash is to be expected, and that’s been the case for Cinderella. Yet just as Porter was prepared for negative responses to his 2019 Oscars gown, he knows it’s bound to come along with his fairy godmother role, too—and he truly doesn’t care.
I do not now, nor will I ever, adjudicate my life or humanity on sound bites on social media, let me just say that Porter says. What people think about me is none of my business.
Porter says he has metaphorically wiped clean his life of hate, refusing to let it consume him. Referencing his brand partnership with Clorox Scentiva, the star adds, If Clorox Scentiva disinfecting wipes were something that you could literally use to wash your skin clean [of negativity], that’s what I have done.
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I’m a 51-year-old man, he says. I don’t know how to do this stuff by myself. To make it happen, Porter got some help from the young people and professionals, he says, and he ultimately thinks the video, came out real good. You can see for yourself below.
While TikTok may not be Porter’s area of expertise (even though he clearly still killed it), something he does have years of experience in is being a role model and advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. For the past three years, the actor has delivered an LGBTQ State of the Union address in partnership with Logo TV to break down the state of politics, social movements, and current events and provide messages of hope. For this year’s address, which aired on March 30th, Porter emphasized the compassion and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community amidst the past year of living in a pandemic, during which LGBTQ+ individuals faced higher rates of isolation, housing insecurity, and financial stress than heterosexual and cisgender individuals.