FOX SOUL is Having a Ball, and the Category is Black Queerness
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Before the pandemic FOX SOUL has been providing us with quality content and programs and ever since they continue to branch out to incorporate various communities into their tight knit family. A new 1-hour talk series focused on the Black LGBTQIA+ experience, “The House” premiered earlier last month on the network. Featuring dinner party style conversations with real friends within the community discussing touching topics such as Trans Trauma to surrogate parenthood, “The House” is becoming a FOX SOUL show you cannot afford to miss. Each week “The Fam,” consisting of four regular hosts Antonio Le Mons (COO, Skin Row Trust), Cheryl Rich (Reality TV Personality), Chris Curse (Celebrity Hair Stylist), and Aaron Levy Johnson (Actor, Writer & Director) invite a unique member from the queer community to add their opinion and experiences to the lively discussion. We had a few minutes to speak with the cast about how they are redefining the queer experience for TV viewers.
Jzon Azari: You’re a co-host on FOX SOUL’s new series, ‘The House,’ a show that focuses on the Black LGBTQIA+ experience. Tell me, how did you feel when you first found out about being a part of this show and who did you break the good news to?
Chris Curse: When I learned that The House was being picked up by Fox Soul, I was super thrilled! I was hoping for the show to premiere on a network that had strong Black viewership and diversity that was not exclusively LGBTQIA+ focused to broaden the engagement with the Black family at large. My best friend and sister Kim Nash was the first person to hear my celebratory scream and she is my biggest cheerleader too.
Azari: ‘The House’ is set in a dinner party type setup, do you feel that makes it easier to have conversation than in a normal display that most shows have? Also, how do you feel that the show is making itself stand apart and what do you contribute to the show to give it that umph?
Cheryl Rich: It’s the personalities and the stories of each of the cohosts, together that make The House unforgettable. We decided to produce this show because we weren’t represented in the media. The House is breaking barriers!
Azari: Having a platform to address the issues in the Black LGBTQIA+ community, what are a few topics that you want to discuss and bring more attention to for the public eye to not just see but have a better understanding of?
Aaron L. Johnson: One topic I’d like to discuss more is gender fluidity. We understand the traditional male and female archetypes, and we’re starting to understand the transgender experience. But there is still much less understanding of identities that vacillate between or embody both male and female. That has been my experience my whole life. When I was six years old my favorite cartoon was Thundercats. When my male cousin and I would pretend to be the characters, he would always choose a male cat and I would always pick Cheetara the female cat. But I would face harsh oppression when displaying “femininity” as a boy. And that is related to the topic I most like to discuss — “the white supremacy mindset”. Despite the name, it is NOT just a reference to white people who think that they are superior. Instead, it is a belief in rigid social categories & hierarchy. I describe it as placing people in boxes and stacking them on top of each other. When we form negative opinions about groups of people, we are utilizing that mindset. The Black LGBTQIA+ population is often placed at the bottom of the hierarchy by the population at large, and then we recreate those hierarchies within our demographic. The end result is a widespread self-esteem crisis because no matter who you are, there is always someone above you in the hierarchy. Comparisons cause feelings of inferiority which lead to the negative mental and physical health outcomes that plague our communities. The alternative is a “liberation mindset” — a recognition that every person is unique and free to be different from every other person, without oppression. Our uniqueness is what makes us all amazing!
Azari: Looking back on your childhood and seeing where you are now, what advice would you give your younger self that would not just inspire and motivate you but the upcoming generation that may need it? To add on to that, what do you hope to accomplish by being a host on ‘The House?’
Cheryl: I would tell my younger self that success can only be found inside.
All day every day throughout the day take long slow deep breaths. Morning and night for five minutes develop a stretch and breathing routine. Plan a daily walking practice. And know that the most important thing is to feed our homeless, Brothers, and Sisters…and understand that you are privileged to feed them.
The House is exceeding my expectations. I wanted to be a role-model for how to become comfortable in your skin, and just fall in Love with Yourself!! #CourageisFree #SelfEsteemisFree
Antonio Le Mons: Love this question! I’d say specifically to my 12-year-old self, you were right to trust yourself. You knew that you had to decide about who got the final say in how you moved through this world, and you were right to choose you and do it early.
You’d seen several important leaders assassinated in your young lifetime; you’d been betrayed by a friend who chose the favor of the popular over the value of your friendship; and you’d found yourself standing alone, again, when those who knew what was right lost their courage to stand with you. Through it all, you trusted you and the voice within you that only could amplify. Well, done!
What I hope to accomplish as host of “The House”, is the continued amplification of my voice, knowing that our voices are too often absent from the conversations.
Additionally, hold space the for the diverse voices my co-hosts and our dinner guests bring to these important discussions.
In doing so, I hope we’ll elevate the connection among us and inspire greater connections for our viewers.
Azari: Who is a guest that you would want to invite to ‘The House’ and why? What conversation would you like to have with them that you feel they can give the perspective of what it maybe you want discussed?
Chris: The guest I would love to see at The House table is Lil’ Nas X. I love that his art provokes so many emotions in people and forces them to notice while evaluating themselves in the process. His rise to stardom in this time is monumental to the freedoms afforded our Black youth in self-expression compared to just a few decades ago.
Azari: You’ve probably heard the term “A House Isn’t A Home…” What qualities do you feel that ‘The House’ will provide to be a home for those who need this platform the most?
Antonio: “The House” is where Dignity, Empathy, Love and Acceptance resides. Come be seen, be experienced, and be embraced. I promise, you’ll finally feel at home. 🖤
Azari: Though this is just the first season of ‘The House,’ what impact do you as an individual want to make and what can we expect from you going into 2022?
Aaron: I always say, ‘I want to be the person I never saw growing up’. Having very few role models, I struggled to find my place in the world. I decided to put myself in the public eye to show people that it’s okay to be authentically unique and that it’s possible to succeed that way. In 2022 you can expect to see an elevated version of the Aaron you see in 2021. I will have a clearer understanding of who I am and how I can use my platforms to elevate the human consciousness.
Watch “The House” at FoxSoul.TV — new episodes streaming Fridays at 6pm PT / 9pm ET and rebroadcasting Saturdays at 11am PT / 2pm ET followed by live chats on our Facebook and YouTube channel.
