Billy Porter on London Pride, intersectionality and being a fashion icon

The Pose star opens up about how far Pride has come since it began, and the roots of his iconic dressing
Billy Porter, star of Pose and Kinky Boots
Jessica Benjamin2 February 2021

It’s the day before Pride in London’s annual celebration, and the pavements of the capital are lined with rainbows.

Billy Porter, star of Kinky Boots, Pose and universally celebrated LGBTQ+ icon, flew in last night and is awaiting his performance on the Saturday; he is the headline act of the Pride in London festivities in Trafalgar Square.

Although Porter himself doesn’t seem to be so sure of this – ‘am I headlining? Is that what I’m doing? Headlining…’ he pauses for a moment and then, in a dead-on British accent (for which, of course, he won a Tony Award), ‘yes, I’m performing in Trafalgar Square’.

Pride in London is just one part of a whirlwind schedule for Billy Porter, who is currently shooting season 2 of Pose, has just presented a Tony Award himself (in that famous uterine embellished gown) and has been on a whistle-stop tour of Pride month 2019. All whilst promoting a new single, ‘Love yourself’. Isn’t he tired of the intensity? ‘It’s been really busy’ he says. ‘But you know, I’m gay. And people know my name, so this is my prime time month.’

Billy Porter at the 2019 Tony Awards in a womb-embellished dress
FilmMagic,

The London Pride festival, beginning in 1972 to mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, has the theme of ‘Jubilee’ this year, to mark 50 years since the riots in New York. Porter immediately proclaims his love for London as a city, referencing its ‘respect for the arts’ as something that is ‘palpable for somebody who comes from America, where, you know, the arts are governmentally unimportant. It’s the thing that always gets cut first.’

“Pride is a protest. It’s a march, not a parade”

Billy Porter

When it comes to Pride in London in particular, he sees the capital as part of the leading charge in the global LGBTQ+ scene. ‘I think it’s the cities like London, the cities like New York, who at this moment must be leaders. We are the leaders in teaching people what equality really means, we’re the ones that are guiding and leading the world.’

Billy performs during the opening ceremony of WorldPride in New York
Getty Images

And yet, there’s still a long way to go. Whilst London is celebratory of the Pride movement, and the Saturday ‘parade’ through the streets of Soho is joined by everyone on the LGBTQ+ spectrum (and their straight allies), Porter is keen to remain true to the origins of the festivities. ‘My first Pride was in ’89. It was the middle of the AIDS crisis – Pride is a protest. It’s a march, not a parade’ he explains.

Speaking about how Pride has changed since his first time there 30 years ago, Porter takes a moment to reflect over the years. ‘I think the intensity of the protest ebbs and flows with what’s going on in the culture. You know, when it was during the AIDS crisis it was all protest. It went through a number of years where it was more ‘party’ because things were going our way. Now we’re back to protest, period.’

Protesting and its results are of course still the prerogative of the LGBTQ+ community; over the years, Pride has seen a number of adaptations to its image in response to calls for more intersectionality, from its flag to the LGBTQ+ name itself. As far as Porter is concerned, this is the only way forward. ‘Whatever we need to make everybody feel included, do that. It shouldn’t be a question at all. We have to celebrate our differences and we have to acknowledge what those are. I don’t care how many colours are on the flag, put ‘em all on there, so that we can come together and fix this shit! ‘Cause it’s a mess!’

Billy Porter at the Love Ball III in NYC
WireImage,

He wears his icon status lightly, and with a confidence that comes from finally being in a place where he knew he’d end up. ‘This is intentional’ he explains. ‘This was planned, it’s been 30 years in the making. Everything I am is because somebody fought for me.’

‘When I came out in show business and realised that there was no representation, it’s like ‘well, I have to be that’. When everybody was telling me that my gayness was my liability, I leaned into it. I took every hit that came with that.’

Now, Porter sees no other possible path other than the one he has carved for himself. ‘You know, it’s like what else would I be? I can’t live any other way.’

This conversation, incidentally, takes place whilst Billy Porter is dressed in fishnets, a pink leopard-print mini-dress and a dramatically poised black hat. It’s a great look – and one that isn’t even that daring for the Pose star.

‘I’ve always had a fashion thing’ he says, gesturing to his outfit. ‘I’ve always loved fashion; I grew up in the black church and the black church is a fashion show. I never let anybody deter me from the things I wanted to wear.’

Porter before WorldPride 2019
Getty Images

But it was his family who truly made Billy Porter into who he is today (and the way he dresses); ‘My grandmother and my great aunt taught me to dress for the job you want, not the one you have. I remember getting Kinky Boots, and I decided to go ‘geek chic’, I was calling my look.’ Now, of course, Porter is known for his ‘geek chic’ dressing – but at the time, he explains ‘people literally thought I was crazy. It was like, I have a job I want, it’s beyond this, I gotta show up for that.’

Porter drops his tone and leans forward, confidentially. ‘I got that job I wanted by the way. Which is being a fashion icon, darling!’

Billy Porter is performing at Pride in London on 6th July at 19.00 in Trafalgar Square.

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