Billy Porter has revealed that he “wept for an hour” when same-sex marriage was legalised in the United States.
The Pose star said he “never thought” same-sex marriage would be possible – so it came as a shock when a 2015 Supreme Court ruling made it the law of the land.
“The day it became legal in the US, I wept for an hour,” Porter told The Guardian.
“I didn’t know that lawful validation of my love was something I wanted or that I actually needed,” the actor and singer said.
Billy Porter learned that marriage is ‘about community’ when he tied the knot in 2017.
“Then I got married, stood in front of my friends and my witnesses, and said my vows to my husband, and I was like, oh, right, this is what we didn’t really get.”
He continued: “It’s about community. That’s what was taken away from us.”
Porter married Adam Smith, the owner of a luxury eyewear brand, in 2017.
In the same interview, Porter spoke about the iconic tuxedo dress designed by Christian Milano that he wore to the 2019 Oscars, saying the outfit made him “a household name”.
I didn’t know that lawful validation of my love was something I wanted or that I actually needed.
“I refer to it as BOAO: Before Oscar, After Oscar. My life before the Oscars and my life now are completely different,” he said.
“The last couple of years felt like a rocket. It’s like that image of Indiana Jones, running from the boulder behind him.”
The Pose star delivered a powerful rallying cry against racism
The comments come just weeks after Porter delivered a rallying call against racism and called out anti-LGBT+ sentiment within the Black community in an impassioned video.
“The murders of Black trans women by Black men since 2016 have helped drive the most violent period for LGBTQ+ people on record,” he said in the video.
“Just this past week, during the riots, during the peaceful protests, Iyanna Dior was brutally beaten by a gang of Black men while trying to peacefully protest for our rights.
“LGBTQ+ Black folks are Black people too. Our lives matter too. So this is my response to those of y’all who don’t understand that. F**k you! And yes, I am cussing. It’s time for cussing.
“This conversation is not about tolerance, this conversation is not about acceptance, it’s about a demand for the respect for our humanity.
“So to my homophobic and transphobic brothers and sisters: get your f**king houses in order.”