I’VE
NEVER
BEEN
a
big
fan
of
reality
TV.
I
watched
one
or
two
seasons
of
“The
Real
World,”
the
final
episode
of
the
first
season
of
“Survivor,”
the
first
episode
of
“The
Apprentice,”
and
the
final
episode
of
the
most
recent
“American
Idol.”
That’s
pretty
much
the
extent
of
my
reality
TV
knowledge.
So
imagine
my
surprise
when
I
discovered
that
I
had
been
selected
to
participate
in
a
new
reality
TV
show
on
Showtime
called
“American
Candidate.”
The
new
show,
hosted
by
Montel
Williams,
is
like
“American
Idol”
meets
politics,
where
ordinary
Americans
run
in
a
simulated
presidential
campaign.
I’m
an
openly
gay
candidate
on
the
show,
and
I
selected
my
partner
Nathan
to
be
my
campaign
manager,
making
us
the
first
black
gay
couple
on
reality
television.
I’m
really
excited
about
the
show
today,
but
I
have
to
admit
I
wasn’t
interested
when
I
first
heard
about
it.
A
few
months
ago,
I
was
already
quite
busy
serving
as
the
president
of
the
board
of
the
National
Black
Justice
Coalition,
lecturing
every
week
on
the
college
circuit
and
writing
a
new
book
on
“the
down
low.”
Doing
a
reality
TV
show
was
the
last
thing
on
my
mind.
BUT
THEN
SOMETHING
happened
that
convinced
me
to
give
up
several
weeks
of
my
life
to
tape
the
show.
I
realized
this
show
would
offer
an
extraordinary
opportunity
to
put
out
a
progressive
pro-gay
message
that
would
reach
a
huge
audience.
It
would
also
be
a
great
way
to
get
people
interested
in
politics
who
traditionally
have
not
been
involved,
and
to
force
the
politicians
to
talk
about
the
tough
issues
they
too
often
avoid.
“American
Candidate”
is
not
like
any
other
reality
show.
It’s
the
first
reality
show
to
delve
into
the
issues
and
process
of
politics.
Each
week
we
have
been
given
a
specific
campaign
task
to
perform
in
a
different
state.
Usually
we
have
to
give
a
speech
and
then
get
as
many
people
as
possible
in
a
given
city
or
state
to
vote
for
us
within
a
24-36
hour
time
period.
The
winner
becomes
the
“frontrunner”
while
the
loser
faces
elimination.
We
started
in
our
hometowns,
moved
to
New
Hampshire,
Pennsylvania,
Virginia
and
then
New
York.
Each
time
I’ve
managed
to
survive,
but
each
week
the
competition
has
gotten
more
competitive.
And
as
each
week
passes
on
the
show,
the
chance
of
elimination
grows
higher.
THE
CANDIDATES
ON
the
show
come
from
all
parts
of
the
country
and
represent
a
wide
range
of
political
perspectives
from
conservative
to
liberal.
I’m
a
pro-gay
progressive
representing
a
viewpoint
that
is
rarely
heard
in
politics
and
providing
a
voice
for
gay
men,
lesbians,
bisexuals
and
transgendered
people.
While
some
of
the
other
candidates
have
well-organized
movements
behind
them
that
can
mobilize
thousands
of
people,
I
don’t
have
a
well-funded
machine
behind
me.
And
while
several
candidates
have
outspoken
views
against
gay
civil
rights,
I
support
full
civil
rights
for
gay
men
and
lesbians.
That’s
why
I’m
in
this
campaign,
and
that’s
why
I
want
to
get
GLBT
people
involved
as
well.
I
support
marriage
equality,
hate
crimes
laws
and
the
Employment
Non-Discrimination
Act.
But
I
also
want
to
talk
about
jobs,
health
care,
affordable
college
education
and
the
war
in
Iraq.
I
don’t
want
these
important
political
issues
discussed
without
our
voice
represented.
This
show
is
our
chance
to
be
heard.
“American
Candidate”
will
reach
millions
of
Americans
when
it
debuts
Aug.
1
on
Showtime,
and
it
provides
an
incredible
opportunity
to
educate
the
world
about
our
community
and
our
issues.
It’s
going
to
be
a
long
tough
campaign,
but
I
really
believe
it’s
going
to
make
a
positive
difference
for
the
country
and
for
gay
people.
With
the
help
of
GLBT
people,
we
can
have
a
voice
on
this
forum
and
show
the
world
that
our
vote
counts,
too.
