Karamo Brown Reflects on Being First Openly Gay Black Man on Reality TV

Karamo Brown is opening up about his past.

The 39-year-old Queer Eye star is on the digital cover of Euphoria. Magazine‘s Pride 2020 issue, out now.

PHOTOS: Check out the latest pics of Karamo Brown

Here’s what he had to say…

On learning he was the first openly gay Black man to be cast on reality TV when he was given a spot on 2004′s The Real World: Philadelphia: “I was just comfortable enough in myself then, and still to this day, just to be honest about who I am and just live my life freely. I was just fresh out of college and was like, ‘Go on The Real World? Yeah, sure!…and I was like, ‘Really? I thought that happened 40 million years ago!’ And it just shows why representation is so important because there are still so many groups that have never been seen on television.”

On Pride and Black Lives Matter: “What I think a lot of people don’t realize is that Pride movements are actually protest movements. And so I actually believe that Pride is still happening right now. It’s just being combined with the Black Lives Matter movement. And I say that with understanding the importance of just having the Black Lives Matter movement, but in solidarity LGBT people, more than anyone, should understand what it is like to be told you’re not worthy to have your lives taken just for being who you are. We live in a time where a lot of people feel very privileged and feel very accepted and loved, but there are still many people who lose their lives just for being who they are, who are in the LGBT community, just like Black people.”

On his upcoming wedding to fiance Ian Jordan: “I’m just so ready to get married and just be like, ‘I’m married now.’ I don’t know if it’s something Southern in me but I want it all, I want the marriage, I want the white suit with a long tail as if it was my dress. I want all of it!”

For more from Karamo, head to Euphoriazine.com.