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Entertainment

Where Are They Now: Patrik-Ian Polk

The director made waves by sharing the African-American gay male experience on TV, now he thinks he's discovered the 'black Chris Colfer'

Photography by Anthony Caravan

If you enjoyed watching Darryl Stephens or Jensen Atwood pine for each other on Noah's Arc--which spawned two seasons and a movie--you know you have Patrik-Ian Polk to thank. Last included in the 2005 Out100 portfolio when the show premiered on Logo, few have done as much to promote gay African-American men in popular culture, both in film and television, as he has. His latest film, Blackbird, starring Isaiah Washington and Mo'Nique, is making its rounds on the festival circuit ahead of its March 2015 release date.

Adapted from a book of the same title, Blackbird tells the coming-of-age story of a gay black teen grappling with his sexuality while submerged in one of the most conservative environments imaginable -- a religious family in the Deep South. Though Larry Duplechan's (the original author) telling of the story had it taking place in 1970s California, Polk fast-forwarded the storyline and overlaid it on present-day Hattiesburg, Miss., his own hometown.

"I left Mississippi after high school and went to college in Boston, and there was a big bookstore in Harvard Square. They had a whole shelf that was gay and lesbian. I'd never seen a gay and lesbian section," Polk told Michael Musto earlier this year. "There was one book that had an illustration of an African American on the spine. It was Blackbird. I'd read other gay novels, but this was the first black coming-of-age novel. I don't know if I'd call James Baldwin's work coming-of-age stories. I fell in love with the book and knew it would make a great film someday."

The lead character in the film is named Randy Rousseau, and he is played by newcomer Julian Walker. Polk said he had to trudge through nervous and hesitant actors before the freshman from the University of Southern Mississippi arrived. "He hasn't had the time to develop a lot of the internalized homophobia that those of us who are a bit older grew up with," Polk said, explaining that he's a true example of the "OK to be gay" mindset of the younger generation, and that he's poised to become the black Chris Colfer.

"When I started off as an artist, I wanted to tell stories that were of interest to me," Polk said, "which became a focus in the stories I wanted to see on-screen." Polk remembers that, while growing up, there wasn't very much gay anything on television or in film, and when it started permeating bit by bit, it was still predominantly white. "I've seen counterparts -- white gay filmmakers, who come up exactly at the same time as I have, but there's more acceptance from Hollywood for them." Polk laments that black filmmakers have it hard enough without the gay stamp, but he seems to be making strides in the right direction, but he remains hopeful.

Dennis Hinzmann

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Bella Ramsey The Last Of Us Season Two UK Premiere 2025 London England
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Mey Rude

Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.

Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.

Entertainment

Here's why The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey supports gendered award categories

The actor also noted that "recognition for women in the industry is preserved."

Nonbinary actor Bella Ramsey, who's earning Emmy Award buzz for their powerful performance on HBO's The Last of Us, recently weighed in on the debate about whether gendered acting categories should continue in award shows.

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While discussing gendered acting categories and asked if they were insulted about being potentially nominated as an "actress" for their role as Ellie — a female character in the live-action adaptation of The Last of Us on HBO — Ramsey told the titular host of The Louis Theroux Podcast that no, they didn't feel insulted.

"They don't have a nonbinary category. So which category would you be in?" Theroux asked, adding: "If you have a single category for everyone, then basically a lot of women wouldn't get nominated."

Ramsey agreed, "I think it's so important that that's preserved, as well. The recognition for women in the industry is preserved."

Ramsey admitted that they have thought a lot about the issue, but "I don't have the answer, and I wish that there was something that was an easy way around it, but I think that it is really important that we have a female category and a male category."

On the other hand, Ramsey did express a certain discomfort when they're called an "actress." The Last of Us actor explained: "I have a guttural, 'That's not quite right,' instinct to it. But I just don't take it too seriously… It doesn't feel like an attack on my identity."

Ramsey was previously nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for portraying Ellie in 2023 following the first season of the hit HBO series.

The Independent Spirit Awards got rid of gendered categories in 2022. In the three years since, the award for Best Lead Performance in a New Scripted Series has had 14 women nominees, 13 men nominees, and 3 nonbinary nominees (Ramsey, Emma Corrin, and Lily Gladstone).

The Gotham Awards also switched to genderless categories in 2021. In the four years since, 24 women, 15 men, and one nonbinary actor (Gladstone) have been nominated for Outstanding Lead Performance in a film.

The Grammy Awards got rid of gendered categories in 2012. An AKAS report published recently found that, between 2017 and 2024, only 20 percent of all nominations and wins went to female artists.

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