For two decades, Ryan Basham has been a thought leader in politics, media, and culture. He advised President Biden’s 2020 campaign, directed political programming on the queer news and music network CHANNEL Q, founded Stonewall Network to foster LGBTQ+ grassroots organizations, and worked with the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund to elect out political candidates.
In the new Trump era, however, “advocacy has become more dangerous,” the gay activist notes. He’s now fighting oppression in a different way — by touring the country as a stand-up comic. “Performing has reminded me that laughter isn’t just an escape — it’s light in the dark, and right now, we all need more of it,” he says.
The seasoned strategist wants to remind LGBTQ+ people “to find each other, not fight each other. We are a diverse coalition with an infinite number of lived experiences and challenges. But something my activist friends and I have learned is that when oppressed groups get caught up in who has it worse, the only party that wins is the oppressor. There are too few of us to not be generous with our grace.” @ryanbasham
The racist, homophobic, and frightening arrest of Don Lemon
Opinion: It’s not a coincidence or an accident that Lemon, and other Black journalists were targeted by the Trump Justice Department, writes John Casey.