I do a lot of activism here and back home - I’ve gotten out in the community, and had experiences like Ned’s in which I was told that I was “violent” and “dangerous.” I’ve been told that I’m too loud - that I need to be nicer, and more willing to meet people where they’re at. When I first read the script, I felt viscerally angry at everyone who wasn’t listening to Ned - his words really resonated with me. With the COVID-19 pandemic and HIV epidemic ongoing, his words still ring true today. Does this role resonate with you, and how so? You play Ned Weeks - the protagonist of “The Normal Heart” - a gay activist and founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. Cates serves as the historian and social committee chair for the Anthony Aston Players (AAP), has been involved with research in the sociology department and has been a member of the university Dance Company since his freshman year, serving in roles such as stage manager, dancer, choreographer and lighting designer. They are playing the lead role, Ned Weeks, in the Theatre Department’s production of “The Normal Heart”. I’m lucky as hell.Chris Cates is a senior from Graham, North Carolina majoring in sociology and theatre. The sex work allows me to support myself in a fraction of the time it would take in a regular job.
I work from home, and I get to travel and meet people all over the country. I can take days off whenever I want them. I get to create my vision from the ground up. Read: I have freedom to move through the world on my own schedule. So you really can’t close yourself off to people just because they’re different than you are.ĬT: What is the best thing about doing what you do?
#VCU GAY SNAPCHAT SEX FULL#
I just did a show in South Carolina full of frat boys, and they gave me a standing ovation at the end. I actually love it when I play to a conservative audience. Often they’ll come to the show, have some good belly laughs and be a lot more open to new ideas when they leave. Read: Rarely are there protests or conservative folks. I am so touched when people let me know that this show is doing that for them.ĬT: Have you ever received negative feedback after performing? Those events changed me in profound ways. I remember being a college student and seeing Susie Bright and Urvashi Vaid. Read: I think there are places, like Huntsville, Alabama or Virginia, where the show is brand-new information for people. It’s one way to conduct a dialogue, and it’s a pleasurable one.ĬT: What kind of impact do you feel this show is making on audiences? Read: I think if you can make someone laugh, the cells in their body open up for new information. As a culture, we’ve gotten so addicted to television and the Internet, but I think the intimacy and power of a genuine human interaction is our most important revolutionary tool.ĬT: Why does humor play such a major role in your show? Read: I really believe that face-to-face contact with people is a major component of social change. I work with the energy of the audience, so that stuff is very crucial to me.ĬT: What motivates you to speak across the country? It depends more on the venue, how people are seated, whether people are standing in the back and sitting on the floors. A college audience is often different from a rock ‘n’ roll venue, for instance.
Read: I do different pieces every night, depending on the audience and the venue. I have a lot of friends in Virginia and am always happy to reconnect with people.ĬT: Is there a part of the show you find most audiences react the same to? Is there a part you find each audience reacts differently to? I spent three years living in Norfolk while I was the editor at Our Own Community Press, which was Virginia’s LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) newspaper. I grew up in Lexington and spent summers in Richmond doing theater with the Studio Theatre of Richmond. Read: I have a huge affection for Virginia and come back as often as I can. I travel a lot on book tours and on the college lecture circuit.ĬT: What’s it like returning to the area where you grew up? Does it make you nostalgic, or does it remind you of why you left? The experience of crossing the country is life changing, and when you’re doing it with a gang of like-minded artists, it’s especially powerful. Read currently is working on his next memoir, “This is the Thing,” about sex work.ĬT: What’s it like touring? Do you enjoy traveling?
#VCU GAY SNAPCHAT SEX FREE#
James Infirmary in San Francisco, a free clinic for former and current sex workers. Kirk Read was one of eight performers who came to VCU Sunday night to perform in the Sex Workers’ Art Show at the University Student Commons Theater.Īuthor of “How I Learned to Snap,” Read wrote the memoir about his experiences growing up in conservative Virginia as a gay man.