'I'm having the time of my life over here'
Niecy Nash has never been to a gay bar. At 53, the Critics Choice Award-winning actor and star of "The Rookie: Feds" is navigating new and experiences as an openly queer person − and using her platform to advocate for the LGBTQ community.
👋 Nicole Fallert here, and welcome to Your Week, our newsletter exclusively for USA TODAY subscribers (that's you!). In honor of Pride Month, we talk with USA TODAY reporter David Oliver about his interview with Nash, which headlines our newsroom's special edition on Pride Month (get the online version here!).
But first, don't miss these stories made possible by your USA TODAY subscription (and keep reading for more top stories from our newsroom below):
Suspected Chinese spies, disguised as tourists, tried to infiltrate Alaskan military bases.
'A choice without a choice': Stories from Ukrainians deported by Russia
AI poses risk of extinction, tech leaders warn in open letter. Here's why alarm is spreading.
The John Coughlin scandal rocked U.S. Figure Skating. Now a supporter of his has been hired.
Are National Spelling Bee participants s-m-a-r-t-e-r than us? It's a fascinating question.
'I don't even know what I was doing over there with them straights'
June is Pride Month, a time to reflect on and celebrate the LGBTQ community. Expect spectacular parades, rainbow flag displays and star-studded campaigns from companies to remind us that diversity is beautiful.
But this time is about more than what you spend your money on, Oliver told me. The true beauty of Pride is the opportunity to check in with people in your lives and send them love.
"It's important for everyone to read about someone that's unlike themselves," Oliver said. " You don't have to be queer to go to a parade to learn something. It's every little thing you can do to support the community. And frankly, not engaging in hate."
Hate is a word you might not expect to appear during a time meant to be all about love. But the barrage of anti-LGBTQ attacks across the nation makes the threat against this community impossible to ignore. For the second year in a row, there was an increase in the number of states that have grown more hostile to the LGBTQ community, according to a 2023 report shared exclusively with USA TODAY.
'But most of all I'm human': These 3 transgender teens prove identity stretches beyond one label
While Nash, who is in a happy, loving relationship with her wife, is a bastion of queer joy, she also speaks up against anti-LGBTQ legislation and violence, such as the growing number of drag bans across the nation.
"Children are dying every day by guns, and you're worrying about who wants to dress up in a dress and do a show?" Nash told Oliver. "That is something that is not going to affect you. If you don't like it, don't go to the show."
Oliver said he was thankful Nash speaks courageously about the rising number of attacks on queer people as much as she highlights the positive aspects of being part of the community. But keeping up with the pace of anti-queer legislation and activity in the United States is "completely exhausting," Oliver said. He acknowledges that his own identity as a white, cisgender gay man means he experiences this hate differently from other members of the community, but he works to make his reporting as educational as possible to readers.
"It's a complicated topic, but one that isn't complicated if we're thinking about what all humans deserve," he said. "In 50 years, I think people will look back and wonder why there was so much anti-trans sentiment."
'We're all overcompensating': Why so many LGBTQ community members struggle with body dysmorphia
Oliver said USA TODAY is geared up for Pride Month to celebrate "all letters" of LGBTQ, and Nash was the right person to capture the spirit of this time. Not only does she represent a unique voice as a Black and queer person, but she is also vocal about social justice. Oliver said the highlight of his interview with Nash was seeing the community through the eyes of someone who has recently started living an openly queer life.
"I don't even know what I was doing over there with them straights," Nash told Oliver about coming into herself. "It wasn't no fun over there. I'm having the time of my life over here."
To Oliver's surprise, Nash told him she has yet to go to a gay bar. But she's excited about openly celebrating this chapter of her life.
"I thought it was cool for someone who is so accomplished but also so new was such an interesting (perspective)," he said. In many ways, Nash's desire to always be experiencing more captures the essence of Pride: "She's lived such a full life but also still wants to grow and learn."
Thank you
This Pride Month, I'll be celebrating by reading "The Transgender Issue" by a favorite writer of mine, Shon Faye. I recommend this read if you're curious to learn more about the transgender community and their experiences. Thank you for supporting our journalism with your subscription. Our work wouldn't be possible without you.
Best wishes,
Nicole Fallert
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Your Week: 'I'm having the time of my life over here'
