SCAD TVfest, the Atlanta celebration of all things television, not only debuts a number of series each year but always hosts a number of queer performers. This year’s 13th annual event, held Feb. 5 – 7, was no exception.
One of the big draws was Laverne Cox, who attended on behalf of the new series “Clean Slate” and received the Impact Award. Cox, who received an Emmy nomination for her work on the series “Orange is the New Black,” not only stars in the Prime Video offering but is an executive producer. It was filmed in Savannah and Cox headlines as Desiree Slate, who decides to return home to deal with her past and live with her estranged father (George Wallace). The show is inspired by the performer’s time growing up in Alabama.
“Clean Slate” would be an important series anytime but especially now with such anti-trans legislature around. “(The timing is right) I think because we need to laugh,” says Cox. “We are truly in catastrophic times and it’s so ridiculous and sometimes you have to laugh. Laughter keeps me from catastrophizing and keeps me in the present moment. The world is a mess but there is also life, love, laughter, family and the humanity of trans people when we have been so deeply de-humanized. Representation has been hard to come by. Representation, at least on an individual level, can inspire people to see us as human beings.”
Out actor, host and producer Antoni Porowski, one of the Fab Five of the modern day “Queer Eye,” is on TV again with the new show “No Taste Like Home.” In the National Geographic series, he travels around the world with celeb friends such as Issa Rae, Florence Pugh and Awkwafina to explore their culinary roots.
He believes shows dealing with food are always welcome and often helpful. “I myself am a creator of habit,” he admits. “As much as I try new things and get to travel the world, I very often eat the same thing over and over. Watching a show that has anything to do with food will inspire me to tweak something.”
Being a part of “Queer Eye” and now this, Porowski definitely feels queer representation is important and an element of television that hasn’t always been available.
Another out actor present was Luke Macfarlane, of the Georgia-filmed Hallmark+ “Home is Where the Heart Is,” a home renovation series he hosts with Olivia Westbrooks.
Macfarlane was a perfect fit not just because he is Hallmark talent but a master at woodworking and craftmanship, says executive producer Jessica Sebastian-Dayeh.
“I’m not a designer and we need someone that understands fabrics, color, that stuff,” Mcfarlane says. “I want to be a builder.”
Why does he feel a gay audience should watch? “We spend time deciding what clothes to wear to reflect our insides and we don’t quite do that with home design,” he says. “I think we’re saying that your home can reflect who you are.”
