KARAMO BROWN

Point-blank, there is not enough diversity in media.

What defines someone as a 'man' should not be the clothes they wear or how deep their voice is. It should be the content of his character, his strength in the face of overwhelming adversity, and his ability to still love and help others when the world has turned its back on him.

I always had an ability to listen and give people the space to open up and express themselves, and I was hoping it would translate on TV.

We live in a society that has a long history of not valuing people of color or women.

Every show I've been on, my kids pay no attention. They're just like, 'Who cares. It's just dad's job.'

Life experiences with oppression and homophobia often become internalized and can have detrimental effects on the development of positive sexual identity for Southern black gay men.

Fatherhood is an honor, and men should be strong enough to step up to the plate.

I would say for our straight allies, your job is to listen and not judge. Then, listen and not act.

Facebook Algorithms have got us all screwed up, where we only listen and talk to people with the same views as us, and I think it's not helping us as a culture to grow.

We all are scared. First of all, as a culture, we're constantly told that if you start to express yourself or express your needs, you're needy. You're too emotional. And they put all these negative connotations on it. That has started since we were kids, especially for men.

Any parent who says parenting came easily to them is not being honest with themselves. Parenting is hard.

The worst thing about our political system is that people debate; I wish our politicians were able to talk to each other rather than scream while trying to gain sound bites.

Often, men forget to buy their grooming supplies.

When people hear my story, my hope is always that they start to believe that the life they want is possible for them, because I am living the life I've always dreamed.

For many gay and bisexual men of color, economic inequalities add to the pernicious effects of oppression and homophobia.

It is important to remember that if we treat people who could be allies as enemies, we can only alienate them from our cause.

What does culture mean? It's not a physical thing. I love a museum, but that, for me, doesn't make you a better person.

Southern black gay and bi men are suffering from a self-esteem issue.

Yes, I would definitely let the 'Queer Eye' - I mean, cameras - follow me for my marriage.

Homophobia, racism, and sexism are all rooted in the same oppression that causes a group of people to internalize the oppression they've experienced and then continue the cycle of abuse. Simply put, hurt people hurt people.

We, as communities that are marginalized, need to open up our minds and realize that we should be asking and advocating for more of everyone. Let's get more gay black men; let's get more trans women.

It's been more than a decade since 'The Real World: Philadelphia' aired. I've grown up. My views have evolved, as has the media landscape.

My family is Jamaican and Cuban, but we would go to see our Jamaican side every summer for three months and every Christmas. One of the things I used to love was climbing trees and picking ackee fruit for breakfast.

We have to start making sure that churches start to talk about... black queerness in a way that's affirming. Because a lot of young black men are in the church, and that's where they start to learn this self-hate behavior.

By no means am I excusing homophobic rap lyrics, but as a product of the same environments that birthed hip-hop, I fully understand why those lyrics existed.