Beyond the Commons: Issue 3

BTC: Being gay, that’s such a small part of some people, or a huge part, so what does it mean for you?

JH: For me it’s everything! It’s my favorite part, without it, I would be so boring. I love being gay, I love it so much.

BTC: So living in New York, you said you get to really be yourself, and you get to really be “gay” as compared to living in Texas. Has it made you more openly gay once you moved?

JH: Oh yeah, absolutely. Now I have the blonde hair, I can do pink hair, blue hair, I can do whatever I want. Online, on my Instagram stories, on my Instagram posts, “I want a dick”. Whenever it is, dick, dick, dick, dick, dick. I don’t care, I can do what I want now. Why hide it?

BTC: Does this make you want to stay in a city?

JH: Oh yeah, for sure. But I wouldn’t mind having a cute farm in the future, but for now I’m in the city, absolutely.

BTC: What about the suburbs?

JH: Oh, no. I couldn’t do a suburb it’s too fake. I would become a wine mom.

BTC: That’s exactly how I feel! I’m like, “how am I supposed to stay like this”, I would be so bored.

JH: Me too! I would start drama in my neighborhood or something, I can’t risk it, I’m too messy.

BTC: So in your YouTube videos, you’ve talked about making a community center for LGBTQIA+ individuals in a city. What’s your vision and goal for that?

JH: So my goal is: I want to buy a building in a major city, because when I was a kid, growing up being gay, it was so annoying keeping it a secret and not express myself and this whole part of me that I had to pretend didn’t exist. I would like somewhere where kids wouldn’t have to live in a home where they’re miserable or they can’t be themselves, or get fucked up for trauma. I would have a youth center where kids can live there instead, so at least there’s somewhere to go. It’ll be both live-in and a community center where people can just go. I would hire workers there and everything to help them out.

BTC: So you’ve mentioned mental illness really briefly in your last vlog, has mental health awareness been something that you would like to pursue too?