Queer on Queer.

Robert Gant, one of the few openly gay cast members on Queer as Folk, talks about his famed coming out process.

by David R. Guarino

When the very personal business of coming out becomes a public affair, lives are changed. In August of 2002, Robert Gant -- who plays the love interest of Michael Novotny on Queer as Folk -- stood before an Outfest audience and proclaimed he was gay. An enthusiastic crowd responded with a standing ovation, tears, cheers and myriad good wishes.

The arrestingly handsome actor, who joined the series in its second season, is the first to say that he was spent much of his adult fighting off memories of being a marginalized, overweight, introverted kid with low self-esteem. Although the hunky 36-year old Tampa native (real surname: Gonzalez) is no stranger to television, QAF brought him acclaim and a chance to play an openly gay character -- the thoughtful yet flawed HIV-positive college professor Ben Bruckner. Gant has finally been able to bring many of his personal survival skills to the table in a performance that is often as understated as it is bold.

Transitioning from actor to activist with apparent ease, Gant welcomes the challenges of his newfound image as a GLBT role model and spokesperson. In June 2003, he was honored with a special civil rights award.

Gant, who began acting in commercials at age 10, has carved out a career in that includes performances as one of Phoebe's beaus on Friends and vice principal Krupps on the WB's Popular. Other guest spots include roles on hit series like Caroline in the City, Melrose Place, Ellen, Becker and Providence. Gant's feature film portfolio comprises roles in Teaching Mrs. Tingle and the independent movies Fits and Starts, The Contract and Marie and Bruce opposite Julianne Moore and Matthew Broderick.

Gant also recently formed a production company with partners Chad Allen and Christopher Racster called mythgarden. The first project will be Save Me, a drama at a gay-to-straight rehab center in Texas that will co-star Gant, Allen and Judith Light.

A former lawyer, Gant had been counseled to stay in the closet by acting colleagues. The sensitive, intelligent actor talks at length about his fascinating journey as a gay man.

Qtexas: Talk about the civil rights award presented to you last June.

Robert Gant: It's an honorary designation that they give out every year. The ceremony took place at City Hall in New York. They selected different people {including QAF cast-mates, Sharon Gless and Gale Harold] I think it was for coming out more than for anything else. I don't really think that I'm a person who's at a point in my life where I'm deserving of a civil rights award. But it was very nice to be included.

Q: Your character, Ben, seems like the most moral character on Queer as Folk, especially when he took in that homeless gay teenage prostitute, Hunter.

A: People really like Ben, in particular those who had a problem with other aspects of the show early on. They see him as a picture-perfect role model, the face they want to present to the world. Having to air dirty laundry is an embarrassing thing. We have issues in the [GLBT] community regarding drugs and sex that come from many gay kids having low self-esteem. It's those kinds of things that make many folks glad that Ben exists. And quite frankly, he needs to exist. He's the other alpha male and Ben is very different. They've humanized him, and that's a good thing. He's more accessible when dealing with some of his own struggles. I love portraying this character.

Q: Today the standard by which gay men evaluate each other seem very judgmental.

A: They're ridiculous. I'm really looking forward to our evolution as a subculture. To the extent that we are judging ourselves so harshly, we;re coming from fear. We're afraid of not being loved, and we're willing to go to any length to get that love that we didn't get as a child by sculpting our bodies. I believe the edges are going to com off of that.

Q: Your coming-out story is quite poignant and compelling to many in the gay community. for those who are not familiar with it, can you share some of the details?

A: The Advocate had done an interview with me in which I came out. I didn't want to scoop their story. I'd gotten an advance copy and at that point I figured it was OK. I was at Outfest in Los Angeles to present an award and I brought a copy of the magazine with me. I showed it to Peter [Paige] backstage. I said that I was contemplating mentioning it, but I didn't know that it was appropriate -- I didn't want to make this about me. I remember Peter saying, 'What could be more appropriate?' I said something to the effect that for the past 3-some-odd years I had been playing a role in my personal life. Now that I had been playing a gay man on television, I felt that I was ready to be a gay man in real life.

Q: What was going through your mind right before and after?

A: I had no idea the extent to which this was going to affect other people. That night it was immediately apparent to me when I got that reaction of everyone jumping to their feet and cheering. I just realized how important it was to take the stand publicly. I am someone who believes people shouldn't be outed except in those extreme circumstances where people are causing harm to others in some way. But I believe that we all deserve a process.

Q: How do you feel about gay marriage?

A: I've been very closely following gay marriage. I never imagined that I was going to become so politically interested, but I certainly have. I stay very much abreast of all the twists and turns for many reason, including my legal background. I'm very interested to see how this winds its way through the legal system.

Q: What are your thoughts about President Bush's support for a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage?

A: It isn't such a shock for me, essentially because that's exactly what I've come to expect from this person. It was a stance very much in keeping with the person that I imagined him to be. I actually think that Bush did us a service in a weird way by dragging the issue to the forefront. I think we've been afraid to do it. It's certainly not the issue we wanted to tackle, but the truth is, there's no reason why we should be limiting any of our rights. It's time to just throw it out there and demand full equality across the board! Ultimately I believe that we will move forward, and that love will prevail.

Q: When you were on Larry King Live with dome of your cast-mates, you did not directly identify yourself as a gay when asked about your life. When you look back at that show, how do you feel now in light of all that's happened to you since then?

A: I've never been happier, never felt more fulfilled. It too so much more energy to hide. Larry King was really the big turning moment. I'd already made the decision to come out, but I was planning to do it in a way that gave me the opportunity to say what I wanted to say. That show was definitely the final nail in the coffin for my days in the closet because it felt horrible. I hated not being able to just speak my truth. I look forward to the opportunity to be back on Larry King and set the record straight, so to speak. But I think all life experiences are gifts, and that experience was a gift in that it shaped the final stages of my [coming out] process.

Q: What is it like for you to do sex scenes with Hal Sparks, who is straight?

A: I think Hal has come full circle in terms of whatever struggles he's had. Hal's a really great guy and a terrific person to work with. He's a sweetheart, a really kind soul and a very hard worker. We've developed a rapport as friends and colleagues that has allowed us to work well together in creating this relationship on screen. In the same way that I had to come out as gay, Hal had to come out as straight, in a sense. Hal is a guinea pig in the phenomenon of straight actors playing gay men, but he has risen to the occasion beautifully. And you will never find a stauncher advocate of equal rights for gay people anywhere.

Q: Are you personal friends with any of the cast members?

A: Hal and Peter would be the two people that I am closest to -- Hal, because we work together so closely, and Peter because I knew him before the show. I am a huge fan of all my fellow cast-mates, they are all wonderful to work with and we are very much in synch with each other. Queer as Folk continues to be a marvelous experience for me, no question.

Q: Previously in this magazine, Kyan Douglas from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy addressed rumors that the two of you had had a romantic relationship. Care to set the record straight?

A: It all comes back to the problems gays have with self-esteem. You know, we don't have role models in our community, particularly when it comes to male couples. We have some female couples who are there but there is a dearth of male pairings that are visible. So we are looking for a "Ben and Jen" that we can call our own, if you will. We want to look up to someone. We just want the same things straight people have had for years. So these stories are created to fill that void. Kyan is a great guy, and essentially I would concur that we are great friends.

Q: Tell us about Save Me.

A: I am looking forward to working on that project during the hiatus from Queer as Folk. I will portray a journalist who covers the story and Judith Light will play the woman who runs the facility. We have a number of projects in the works as we speak, but we are all very excited about Save Me. Hopefully we can reach a lot of people who have, in some way, been affected by the myths surrounding ... [reparative] "therapy." It is an exciting time for everyone connected with this project. Judith is absolutely wonderful to work with.

Q: Tell us something that very few people know about you.

A: Well, I'm pretty much an open book at this point. When I talk, it's usually really hard to shut me up.