#robert gant

I attended the Queer as Folk 25th reunion on June 12, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Is this what Trump is sending the marines to liberate me from?)

They showed the bombing episode (510) which was chosen by Ron and Dan. It was poignant given this is the anniversary of the Pulse Night Club shooting. It was also timely - every time Debbie mentioned “that asshole in the White House” the audience laughed bitterly. How are we still fighting for our rights all these years later?

The interviewer was… terrible. He had visited set on S1 to write an article for TV Guide and most of his questions focused on that. The questions were very basic and much was information any fan would know. That said, the cast made the best of it and their love and passion for the show was clear.

Ron and Dan talked about how they got involved with the project. They had just lost funding for another project. QAF UK had premiered and the LA Times wrote an article about “the show America will never see” and two networks were interested in an American version. Ron and Dan signed on without having seen it! For some reason I assumed they knew RTD (successful out gay directors in the late 90s… it’s not a large club) but it really sounds like, to this day, they’ve never met. They discussed creating a version of QAF that was less gritty than the UK one and that had more of “American optimism” in it.

They told a story about how they had purchased a bunch of dildos for 104 (Ted’s in a coma and the guys have to hide his sex toys from his mom) (typical tv plot line) and one of them stuck a big dildo that had a suction cup over the fax machine. Well, it fell and the fax machine broke and there had to be a sign over the fax machine that read “no dildos within 50 feet.”

Everyone’s stories involved Peter. They mostly discussed the process of being cast (again, the interviewer was shit) and Peter was seemingly around for everyone’s casting call. He spoke about originally reading for Ted and then asking the casting director if he could read for Emmett. She gave him a choice about which one to take to CowLip and he chose Ted. When CowLip heard him read, they asked if he would also read for Emmett.

Scott talked about really resonating with Ted’s experience in the pilot of being invisible as he greets men walking past at Babylon. He said he had just moved to Los Angeles from Chicago and felt totally invisible among all the beautiful people. He really felt the “happy pride, how’s it going” of it all.

Sharon discussed actively campaigning for the role of Debbie. She arrived on set two weeks after filming had started and Peter taking her to the movies and chatting with her for hours to make sure she felt welcomed. (See? Peter was in everyone’s stories!)

The cast agreed filming in Canada, away from friends and family, was a challenge but it brought them close as a cast. They called it “the pink bubble.”

Michelle was emotional talking about how relieved she was that it was Thea playing opposite her and how she and Thea walked into the first cast meeting holding hands.

Robert shared that he flew out to Canada, prepared to stay to film season 2 but not having been officially cast. He talked about how being on the show gave him the courage to come out himself.

Hal and Robert talked about the change from playing opposite Chris Potter (Dr. David Cameron). As soon as Hal met Robert as Ben he knew this was the man Michael needed and would feel safe with. They discussed the sex meetings they had as a precursor to today’s intimacy coordinators. Robert talked about how important it was that Ben and Michael fuck face-to-face (something that wouldn’t happen with Chris Potter).

Everyone was so kind. They stuck around after to talk to fans. Everyone signed my book and I got to share stories of what their characters (or, with Ron and Dan, the whole show) meant to me. I got a picture with Sharon. Ron and Dan now know that my spouse had Kinney the cat when I met them and Peter knows about Emmett the cat my spouse gave me. So I successfully reinforced lesbian stereotypes, mission accomplished. Peter complimented my Protect the Dolls shirt.

If you have any questions, send me an ask and I’ll happily try to answer. If you don’t want your ask published, let me know and I’ll answer privately.