CAMP Talks With 'Queer as Folk' Actor

The critically acclaimed show, now in its second season, airs Sunday nights and focuses on the experiences of a group of gay people.

Lowell spoke to a group of about 90 people about the show and his experiences as a straight man playing a gay character.

He said he travels to speak to groups because he wants to discuss with the fans the nature of the show and the issues the characters face.

"It's groundbreaking for the gay community," he said. "It's very real, very human and very accurate."

Lowell said the majority of gay actors would not even audition for the role of "Ted" -- or gay roles in general -- because they are afraid of being stigmatized as gay. "There's this fear out there of perception," he said. "Hopefully that's diminishing, and hopefully our show will help that."

Lowell said the producers, Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman, never asked the actors to disclose their sexual preference. "It was not important to Dan and Ron, and it shouldn't be."

Lowell said he did not discuss his sexuality in the press during the first season the show aired because he wanted the acting to speak for itself.

"Hopefully we're doing a good enough of a job that it doesn't matter," Lowell said, saying that the way he and his fellow cast members portray gay characters carries more weight than the actors' own sexuality.

"I understand the curiosity, but who cares?"

Lowell referred to the cast as a family. "We verbally agreed that nobody sleeps with anybody on the show, so that hasn't interfered," he said. "I love everyone involved with the show. That's not good gossip, I know, but it's the truth."

Lowell said acting on "Queer as Folk" has enabled him to have some of the most satisfying experiences of his career.

"This show is our life," he said. "We get very passionate about some things, especially when you know it matters so much to other people."

At the end of the program, Lowell received three T-shirts from a fan, one of which read "queer as southern folk."

CAMP President Glenn Grossman said he was pleased with the success of the event.

"One of the purposes in addition to increasing discussion and dialogue was increasing social interaction," Grossman said. "We want to create a stronger sense of community that includes (the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender community)."

Grossman said the discussion was an effective strategy for achieving this goal.

"It's important to continue to have exciting and innovative programming at UNC," Grossman said. "This is exactly what we wanted."

He said he was happy that the people who attended reflected the diverse nature of those who watch the show -- Lowell said the show's viewership is evenly split between male and female viewers.

Grossman said a diverse group of both male and female faculty, staff and students attended the event.

"It touched the lives of all the people who came."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.