October 26, 2022 • 35 mins
Breaking news: Jonathan has fulfilled his lifelong big, gay, Broadway dream! It’s a story to end all stories and it involves who else, but Kristin Chenoweth! (No more spoilers, you’ll have to listen to to find out the rest!)
After that, Jonathan is joined by the legendary Louis Van Amstel as he reveals the humbling obligation he felt to return to DWTS…and who he thinks will be the last couple standing!
Plus an in-depth personal conversation about children and adoption…and Louis shares an emotional story involving his son and how others rallied around him.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is Pridecast with Jonathan Bennett James on I Heart Radio.
Maybe we are back with Pridecasts. I have missed you
guys so so much. What is up world, It's Jonathan Bennett.
Welcome to a new episode of Pridecast. We have been
(00:24):
gone for a while. Guys. Here's the t we've been gone.
We've been gone. We've been gone because we have been
flying around the world like crazy people, working, booked and blessed,
shooting all the things, doing all the fun stuff. If
you guys follow our social media as you'll know that
James and I we were in New York and then
we were in Phoenix. We've just been everywhere and it's
been so much fun. But it is good to be back.
(00:47):
We've missed you. We've wanted to tape episodes, but sometimes
there just aren't enough hours in the day. But we're
back now. While I'm back, James is currently shooting right
now something that we're excited to tell you about later on.
We can't tell you quite yet, but James is working
right now and he is booked and blessed and he's
having a blast. So I'm taking the reins of this
(01:08):
podcast solo. So James is not here to really like
rain me in, Raymond, So buckle up, Raymond. You're in
charge of keeping me on track and keeping me on
time because I will talk and talk and talk. I
won't let you do that. We're gonna keep it. We're
gonna keep it tight. Keep it tight, Raymond, keep it
up and tight, Raymond. Should I tell them about what
happened two days ago or last week at Radio City
(01:30):
Music Hall? I mean yes, we needed We need more insplination,
Like fifteen seconds on Instagram isn't enough. Okay, So let
me walk you guys through this. If you follow our
socials at all, you know that I had the craziest
day of my life. My inner gay child, the sixteen
year old gay Jonathan, who is obsessed with Wicked, who's
obsessed with New York and Broadway and Radio City Music
(01:53):
Hall and rockets. He lived his gay fantasy everyone. He
had his gantasy. Is it a gantasy? Yeah, it's a fantasy.
His gantasy came true at Radio City Music Hall on
Thursday night because I went for the Countdown to Christmas
kickoff event for Hallmark Channel. Let me walk you through it.
(02:14):
Here's what happened. Get a phone call from Hallmark, Hey,
do you want to come to this big kickoff event
to kick off the Christmas season at Radio City Music
Hall before they could get the word Hall out of
their mouth, of course, I'm like, yes, absolutely, I want
to go. I'll be there. So we get to the
lobby of the hotel. I'm in a beautiful express like
(02:37):
gorgeous suit. They're like, we have your transport from the
hotel to Radio City. It is a double decker New
York City bus wrapped in a cardigan knit sweater that
says I love Hallmark Channel. Not like a like a
picture of a sweater, it's an actual sweater. So I'm
(02:57):
driving in a mobile sock based atale from the hotel
to Radio City Music called with all the Hallmark stars
on the bus. We're on top of the bus. We're
living our life. It's like double decker. We have like
Rachel Boston, Andrew Walker, Tyler, like everyone. Everyone's there, Nikki Deloche,
Aaron K. Hill, all the stars are there. We're on
(03:18):
top of the double decker bus and I'm with Jenna Claire,
who is one of the best Glinda's on Broadway that
I could even tell you about. We look down and
people are cheering. So without missing a beat, I just
turned to the fans and I go, it's good to
see us, isn't it. Quoting Galinda to Glinda on top
of a double decker bus in in New York. Now
(03:39):
you know, I'm the giant Broadway like nerve, like I'm
a freak, like I'm I'm almost like weirdly obsessed, where
they're like kind of keep me away from the show
because like, don't get too close. We're nervous. But so
we ride on this bus. We pull up to Radio City.
It starts snowing because it's Hallmark Channel, so of course
it's gonna start snowing. It starts snow we're getting off
(04:01):
the bus, we're getting our photos taken. It's a red carpet.
There's like Santa Claus and Christmas trees, and it's just
the most magical thing. Because would you expect anything less
with Hallmark Channel. Absolutely not. So we go into Radio
City and Samantha to Pippo, who's like the head of
Christmas at Hallmark. There's an actual like person in charge
(04:21):
of Christmas movies. Samantha to Pippo, she is like one
of our biggest allies. She is just such a legend.
She keeps coming up to me and she's like, are
you because we have a new movie coming out, The
Holiday Sitter is coming out this Christmas December eleven. I'm
starring in. It's the first gay lead rom com for
Hallmark Channel at Christmas. So she keeps coming up to
(04:44):
anything like are you ready for the surprise? Are you
ready for the surprise? And I'm like, you need to
tell me what the surprise is and she's like, I'm
not gonna tell you, just just just you wait. I'm like, okay.
So we're having this big moment. So we get to
go backstage at Radio City Music Hall. We are watching
the Rockets warm up from the wings. Like, think of
(05:04):
little gay Jonathan who's like fourteen fifteen years old pretending
to be a rocket growing up in Ohio. He he
is standing on the stage at Radio City Music Hall
with all the Hallmark stars watching the Rockets stretch while
the curtain is closed from the wings, Like, it doesn't
get gayer than that. That is the gayest moment of
(05:27):
your life. It's like your your gay childhood dreams coming true.
So the curtain goes up and they lift up into
the air on the hydraulic lift that is so famous.
Which fun fact, the reason we have hydraulics and stuff
for the armed forces, and why hydraulic draulics are invented,
I'm pretty sure it is because of Radio City Music
(05:47):
hall That's another story. So the rockets lift themselves into
their on the hydraulic lift and then we get to
go on stage and wave as they announced the casts
of Hallmark channels count On to Chris Smiths, I could
have died. It was amazing, but that wasn't the best part.
Wait for it, guys, wait for it. Are you ready
for this? Samantha to Pippo keeps saying, I have a
(06:09):
surprise for you. I have a surprise for you. She
sits me down and they go. You have to sit
in a specific seat in the in Radio City when
you're watching the movie, and so I sit in the
specific seat. The show's over, the movies over. We do
the screening for the Holiday Spectacular Hallmark. It's amazing. All
of a sudden, Samantha Pippo comes on stage and says,
(06:30):
it wouldn't be a Hallmark movie without Hallmark moments, So
we want to have a special Hallmark moment. Right now,
ladies and gentlemen, Kristen Chenna w I died. To my surprise,
I turn and Kristin Chenowit is standing next to me
in a spotlight and then sits on my lap and
(06:54):
sings Christmas songs. I melted. Then it gets better. She
walked us up on the stage, continues to sing Christmas songs,
and then Jenna Claire comes out because she was also
a Glinda in Wicked, and Kristen goes, oh, it wouldn't
(07:15):
be right to be at Radio City Music Hall with
microphones and have one of the other Glinda's here and
not sing for good. I am dying, So Kristin Chenna
wit and Glinda or Jenna Jenna Claire, who is Glinda?
Sing for good to a private concert for the Hallmark
(07:36):
stars and fans at Radio City Music Hall. For good
is how I started my vows. At my wedding, I'm
going as Alphaba Act one from Wicked to a Halloween
event for Buddha buying this Friday. That's how obsessed with
Wicked I am. So this moment happens and then it
gets better. It gets even better, Kristin Chenowitz says, and
(07:59):
I quote my friend Jonathan Bennett, who because I am
friends with her, we know each other. We have hung
out a bunch at different concerts and things. She goes
my friend John Bennet, who I sat on his lap.
I'm so excited to announce that my new Christmas song
is going to be the soundtrack to the first gay
lad Hallmark movie rom Com at Christmas. And that's how
(08:24):
we found out. So me and George, my co star
Gay Gas, we grab each other and that's how we
found out that christ and Chanowit's new song is going
to be the soundtrack to our movie The Holiday Sitter,
airing December eleven. Well, bet is my gay dream come true.
And that's why we're listening to a podcast that too.
And if that wasn't magical enough, we got Louis van
(08:46):
Amstel from Dancing with the Stars joining us after this
quick break. Welcome back to podcast. I am here with
one of the Dancing with the Stars legends. Okay, there
(09:09):
are legends dancing with the Stars. You're not they're not made,
they are born, all right, And this we have Louie
van am still with us today. Welcome Louie. Thank you Johnny,
that I'm missing intro. Um. I always laugh when they
say the word legend because I don't see myself as such.
I just love what I do and work hard at it. Honey,
(09:33):
you're so good on the show. I've been watching for years.
We were not on the show together though. I was
on season nineteen yes, and on season season yes, but left.
I'm so sorry you saw me dance. Um. You know
what people go, how did Dancing with the Stars go?
I go, well, I learned that I wasn't a dancer,
(09:53):
but I'm really good at comedy and that's um. That's
that's what my takeaway was from it. But was such
a fun experience. And uh, everyone that's listening, you don't
know what these these dancers go through and how hard
they work to give you that one and a half
hours of golden television. I mean everyone talks about the
celebrities as far as like what they had to go through,
(10:15):
and yes, sure they're going through a lot, but it's
the pros that are They're coming up with the choreography
day in and day out, and then on top of it, Louis,
I'm amazed that in between, like the dances that you
do with your partner, all the other dances they have
you do for like the commercials and all the other things.
That's exhausting. How do you learn it so quickly? Well,
(10:36):
first of all, it's what we do for a living,
either choreograph or learned someone else's choreography. This week we
learned Derek's choreography within two weeks. We had a one
week longer. But it's a long number. So it's just also, um,
you need to put the effort in otherwise you'll be
(10:57):
replaced very quickly. I another pro that will learn a
little faster. But you know what, adrenaline helps, But when
you have it, use it. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
But what I love what you just said is how
either you show up and do your job because there's
a line of people behind you that are ready to
(11:19):
come and take that job. And there's nothing that makes
me right, there's nothing that makes me crazier. Like when
I'm hosting, uh, you know, some of the shows I
would host on some of the different networks like Halloween,
Wars and stuff. I always made sure that I was
like on my mark, knew my stuff and ready to
go because there are a thousand hosts that would do
anything to step in that put on that suit and
(11:41):
stand on that job, and you can be replaced. And
the people that don't yet like that right like quicker
than quicker than a he'll kick, you will get replaced.
And so I love your work ethic and and I
think that's why people like you have such long, amazing careers,
because you do put the work in and you and
you are great an appreciative that you get to do
(12:01):
the work. Yes, otherwise it's a very short lived career.
And what made you come back, Well, Cherylatte asked for me,
So that was nice. That's a humbling experience when a
celebrity asks for you. That was lovely. But I can't
take that for granted. It's just, you know, season thirty one.
(12:23):
It really feels like season one. And because we're on
Disney Plus right now, no commercial breaks, more dancing, and
as you said earlier, besides our celebrity pro number, we
also have to study the pro numbers, which become bigger
and longer as the season progresses because less couples, more
(12:46):
air time to fill. It really is no commercials. It's
really weird in the beginning, but we all love it.
The show goes by like this and the iconic Cheryl
lad What was that experience like working with her and
he knowing that she requested you. You know, there's no
cooler feeling than that. But like then the pressure I'm
(13:06):
sure like because she requested you, like I gotta make
sure I turn up for her. Yes, exactly. Thanks for
reminding me on that. It was just amazing. Now I
did meet Cheryl twelve years prior, twelve years ago, because
we have the same publicist in j Schwartz, and for
(13:27):
that long she has been asked to join the show.
So finally she said yes, and yes, it's I mean
talking about a TV icon, Charlie's Angels. And right now,
from what I hear all the stories, Charlie's Angels isn't
is all over the world. It's dubbed in Japanese and
Italian and it's still going strong today, I mean thirty
(13:50):
or forty years later, So yeah, the pressure is on.
Now who are you? Who do you have your eye
on to win the Mirrorball this year? Who who do
you see making it all the way to the top
right now? Well, I have a tough who left? Okay?
Who are your top three, Gabby, Wayne, Charlie. But I'm
not sure what Chengela is gonna do because she is
(14:13):
kicking but and you know, we don't know how many votes.
We do know that Vinnie is getting a boatload of
votes because he has been in the bottom of the judges' scores,
but never in the bottom two. So we'll see. But
I have a feeling that Gabby, Wayne, and Charlie, it's
(14:34):
safe to say that's going to be your top three.
But I just love watching Channgela and the opportunity that
she has taken for all of us, for all people
within lgbt Q Y plus community, the mouthful um, you know,
(14:58):
for the younger kids that you know she would be
who you want to be, but do it with grace
and class and gush, does she do it with grace
and class? I love I love him, I love him
and what she does. Monday night when we saw that
ch Angela was on desk and the start of this season,
(15:18):
I think we gay gas we wrote through just like
you hear that's like audibly Pike annoyed. So it's so
fun watching Angela on it. Um. Now now you you're
you're you have a you have a partner, you have children,
you have a whole family that and we'd love to
talk about that a little bit today, um, because it
(15:39):
I think so. In two thousand nineteen, you opened up
about an incident with your eleven year old son Daniel
at school where a teacher shamed him for having two
dads during a discussion about what they were thankful for.
To have this beautiful moment taken away from him, What
was the conversation like when he came home from school
that day. Let's just back up little and tell everyone,
(16:01):
like about your family, like your husband, your kids, like,
kind of share a little inside of that first so
people listening can understand. So two thousand ten, my husband
and I, he is from Austin, Josh Josh's name from Austin, Texas,
was in l A for a day to help his
friend move. They went to the abbey in West Hollywood.
(16:23):
It's so romantic and my friend and I we went
to the abbey. We met their exchange phone numbers. Three
months later, after staying in touch, he came for a week.
That's when I knew, oh, this can be forever. Then
he moved in. After three or two and a half years,
we moved to Utah, got married, had a winter wedding
(16:46):
at sundanceous and just gorgeous, and then we knew all
along in that time we're going to adopt. And then
in we took the plunge and started the process and
we had custom of our son Daniel for about eight
and a half months. We knew that we're going to
court December to sign the papers that he was going
(17:10):
to be our son fully adopted. And then the week
of Thanksgiving at school, the substitute teacher asked all the
kids in school, what are you thankful for? When it
came to him, he said, I'm thankful that I'm finally
being adopted by my two dads. And she did not
miss a beat. Why would you be thankful for that?
(17:32):
And that's when I mean it went downhill fast. Three kids,
three girls try to stop the teacher from let's can
we just move on? Can we move on? She did not.
They went to the principle and an hour later the
principle escorted her out the building. She should as she should.
And then when he came home, I mean, like a
(17:55):
deer in the headlight, and this is um, it's still emotional,
it's still wrong even three years later. The fact that
he was afraid that we were going to send him
back to foster care. He thought it was on him,
and we said, dude, no, you did nothing wrong. The
(18:16):
teacher was wrong here. And the fact that an adult
not it was not eleven year olds among one another
bullying each other. Now, this is a grown up woman,
and so to kind of. And this is also not
a Mormon thing. This is not an LDS religious thing,
because of course people are saying I knew I didn't
(18:38):
like the religion because the woman was religious. But the
three kids that stood up for our son also our
eldest followers, so that balances out. It was the woman
that should not have talk politics or religion at in school. Anyway,
I did an Instagram story on my personal Instagram, just
(19:00):
event a little bit, and oh my gosh, within two
weeks we're in New York City at CBS doing a
whole piece on it, and it went viral. I have
friends from Australia had said, is this you? Because they're
talking about in our newspaper in Australia. I mean, and
long story short, she is not teaching anymore and she
(19:23):
should never be let anywhere near kids. Ever, in my opinion, absolutely,
she lost her license, good as she should. Um. Now,
I think kids understand love and when they're when you know,
especially the younger they are, they more they only understand
love because they haven't been exposed to politics and all
(19:44):
the other things that kind of muddle people's opinions. Right,
And so you have these three kids stand up for
your son Daniel. What was that like? Tears? Tears, right,
tears of first tears of anger to hear what happened
at school, but then also tears of we made the
(20:08):
right decision to move where we moved to. It's a
it's a beautiful part of Utah. But also the people,
they're very supportive. We didn't expect that, so that was nice.
I did another video and say, okay, so all the
people that believe that same sex couples or single parents
(20:30):
should not adopt, are they going to step up and
adopt five thousand children out of foster care? I think
our kids have a real good life and they travel
across the country. Our first son, Daniel, we took him
to Venice before he even got adopted. And we're talking Venice, Italy,
(20:53):
not Venice good pasta. So you know. That really gets
under my belt that people, yes, okay, if you don't
agree that we're gay and out and happy and married
to someone we love. It just happens to be of
(21:13):
the same sex and we want to adopt you. You're
so passionate about it, and I and I can tell
how passionate you are about the importance of adoption, the
importance of you know, and also with you how I'm sorry,
how old was Daniel again when you adopted him? He
was ten and a half, because there's the custody period
of six that he lives with us, then you go
(21:35):
to court. Although in our hearts the moment we saw
that picture on the heart the Heart Gallery of Colorado website,
we saw that thumbnail, we fell in love. You knew
it was him, and we knew, oh my gosh, we
knew that's our son. And the same with our younger son, Johnny,
who we also adopted when he was ten. It just
(21:58):
is and I just want to add to you, I'm
so passionate. The more we learned, not just about adopting
our kids, but meeting how the foster parents and other
adoptive parents. It is so important that people know it's
so much easier to adopt in the United States. Through
state adoption, five hundred thousand plus kids are up for
(22:21):
adoption from any age, from any ethnicity. You don't have
to necessarily go to another country if you live in
the United States. Adopt in the United States. And there's
so many there's so many kids that need a home,
and you know, I think there might I know there
is some sort of a perception of like a lot
of times people want to have a baby from the
(22:43):
time that it's a baby, right so they can grow
up with it. But there is the whole world out
there filled with so many loving, beautiful children that just
need a family, who are older, who are five, and
those I don't know the answer to this, are those
those children here are the error? Are they adopted less
(23:04):
because they're older? In many yes, yes, because the stigma
is that the older the kid is, the more trauma
comes with that child. My love language is traveling, seeing
the world. Coming from Europe for you know, ballroom dancing.
We have our whole bubble, worldwide bubble. So I've seen
(23:25):
the world and I want my kids to see it.
And it's it's great. And you're so passionate about traveling.
Can you tell me some of your favorite places that
you've gotten to take Daniel and your and your family
to see, Like Venice obviously was a highlight. What where
What are some other like bucketless moments that you've had. Well,
(23:46):
of course, well, surprising Josh's parents, my in laws in Texas.
We surprised them with Daniel within the first week we
took custody, and that the bucket list there was to
see their faces, Yeah, to see their grandchild. That was
(24:06):
the bucket list. But Venice, of course Italy was one.
But then unfortunately, it's not that we didn't want to
have more bucket list moments, but then the pandemic hit,
so you know, we we had to stay home obviously,
and but it seems like your family is thriving and
(24:26):
has overcome so much with the horrible thing of that
substitute did to port Daniel that day, and to have
have all these moments where you're traveling and seeing the
world with him, it's just it's so so special. We're
gonna come right back to poadcast and talk more with
Louis van Emson. We'll be right back and we're back.
(24:55):
We're talking to dancing what the stars the legend. I'm
gonna keep calling your legend, So I don't care what
you say, Louie, I'm call you allegend. Just deal with it.
We're talking about his amazing chosen family, and it really
is a chosen family, right. I think that's something that's
so special that members of the lgbt Q plus community
get to do, is you know, their family comes in
(25:15):
all sorts of forms, and there is the family that
you're born into, and then there's the chosen family. And
so many people in the lgbt Q plus community live
by their chosen family because of whatever reason. And for you,
you're living proof of what it's like to have a
chosen family. What does it feel like? So any state,
(25:35):
all fifty states, I believe, have a website, and we
went to Heart Gallery of Colorado or Heart Gallery of Nevada,
where our sons are from. When you go there, you
can type in how many kids, sibling groups, age, ethnicity,
and then when you click enter, boom, hundreds, hundreds and
(25:58):
thousands of thumbnails come up of pictures of kids that
are either up for foster care with the goal to
reunite with the biological family. But it's just they're not
ready yet or free to be adopted five hundred thousand kids.
And you can go to a website and and it
(26:19):
somehow and you can find you can you can literally
help child have a family and a loving home and
create a family of your own that that you get
to choose that is good for you and to support
you and your family. It's and what's the website again?
Just say one more time to people hearing it, Heart
Gallery of and then you can pick any states, So Ohio, Michigan, whatever,
(26:44):
Heart Gallery of whatever. Okay, so you know we were
a little mindful of Okay, which states are more open minded? Absolutely,
you know, same sex couples adoption to adopt kids. So yeah,
well in Colorado, I must say we did not choose,
(27:04):
oh this is a blue state or a red state. Again,
not political, it's just purely. Also, we chose states next
to Utah if we were lucky enough to find kids
from those states, so we can drive to meet them,
because for Daniel, for three months, we had to drive
back and forth from Utah to Grant Junction, Colorado for
(27:27):
three months almost every weekend or every other weekend, because
he had to failed adoptions before he was separated from
his biological siblings, which was another hi ya YOI um.
So finally after three months we could take him home.
But it's worth it. It is worth it. And one
thing I want to add to the fact that you
(27:49):
can choose. So I'm fifty right now. My husband is
thirty three, so we have a lot of age difference.
We were able to discuss with each other, Okay, if
we had a baby, if the baby were sixteen year old,
I would be more like a grandpa than a father. Well,
if we were to have, say for sixteen year old,
(28:13):
my husband would barely be in his early twenties if
we would have the child are born. So we discussed
even those details and we felt, okay, as long as
they're between eight and twelve, I would be young enough
and he would be old enough. If that makes any sense. Absolutely,
you know, that's something my husband and I talked about.
As you know, we're figuring out what family looks like
(28:34):
to us and what our goals are. We just got
married in March, so we're thank you and so we're um,
we're getting you know, we're in the conversations of what
family looks like to us and what what our options
are and what we want to do, and right now
we we just don't know the answer. But something we
did bring up was what you just said. We said, Hey,
(28:56):
you know, we're men of a certain age. I feel
like I always gravitate towards kids that need a loving
home that maybe other people might have looked over or
not paid attention to. That's usually where my heart goes.
And with how old we are, it might be something
that would be right for us is to adopt a
(29:18):
kid that is a little bit older, like you know,
five to ten year old, so that way it matches
up with our timeline in our life, and it all
kind of chronistic. And I think that's there's absolutely nothing
wrong with that, and I think that's actually very smart
because I think you have to be realistic when it
comes to timelines and goals of you know, how long
(29:38):
we have on this earth and what we can do
with the time we're given. Absolutely, And also I want people,
I want to take this scary side away because even
though I said earlier, when we saw that little thumbnail
picture of both of our boys, we were sold yep.
But you're not making a decision based on a thumbnail.
(30:01):
That's just the first step. Then you submit your all
your information about you. I mean, you go through the ring.
You're doing workshops, you have to do paperwork. There's a
hundred fifty questionnaire open questions, and you have to do
it solo together. Then you meet with the case worker
on your side. That's a process, but I think it's
(30:22):
great that everyone has to go through that process. You
learn more about yourself, you learn more about your partner.
Then you get all the information. If you're matched with
this child, you still don't have to make a decision.
You just get all the information. This we call it
the f you letter. They want to scare you off
(30:43):
with that letter by being honest. Well, this is X,
Y and Z that is going on in the child's lives.
And the moment we saw the trauma that was cost
to this child, we felt in love even more because
that child did not ask for that trauma. This was
the biological parents that couldn't get part of my language.
(31:06):
You're gonna have to believe there together and therefore this
child is now in foster care. So we fell in love.
But if you are, I'm not sure. There are multiple steps.
You can make it as low of a process as
you want until you say I feel ready, We are ready, Yes, absolutely,
(31:27):
So I guess the moral of the story is there's
so many steps that are going to happen that if
you're interested in creating, creating a family and having a
chosen family using an amazing, an amazing thing like adoption,
just take the first step, because it doesn't it's not
locking you into anything. If you're questioning it, just take
(31:49):
the first step and start stepping down that road and
you'll find out if it's right for you or not.
But you're never gonna know if it's right for you
or not until you start walking down it right exactly,
And there's there's no rule that you have to continue
down and if you find out that it's not for you. So,
if you're thinking about adopting, if you want to create
your chosen family with your partner or whoever it is
(32:10):
in your life, or even if you just want to
do it by yourself, whatever it is that is right
for you, start taking the steps uh down that road.
That way you'll find out if it is for you.
So I just think I commend you so much. I
think your story is so so so beautiful, and I
know that so many listeners out there are gonna be
able to identify with this some all the pridecast family
(32:32):
listening are going to be able to see some of
themselves in this story. And I just I think it's
so amazing. So each week we like to look back
in gay history because in order to for us to
move forward and and make progress, we have to always
remember where we came from. So this week in gay history, Louis,
(32:52):
I'm going to tell you what happened. On October, Intersects
Awareness Day happened, and the first public that comonstration by
intersex people took place. The Intersex Society of North America
demonstrates in Boston carrying signs saying Hermaphrodites with attitude. Intersect
Awareness Day is an internationally observed awareness day designed to
(33:14):
highlight human rights issues faced by intersex people. So that's
what happened this week in gay history in nineteen nineties six.
We also like to shine our big gay spotlight on someone, Louis,
because we all have those members of the community that
people might know or might not know, that deserved to
(33:34):
have our big gay spotlight shined upon them. So this
week we shine our gay spotlight on an icon. Leslie
Jordan's Leslie Trash passed away in a car accident in
Los Angeles on Monday October. He was perhaps best known
for his recurring role in Will and Grace, and he
appeared in several seasons of American Horror Story and Call
(33:56):
Me Cat on Fox. I met Leslie a handful of
time times, and I have to say, for such a
little man, he had such a massive presence in the
room and in his heart. He was such an icon.
And I know he brought, especially during the pandemic, brought
so much joy to so many people with social media. So,
Leslie Jordan, you will be missed and on behalf of
(34:18):
all of the people of the l g B t
Q plus community. We want to send our love. I
must say Will and Grace the actors, I think they did.
I don't even think they understood what they have done
for the gay community. Absolutely. I remember seeing the first
time I saw Will and Grace, it was like this,
(34:40):
there's only people like me? What? And then like I
remember because I acted like Jack, but I looked like Will.
So I was like, I don't know which one. I
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Louis this has been
so much fun. Thank you so much for joining us
on podcasts, and thank you for all the work you're
doing to help these rful kids that need homes and
(35:01):
families get adopted. Your story is going to mean so
much to so many people. Thank you so much, And
I can't wait to hear in the People magazine that
you have expanded on your family. Yeah, well you never know. Yeah,
no pressure, but you never know, and it's definitely something
that we're looking into, so we'll see what happens. You know,
just like you said, you don't have to take the
(35:22):
final step, just take the first step. Yes, absolutely, absolutely,
Thank you Louis
This is Pridecast with Jonathan Bennett James on I Heart Radio.
Maybe we are back with Pridecasts. I have missed you
guys so so much. What is up world, It's Jonathan Bennett.
Welcome to a new episode of Pridecast. We have been
(00:24):
gone for a while. Guys. Here's the t we've been gone.
We've been gone. We've been gone because we have been
flying around the world like crazy people, working, booked and blessed,
shooting all the things, doing all the fun stuff. If
you guys follow our social media as you'll know that
James and I we were in New York and then
we were in Phoenix. We've just been everywhere and it's
been so much fun. But it is good to be back.
(00:47):
We've missed you. We've wanted to tape episodes, but sometimes
there just aren't enough hours in the day. But we're
back now. While I'm back, James is currently shooting right
now something that we're excited to tell you about later on.
We can't tell you quite yet, but James is working
right now and he is booked and blessed and he's
having a blast. So I'm taking the reins of this
(01:08):
podcast solo. So James is not here to really like
rain me in, Raymond, So buckle up, Raymond. You're in
charge of keeping me on track and keeping me on
time because I will talk and talk and talk. I
won't let you do that. We're gonna keep it. We're
gonna keep it tight. Keep it tight, Raymond, keep it
up and tight, Raymond. Should I tell them about what
happened two days ago or last week at Radio City
(01:30):
Music Hall? I mean yes, we needed We need more insplination,
Like fifteen seconds on Instagram isn't enough. Okay, So let
me walk you guys through this. If you follow our
socials at all, you know that I had the craziest
day of my life. My inner gay child, the sixteen
year old gay Jonathan, who is obsessed with Wicked, who's
obsessed with New York and Broadway and Radio City Music
(01:53):
Hall and rockets. He lived his gay fantasy everyone. He
had his gantasy. Is it a gantasy? Yeah, it's a fantasy.
His gantasy came true at Radio City Music Hall on
Thursday night because I went for the Countdown to Christmas
kickoff event for Hallmark Channel. Let me walk you through it.
(02:14):
Here's what happened. Get a phone call from Hallmark, Hey,
do you want to come to this big kickoff event
to kick off the Christmas season at Radio City Music
Hall before they could get the word Hall out of
their mouth, of course, I'm like, yes, absolutely, I want
to go. I'll be there. So we get to the
lobby of the hotel. I'm in a beautiful express like
(02:37):
gorgeous suit. They're like, we have your transport from the
hotel to Radio City. It is a double decker New
York City bus wrapped in a cardigan knit sweater that
says I love Hallmark Channel. Not like a like a
picture of a sweater, it's an actual sweater. So I'm
(02:57):
driving in a mobile sock based atale from the hotel
to Radio City Music called with all the Hallmark stars
on the bus. We're on top of the bus. We're
living our life. It's like double decker. We have like
Rachel Boston, Andrew Walker, Tyler, like everyone. Everyone's there, Nikki Deloche,
Aaron K. Hill, all the stars are there. We're on
(03:18):
top of the double decker bus and I'm with Jenna Claire,
who is one of the best Glinda's on Broadway that
I could even tell you about. We look down and
people are cheering. So without missing a beat, I just
turned to the fans and I go, it's good to
see us, isn't it. Quoting Galinda to Glinda on top
of a double decker bus in in New York. Now
(03:39):
you know, I'm the giant Broadway like nerve, like I'm
a freak, like I'm I'm almost like weirdly obsessed, where
they're like kind of keep me away from the show
because like, don't get too close. We're nervous. But so
we ride on this bus. We pull up to Radio City.
It starts snowing because it's Hallmark Channel, so of course
it's gonna start snowing. It starts snow we're getting off
(04:01):
the bus, we're getting our photos taken. It's a red carpet.
There's like Santa Claus and Christmas trees, and it's just
the most magical thing. Because would you expect anything less
with Hallmark Channel. Absolutely not. So we go into Radio
City and Samantha to Pippo, who's like the head of
Christmas at Hallmark. There's an actual like person in charge
(04:21):
of Christmas movies. Samantha to Pippo, she is like one
of our biggest allies. She is just such a legend.
She keeps coming up to me and she's like, are
you because we have a new movie coming out, The
Holiday Sitter is coming out this Christmas December eleven. I'm
starring in. It's the first gay lead rom com for
Hallmark Channel at Christmas. So she keeps coming up to
(04:44):
anything like are you ready for the surprise? Are you
ready for the surprise? And I'm like, you need to
tell me what the surprise is and she's like, I'm
not gonna tell you, just just just you wait. I'm like, okay.
So we're having this big moment. So we get to
go backstage at Radio City Music Hall. We are watching
the Rockets warm up from the wings. Like, think of
(05:04):
little gay Jonathan who's like fourteen fifteen years old pretending
to be a rocket growing up in Ohio. He he
is standing on the stage at Radio City Music Hall
with all the Hallmark stars watching the Rockets stretch while
the curtain is closed from the wings, Like, it doesn't
get gayer than that. That is the gayest moment of
(05:27):
your life. It's like your your gay childhood dreams coming true.
So the curtain goes up and they lift up into
the air on the hydraulic lift that is so famous.
Which fun fact, the reason we have hydraulics and stuff
for the armed forces, and why hydraulic draulics are invented,
I'm pretty sure it is because of Radio City Music
(05:47):
hall That's another story. So the rockets lift themselves into
their on the hydraulic lift and then we get to
go on stage and wave as they announced the casts
of Hallmark channels count On to Chris Smiths, I could
have died. It was amazing, but that wasn't the best part.
Wait for it, guys, wait for it. Are you ready
for this? Samantha to Pippo keeps saying, I have a
(06:09):
surprise for you. I have a surprise for you. She
sits me down and they go. You have to sit
in a specific seat in the in Radio City when
you're watching the movie, and so I sit in the
specific seat. The show's over, the movies over. We do
the screening for the Holiday Spectacular Hallmark. It's amazing. All
of a sudden, Samantha Pippo comes on stage and says,
(06:30):
it wouldn't be a Hallmark movie without Hallmark moments, So
we want to have a special Hallmark moment. Right now,
ladies and gentlemen, Kristen Chenna w I died. To my surprise,
I turn and Kristin Chenowit is standing next to me
in a spotlight and then sits on my lap and
(06:54):
sings Christmas songs. I melted. Then it gets better. She
walked us up on the stage, continues to sing Christmas songs,
and then Jenna Claire comes out because she was also
a Glinda in Wicked, and Kristen goes, oh, it wouldn't
(07:15):
be right to be at Radio City Music Hall with
microphones and have one of the other Glinda's here and
not sing for good. I am dying, So Kristin Chenna
wit and Glinda or Jenna Jenna Claire, who is Glinda?
Sing for good to a private concert for the Hallmark
(07:36):
stars and fans at Radio City Music Hall. For good
is how I started my vows. At my wedding, I'm
going as Alphaba Act one from Wicked to a Halloween
event for Buddha buying this Friday. That's how obsessed with
Wicked I am. So this moment happens and then it
gets better. It gets even better, Kristin Chenowitz says, and
(07:59):
I quote my friend Jonathan Bennett, who because I am
friends with her, we know each other. We have hung
out a bunch at different concerts and things. She goes
my friend John Bennet, who I sat on his lap.
I'm so excited to announce that my new Christmas song
is going to be the soundtrack to the first gay
lad Hallmark movie rom Com at Christmas. And that's how
(08:24):
we found out. So me and George, my co star
Gay Gas, we grab each other and that's how we
found out that christ and Chanowit's new song is going
to be the soundtrack to our movie The Holiday Sitter,
airing December eleven. Well, bet is my gay dream come true.
And that's why we're listening to a podcast that too.
And if that wasn't magical enough, we got Louis van
(08:46):
Amstel from Dancing with the Stars joining us after this
quick break. Welcome back to podcast. I am here with
one of the Dancing with the Stars legends. Okay, there
(09:09):
are legends dancing with the Stars. You're not they're not made,
they are born, all right, And this we have Louie
van am still with us today. Welcome Louie. Thank you Johnny,
that I'm missing intro. Um. I always laugh when they
say the word legend because I don't see myself as such.
I just love what I do and work hard at it. Honey,
(09:33):
you're so good on the show. I've been watching for years.
We were not on the show together though. I was
on season nineteen yes, and on season season yes, but left.
I'm so sorry you saw me dance. Um. You know
what people go, how did Dancing with the Stars go?
I go, well, I learned that I wasn't a dancer,
(09:53):
but I'm really good at comedy and that's um. That's
that's what my takeaway was from it. But was such
a fun experience. And uh, everyone that's listening, you don't
know what these these dancers go through and how hard
they work to give you that one and a half
hours of golden television. I mean everyone talks about the
celebrities as far as like what they had to go through,
(10:15):
and yes, sure they're going through a lot, but it's
the pros that are They're coming up with the choreography
day in and day out, and then on top of it, Louis,
I'm amazed that in between, like the dances that you
do with your partner, all the other dances they have
you do for like the commercials and all the other things.
That's exhausting. How do you learn it so quickly? Well,
(10:36):
first of all, it's what we do for a living,
either choreograph or learned someone else's choreography. This week we
learned Derek's choreography within two weeks. We had a one
week longer. But it's a long number. So it's just also, um,
you need to put the effort in otherwise you'll be
(10:57):
replaced very quickly. I another pro that will learn a
little faster. But you know what, adrenaline helps, But when
you have it, use it. It's a marathon, not a sprint.
But what I love what you just said is how
either you show up and do your job because there's
a line of people behind you that are ready to
(11:19):
come and take that job. And there's nothing that makes
me right, there's nothing that makes me crazier. Like when
I'm hosting, uh, you know, some of the shows I
would host on some of the different networks like Halloween,
Wars and stuff. I always made sure that I was
like on my mark, knew my stuff and ready to
go because there are a thousand hosts that would do
anything to step in that put on that suit and
(11:41):
stand on that job, and you can be replaced. And
the people that don't yet like that right like quicker
than quicker than a he'll kick, you will get replaced.
And so I love your work ethic and and I
think that's why people like you have such long, amazing careers,
because you do put the work in and you and
you are great an appreciative that you get to do
(12:01):
the work. Yes, otherwise it's a very short lived career.
And what made you come back, Well, Cherylatte asked for me,
So that was nice. That's a humbling experience when a
celebrity asks for you. That was lovely. But I can't
take that for granted. It's just, you know, season thirty one.
(12:23):
It really feels like season one. And because we're on
Disney Plus right now, no commercial breaks, more dancing, and
as you said earlier, besides our celebrity pro number, we
also have to study the pro numbers, which become bigger
and longer as the season progresses because less couples, more
(12:46):
air time to fill. It really is no commercials. It's
really weird in the beginning, but we all love it.
The show goes by like this and the iconic Cheryl
lad What was that experience like working with her and
he knowing that she requested you. You know, there's no
cooler feeling than that. But like then the pressure I'm
(13:06):
sure like because she requested you, like I gotta make
sure I turn up for her. Yes, exactly. Thanks for
reminding me on that. It was just amazing. Now I
did meet Cheryl twelve years prior, twelve years ago, because
we have the same publicist in j Schwartz, and for
(13:27):
that long she has been asked to join the show.
So finally she said yes, and yes, it's I mean
talking about a TV icon, Charlie's Angels. And right now,
from what I hear all the stories, Charlie's Angels isn't
is all over the world. It's dubbed in Japanese and
Italian and it's still going strong today, I mean thirty
(13:50):
or forty years later, So yeah, the pressure is on.
Now who are you? Who do you have your eye
on to win the Mirrorball this year? Who who do
you see making it all the way to the top
right now? Well, I have a tough who left? Okay?
Who are your top three, Gabby, Wayne, Charlie. But I'm
not sure what Chengela is gonna do because she is
(14:13):
kicking but and you know, we don't know how many votes.
We do know that Vinnie is getting a boatload of
votes because he has been in the bottom of the judges' scores,
but never in the bottom two. So we'll see. But
I have a feeling that Gabby, Wayne, and Charlie, it's
(14:34):
safe to say that's going to be your top three.
But I just love watching Channgela and the opportunity that
she has taken for all of us, for all people
within lgbt Q Y plus community, the mouthful um, you know,
(14:58):
for the younger kids that you know she would be
who you want to be, but do it with grace
and class and gush, does she do it with grace
and class? I love I love him, I love him
and what she does. Monday night when we saw that
ch Angela was on desk and the start of this season,
(15:18):
I think we gay gas we wrote through just like
you hear that's like audibly Pike annoyed. So it's so
fun watching Angela on it. Um. Now now you you're
you're you have a you have a partner, you have children,
you have a whole family that and we'd love to
talk about that a little bit today, um, because it
(15:39):
I think so. In two thousand nineteen, you opened up
about an incident with your eleven year old son Daniel
at school where a teacher shamed him for having two
dads during a discussion about what they were thankful for.
To have this beautiful moment taken away from him, What
was the conversation like when he came home from school
that day. Let's just back up little and tell everyone,
(16:01):
like about your family, like your husband, your kids, like,
kind of share a little inside of that first so
people listening can understand. So two thousand ten, my husband
and I, he is from Austin, Josh Josh's name from Austin, Texas,
was in l A for a day to help his
friend move. They went to the abbey in West Hollywood.
(16:23):
It's so romantic and my friend and I we went
to the abbey. We met their exchange phone numbers. Three
months later, after staying in touch, he came for a week.
That's when I knew, oh, this can be forever. Then
he moved in. After three or two and a half years,
we moved to Utah, got married, had a winter wedding
(16:46):
at sundanceous and just gorgeous, and then we knew all
along in that time we're going to adopt. And then
in we took the plunge and started the process and
we had custom of our son Daniel for about eight
and a half months. We knew that we're going to
court December to sign the papers that he was going
(17:10):
to be our son fully adopted. And then the week
of Thanksgiving at school, the substitute teacher asked all the
kids in school, what are you thankful for? When it
came to him, he said, I'm thankful that I'm finally
being adopted by my two dads. And she did not
miss a beat. Why would you be thankful for that?
(17:32):
And that's when I mean it went downhill fast. Three kids,
three girls try to stop the teacher from let's can
we just move on? Can we move on? She did not.
They went to the principle and an hour later the
principle escorted her out the building. She should as she should.
And then when he came home, I mean, like a
(17:55):
deer in the headlight, and this is um, it's still emotional,
it's still wrong even three years later. The fact that
he was afraid that we were going to send him
back to foster care. He thought it was on him,
and we said, dude, no, you did nothing wrong. The
(18:16):
teacher was wrong here. And the fact that an adult
not it was not eleven year olds among one another
bullying each other. Now, this is a grown up woman,
and so to kind of. And this is also not
a Mormon thing. This is not an LDS religious thing,
because of course people are saying I knew I didn't
(18:38):
like the religion because the woman was religious. But the
three kids that stood up for our son also our
eldest followers, so that balances out. It was the woman
that should not have talk politics or religion at in school. Anyway,
I did an Instagram story on my personal Instagram, just
(19:00):
event a little bit, and oh my gosh, within two
weeks we're in New York City at CBS doing a
whole piece on it, and it went viral. I have
friends from Australia had said, is this you? Because they're
talking about in our newspaper in Australia. I mean, and
long story short, she is not teaching anymore and she
(19:23):
should never be let anywhere near kids. Ever, in my opinion, absolutely,
she lost her license, good as she should. Um. Now,
I think kids understand love and when they're when you know,
especially the younger they are, they more they only understand
love because they haven't been exposed to politics and all
(19:44):
the other things that kind of muddle people's opinions. Right,
And so you have these three kids stand up for
your son Daniel. What was that like? Tears? Tears, right,
tears of first tears of anger to hear what happened
at school, but then also tears of we made the
(20:08):
right decision to move where we moved to. It's a
it's a beautiful part of Utah. But also the people,
they're very supportive. We didn't expect that, so that was nice.
I did another video and say, okay, so all the
people that believe that same sex couples or single parents
(20:30):
should not adopt, are they going to step up and
adopt five thousand children out of foster care? I think
our kids have a real good life and they travel
across the country. Our first son, Daniel, we took him
to Venice before he even got adopted. And we're talking Venice, Italy,
(20:53):
not Venice good pasta. So you know. That really gets
under my belt that people, yes, okay, if you don't
agree that we're gay and out and happy and married
to someone we love. It just happens to be of
(21:13):
the same sex and we want to adopt you. You're
so passionate about it, and I and I can tell
how passionate you are about the importance of adoption, the
importance of you know, and also with you how I'm sorry,
how old was Daniel again when you adopted him? He
was ten and a half, because there's the custody period
of six that he lives with us, then you go
(21:35):
to court. Although in our hearts the moment we saw
that picture on the heart the Heart Gallery of Colorado website,
we saw that thumbnail, we fell in love. You knew
it was him, and we knew, oh my gosh, we
knew that's our son. And the same with our younger son, Johnny,
who we also adopted when he was ten. It just
(21:58):
is and I just want to add to you, I'm
so passionate. The more we learned, not just about adopting
our kids, but meeting how the foster parents and other
adoptive parents. It is so important that people know it's
so much easier to adopt in the United States. Through
state adoption, five hundred thousand plus kids are up for
(22:21):
adoption from any age, from any ethnicity. You don't have
to necessarily go to another country if you live in
the United States. Adopt in the United States. And there's
so many there's so many kids that need a home,
and you know, I think there might I know there
is some sort of a perception of like a lot
of times people want to have a baby from the
(22:43):
time that it's a baby, right so they can grow
up with it. But there is the whole world out
there filled with so many loving, beautiful children that just
need a family, who are older, who are five, and
those I don't know the answer to this, are those
those children here are the error? Are they adopted less
(23:04):
because they're older? In many yes, yes, because the stigma
is that the older the kid is, the more trauma
comes with that child. My love language is traveling, seeing
the world. Coming from Europe for you know, ballroom dancing.
We have our whole bubble, worldwide bubble. So I've seen
(23:25):
the world and I want my kids to see it.
And it's it's great. And you're so passionate about traveling.
Can you tell me some of your favorite places that
you've gotten to take Daniel and your and your family
to see, Like Venice obviously was a highlight. What where
What are some other like bucketless moments that you've had. Well,
(23:46):
of course, well, surprising Josh's parents, my in laws in Texas.
We surprised them with Daniel within the first week we
took custody, and that the bucket list there was to
see their faces, Yeah, to see their grandchild. That was
(24:06):
the bucket list. But Venice, of course Italy was one.
But then unfortunately, it's not that we didn't want to
have more bucket list moments, but then the pandemic hit,
so you know, we we had to stay home obviously,
and but it seems like your family is thriving and
(24:26):
has overcome so much with the horrible thing of that
substitute did to port Daniel that day, and to have
have all these moments where you're traveling and seeing the
world with him, it's just it's so so special. We're
gonna come right back to poadcast and talk more with
Louis van Emson. We'll be right back and we're back.
(24:55):
We're talking to dancing what the stars the legend. I'm
gonna keep calling your legend, So I don't care what
you say, Louie, I'm call you allegend. Just deal with it.
We're talking about his amazing chosen family, and it really
is a chosen family, right. I think that's something that's
so special that members of the lgbt Q plus community
get to do, is you know, their family comes in
(25:15):
all sorts of forms, and there is the family that
you're born into, and then there's the chosen family. And
so many people in the lgbt Q plus community live
by their chosen family because of whatever reason. And for you,
you're living proof of what it's like to have a
chosen family. What does it feel like? So any state,
(25:35):
all fifty states, I believe, have a website, and we
went to Heart Gallery of Colorado or Heart Gallery of Nevada,
where our sons are from. When you go there, you
can type in how many kids, sibling groups, age, ethnicity,
and then when you click enter, boom, hundreds, hundreds and
(25:58):
thousands of thumbnails come up of pictures of kids that
are either up for foster care with the goal to
reunite with the biological family. But it's just they're not
ready yet or free to be adopted five hundred thousand kids.
And you can go to a website and and it
(26:19):
somehow and you can find you can you can literally
help child have a family and a loving home and
create a family of your own that that you get
to choose that is good for you and to support
you and your family. It's and what's the website again?
Just say one more time to people hearing it, Heart
Gallery of and then you can pick any states, So Ohio, Michigan, whatever,
(26:44):
Heart Gallery of whatever. Okay, so you know we were
a little mindful of Okay, which states are more open minded? Absolutely,
you know, same sex couples adoption to adopt kids. So yeah,
well in Colorado, I must say we did not choose,
(27:04):
oh this is a blue state or a red state. Again,
not political, it's just purely. Also, we chose states next
to Utah if we were lucky enough to find kids
from those states, so we can drive to meet them,
because for Daniel, for three months, we had to drive
back and forth from Utah to Grant Junction, Colorado for
(27:27):
three months almost every weekend or every other weekend, because
he had to failed adoptions before he was separated from
his biological siblings, which was another hi ya YOI um.
So finally after three months we could take him home.
But it's worth it. It is worth it. And one
thing I want to add to the fact that you
(27:49):
can choose. So I'm fifty right now. My husband is
thirty three, so we have a lot of age difference.
We were able to discuss with each other, Okay, if
we had a baby, if the baby were sixteen year old,
I would be more like a grandpa than a father. Well,
if we were to have, say for sixteen year old,
(28:13):
my husband would barely be in his early twenties if
we would have the child are born. So we discussed
even those details and we felt, okay, as long as
they're between eight and twelve, I would be young enough
and he would be old enough. If that makes any sense. Absolutely,
you know, that's something my husband and I talked about.
As you know, we're figuring out what family looks like
(28:34):
to us and what our goals are. We just got
married in March, so we're thank you and so we're um,
we're getting you know, we're in the conversations of what
family looks like to us and what what our options
are and what we want to do, and right now
we we just don't know the answer. But something we
did bring up was what you just said. We said, Hey,
(28:56):
you know, we're men of a certain age. I feel
like I always gravitate towards kids that need a loving
home that maybe other people might have looked over or
not paid attention to. That's usually where my heart goes.
And with how old we are, it might be something
that would be right for us is to adopt a
(29:18):
kid that is a little bit older, like you know,
five to ten year old, so that way it matches
up with our timeline in our life, and it all
kind of chronistic. And I think that's there's absolutely nothing
wrong with that, and I think that's actually very smart
because I think you have to be realistic when it
comes to timelines and goals of you know, how long
(29:38):
we have on this earth and what we can do
with the time we're given. Absolutely, And also I want people,
I want to take this scary side away because even
though I said earlier, when we saw that little thumbnail
picture of both of our boys, we were sold yep.
But you're not making a decision based on a thumbnail.
(30:01):
That's just the first step. Then you submit your all
your information about you. I mean, you go through the ring.
You're doing workshops, you have to do paperwork. There's a
hundred fifty questionnaire open questions, and you have to do
it solo together. Then you meet with the case worker
on your side. That's a process, but I think it's
(30:22):
great that everyone has to go through that process. You
learn more about yourself, you learn more about your partner.
Then you get all the information. If you're matched with
this child, you still don't have to make a decision.
You just get all the information. This we call it
the f you letter. They want to scare you off
(30:43):
with that letter by being honest. Well, this is X,
Y and Z that is going on in the child's lives.
And the moment we saw the trauma that was cost
to this child, we felt in love even more because
that child did not ask for that trauma. This was
the biological parents that couldn't get part of my language.
(31:06):
You're gonna have to believe there together and therefore this
child is now in foster care. So we fell in love.
But if you are, I'm not sure. There are multiple steps.
You can make it as low of a process as
you want until you say I feel ready, We are ready, Yes, absolutely,
(31:27):
So I guess the moral of the story is there's
so many steps that are going to happen that if
you're interested in creating, creating a family and having a
chosen family using an amazing, an amazing thing like adoption,
just take the first step, because it doesn't it's not
locking you into anything. If you're questioning it, just take
(31:49):
the first step and start stepping down that road and
you'll find out if it's right for you or not.
But you're never gonna know if it's right for you
or not until you start walking down it right exactly,
And there's there's no rule that you have to continue
down and if you find out that it's not for you. So,
if you're thinking about adopting, if you want to create
your chosen family with your partner or whoever it is
(32:10):
in your life, or even if you just want to
do it by yourself, whatever it is that is right
for you, start taking the steps uh down that road.
That way you'll find out if it is for you.
So I just think I commend you so much. I
think your story is so so so beautiful, and I
know that so many listeners out there are gonna be
able to identify with this some all the pridecast family
(32:32):
listening are going to be able to see some of
themselves in this story. And I just I think it's
so amazing. So each week we like to look back
in gay history because in order to for us to
move forward and and make progress, we have to always
remember where we came from. So this week in gay history, Louis,
(32:52):
I'm going to tell you what happened. On October, Intersects
Awareness Day happened, and the first public that comonstration by
intersex people took place. The Intersex Society of North America
demonstrates in Boston carrying signs saying Hermaphrodites with attitude. Intersect
Awareness Day is an internationally observed awareness day designed to
(33:14):
highlight human rights issues faced by intersex people. So that's
what happened this week in gay history in nineteen nineties six.
We also like to shine our big gay spotlight on someone, Louis,
because we all have those members of the community that
people might know or might not know, that deserved to
(33:34):
have our big gay spotlight shined upon them. So this
week we shine our gay spotlight on an icon. Leslie
Jordan's Leslie Trash passed away in a car accident in
Los Angeles on Monday October. He was perhaps best known
for his recurring role in Will and Grace, and he
appeared in several seasons of American Horror Story and Call
(33:56):
Me Cat on Fox. I met Leslie a handful of
time times, and I have to say, for such a
little man, he had such a massive presence in the
room and in his heart. He was such an icon.
And I know he brought, especially during the pandemic, brought
so much joy to so many people with social media. So,
Leslie Jordan, you will be missed and on behalf of
(34:18):
all of the people of the l g B t
Q plus community. We want to send our love. I
must say Will and Grace the actors, I think they did.
I don't even think they understood what they have done
for the gay community. Absolutely. I remember seeing the first
time I saw Will and Grace, it was like this,
(34:40):
there's only people like me? What? And then like I
remember because I acted like Jack, but I looked like Will.
So I was like, I don't know which one. I
Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, Louis this has been
so much fun. Thank you so much for joining us
on podcasts, and thank you for all the work you're
doing to help these rful kids that need homes and
(35:01):
families get adopted. Your story is going to mean so
much to so many people. Thank you so much, And
I can't wait to hear in the People magazine that
you have expanded on your family. Yeah, well you never know. Yeah,
no pressure, but you never know, and it's definitely something
that we're looking into, so we'll see what happens. You know,
just like you said, you don't have to take the
(35:22):
final step, just take the first step. Yes, absolutely, absolutely,
Thank you Louis
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