Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Don Lemon: "I wish everyone could feel what I feel"


Don Lemon came into the studio today with his boyfriend Ben, and chatted on the show for about an hour about his new book Transparent, in which he comes out as gay but also does so much more in discussing race issues, homophobia, growing up in the South, sexual abuse and pursuing a career in television journalism.

That all may sound heavy, but it was an often ecstatic hour of many laughs, and lots of emotion. Don is so completely enthralled at being out, and you can hear it in his voice. We talked about the issues in the book, but also a lot about the closet in the media, in television journalism, and how his coming out might affect other, closeted TV anchors; what the impact will be in the black community and what it means for young people of color; and how it feels to now be out, on a show with his boyfriend and a gay radio host. Don got a little bit weepy on that last topic. Really just a fantastic discussion, but listen in for yourself below in the three parts.