"Shows like 'Empire'... one of the most profound powerful things is that there's a gay male character..." — Justin Simien

I often have to play a role to get what I want in my life. At the same time, I can't do that without also nourishing who I really am and being aware of my true self and the ways in which I'm not bound by my race or sexual orientation or class or country or whatever.

I've always thought that 'Dear White People' should live on as a TV show, so I'll leave it at that.

As much as I'd love to believe that we are 'post-racial' - an idea that really gained traction after the election of Barack Obama in 2008 - I can never escape the fact that in the world I am perceived as a 'black man' and, in certain parts of the world, as a 'black gay man.'

You can't get along in society without an identity.