Jaguars associate strength ach out as gay a first for US-based pro leagu

‘PUMPG’ IS DANGERO NEW FAD AMONG GAY MEN
TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED APR. 13, 2017 2:36PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 13, 2016 1:10AM EDT RX BEFORE THE BRACG TORRENT OF ANECDOT AND STORI ISSU FORTH—OM AN EARLY LOVE OF PAISLEY TO GETTG BULLIED TO MEETG CHER; OM G OUT TO HEADY FAME TO BOTOX AND PLASTIC SURGERY; ALL OF THIS LIVERED LIGHTNG-FAST AND FILLED WH GOSSIPY CHARM AND WTY ONE-LERS—CARSON KRSLEY OBSERVED SOME MTS AND A BOTTLE OF STILL WATER ONT OF HIM.“LIFE SAVERS AND WATER! I’LL HAVE H BREATH AND BE HYDRATED,” HE SAID BRIGHTLY.KRSLEY, MOST FAMO AS THE MOST FLAMBOYANT AND “SASSY”—AS HE LLS —MEMBER OF QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY’S “FAB FIVE,” IS STG THE NTH-FLOOR NTEEN OF IAC, THE PANY THAT OWNS THE DAILY BEAST, THE HUDSON RIVER SPARKLG THE SUN BELOW TO ONE SI, AND THE SKYSCRAPERS OF MIDTOWN MANHATTAN LOOMG OUT OF OTHER WDOWS.KRSLEY’S NEW, BREEZY ADVICE BOOK, DO THIS BOOK MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG?, SAT ON THE TABLE BETWEEN , A STYLE GUI FOR “THE NORMAL AMERIN WOMAN,” WH HIS MP, CHATTY ADVICE DISTILLED DOWN TO HANDY LISTS AND PUNCHY SLIC OF TEXT SUCH AS “WHAT MATCH MY MARGARA?” AND “WHY BUY WHEN YOU CAN RENT?” (CLOTH), HOW TO CLEAR OUT YOUR CLOSET, AND OTHER “QUICK FIX TO MAKE WOMEN FEEL FABULO.” THE 47-YEAR-OLD KRSLEY WROTE THE BOOK AFTER BEG APPROACHED AIRPORTS BY WOMEN ASKG HIS UNSEL ABOUT WHAT THEY SHOULD DO ABOUT THEIR OWN STYLE CRIS. HE DON’T OFFER “HIGHFALUT’” OR EXPENSIVE SOLUTNS, BUT REASSURGLY EVERYDAY, MANAGEABLE ON.“IT DON’T TAKE A LOT TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE WAY YOU PRENT YOURSELF TO THE WORLD,” HE SAID. PERDIC “NFSNS” ON THE PAG CLU THE TIM HE DID TOO MUCH BOTOX, OR ED FLUORCENT EYE CREAM.HIS SK DO LOOK VERY SMOOTH OM THE BOTOX AND FILLER JECTNS HE SAYS HE HAS TWICE A YEAR—TO LOOK “H FOR SUMMER AND CHRISTMAS”—AND, AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT OM A STYLE ADVICE GIVER, HE IS WEARG A GEO, SLIM-FTED MIDNIGHT BLUE SU BY MOODS OF NORWAY, SKY-BLUE VCE CAMUTO SHIRT, AND SOCKLS, IS SPORTG GOLN-LORED JIMMY CHOO LOAFERS. THE ARE A SIZE 9 AND HE A SIZE 10, “BUT I HAD TO HAVE THEM, AND SO I PUT MY FEET THEM, THEY WERE TOO SMALL, BUT THEY STRETCHED, AND NOW THEY F PERFECTLY.”OBSERVG THE NEW YORK PANORAMA AROUND , HE NOTED THAT LIVG MIDTOWN EAST WAS “SUPER-BORG AND LAME,” BUT THAT THE AREA WAS NEWLY POSSSN OF AN OUTPOST OF THE GANSEVOORT HOTEL. “IF MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS OL, NEW YORK CY IS FELY UPGRADG,” HE SAID.HE POTED OUT A PICTURE OF HIMSELF THE BOOK, AS A LTLE BOY WEARG A FLORAL PK SILK SHIRT AND RDUROY VT AND MATCHG PANTS. A PICTURE PTN NOT HE IS WEARG SILK PAISLEY “UNROOS” TOO.“THAT WAS SCHOOL PICTURE DAY SEND GRA. THERE I AM, A ’70S RECIPE FOR ‘FABULOSY’ OR DISASTER, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO LOOK AT . I EVEN PATED MY NAILS THAT DAY, I THK A MAGENTA LOR. I JT THOUGHT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS GET DRSED FOR AN OCSN.“IT OM HAVG A STYLISH MOTHER. MY MOM WASN’T SOME PARIS FASHN MOL. SHE WAS A LOL BETY QUEEN OM PENNSYLVANIA. SHE WAS MISS MILK MAID, 1955, OR SOMETHG. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LE OM A MIL OR HEDWIG. TOM FORD, WHO I HAVE A HUGE CSH ON, ALSO HAD A STYLISH MOTHER. A LOT OF STYLISH PEOPLE DO.”HIS PARENTS WERE “NOT NOT FE” ABOUT THEIR SON’S LOVE OF SARTORIAL EXPERIMENTATN. “IT WAS NEVER LIKE, ‘TAKE THAT NAIL POLISH OFF, YOU’RE GOG TO GET A SPANKG.’ I JT DID WHAT I DID AND NOBODY SEEMED TO RE.”HE WAS PARTICULARLY CLOSE TO HIS MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER, WHOSE SIX GRANDCHILDREN RANGED WILDLY AGE OM 70 TO HIM. “SHE HAD ALL THE WEIRD LEFTOVER DOLLHO AND BARBIE DREAMHO. I WAS LIKE, ‘GRANDMA, N I PLEASE GET A TEA SET TO PLAY WH THE DOLLS.’“I LIVED MY OWN WORLD THEIR LIVG ROOM. I DIDN’T KNOW WAS WEIRD UNTIL I WENT TO SCHOOL, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘TOMMY, DO YOU WASN’T TO E OVER AND PLAY WH MY TEA SET?’ AND I’D GET, ‘DO YOU WANT A BLOODY NOSE?’ AS A RPONSE. I DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL I WAS WH MY PEERS THAT MAYBE BEG THIS FABULO WASN’T REALLY WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.”I ASKED KRSLEY IF HE WAS BULLIED AT SCHOOL. “Y, BUT GOT PROGRSIVELY EASIER AS I GOT OLR.” HE PSED. “I LOVED WEARG CALV KLE JEANS, AND NANCY KALB WAS MY FASHN RIVAL SCHOOL. AND SHE WAS THE CHICT GIRL. SHE HAD CALV KLE JEANS AND I WAS LIKE, ‘OH NO, BCH. I’M GOG TO GET SOME AS WELL.’ SO I DID. BUT I REALLY GOT MA FUN OF FOR HOW I LOOKED.“IT’S ONE OF THE GREAT IRONI LIFE. WHEN I DID QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY, WAS AN EMPOWERG MOMENT WHERE GAY GUYS WERE TELLG STRAIGHT GUYS WAS OK TO RE ABOUT HOW THEY LOOKED AND GROOMED. IT WOULD HELP YOU GET THE GIRL OR THE JOB OR THE LOOK THAT MAYBE YOU ALWAYS WANTED.“I REMEMBER BEG A TEENAGER WALKG THROUGH THE MALL, AND WOULD BE LIKE (MEAN VOICE), ‘UGH, THERE’S THAT QUEER DU.’ AFTER QUEER EYE, WAS LIKE (WELG VOICE), ‘OH MY GOD, THERE’S THAT QUEER DU.’ IT’S AMAZG: THE POWER OF TV, PROGRS, AND TIME, AND HOPEFULLY WE ARE STILL MOVG THAT DIRECTN OF EQUALY AND ACCEPTANCE.”KRSLEY’S AMBNS GROWG UP WERE RIVED OM DRKG HOURS OF ’70S TELEVISN. HE WAS ON HIS OWN A LOT (HIS BROTHER AND SISTER WERE A LOT OLR THAN HIM), AND SO HIS FIRST AMBN HAD BEEN TO BE AN ARCHECT, “BEE OF [MIKE BRADY ] THE BRADY BUNCH,” AND A WDOW DRSER “BEE OF RHODA.” WHEN THE FAY BUILT THEIR HOE, THE YOUNG KRSLEY SKETCHED S FLOOR PLANS. “WHEN THE TEACHERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ME TO TAKE AWAY MY DOODLG, THEY’D SAY, ‘WA, A FRENCH NORMANDY CHATE… THIS IS REALLY GOOD!’”KRSLEY KNEW STRONGLY THAT “I DIDN’T WANT TO BE WHAT MY FAY DID.” HIS FATHER WAS A R ALER, HIS MOTHER A HOMEMAKER AND PART-TIME LOL POLICIAN. HE RELLED BEG DRAGGED TO TOWNSHIP MEETGS AND TO CTNS AS ACHGLY DULL.“ONE TIME, WE WERE BEG FOLLOWED BY A POLICE R WHILE CISG TO SEE WHAT THE OTHER R ALERS HAD FOR VENTORY, AND I WAS THE BACK GOG ‘HELP ME, HELP ME.’ WE WERE PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE, AND I THOUGHT I’D BE HUGE TROUBLE FOR PRETENDG TO BE KIDNAPPED. I ALWAYS LOVED DRAMA AND ATTENTN.”WHEN I FIRST ASKED HOW G OUT WAS FOR KRSLEY, HE SAID HE HAD BEEN 7 YEARS OLD AND SAT HIS PARENTS DOWN, TOLD THEM HE WAS GAY, HIS MOTHER BRISTLG AND HIS DAD SHAKG HIS HEAD. “LET’S SEE HOW SEND GRA GO,” HIS MOTHER ADVISED.“THAT WASN’T THE SE AT ALL,” KRSLEY ADD HURRIEDLY: HE WAS JOKG. “IN THAT ERA WASN’T A TIME WHERE I ULD E OUT. TODAY, TEENAGERS ARE G OUT AS LBIAN, GAY, BI, AND TRANS. IT’S AMAZG THAT PEOPLE ARE LIVG THEIR THENTIC LIFE SO EARLY.”HIS GRANDPARENTS, WHO LIVED NEXT DOOR, HAD A PONY FARM, AND THE YOUNG KRSLEY WOULD S THE ANIMALS’ FEEDG TROUGH AS THEY MUNCHED HAY AROUND HIM.“BEG NATURE, BEG WH ANIMALS, BEG ALONE BEME MY PE, AND THE PONI BEME MY NFIDANTS. IT SOUNDS LIKE AN AFTER-SCHOOL MOVIE, BUT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS A VERY GOOD HORSEPERSON AND A NATNALLY RANKED EQUTRIAN ATTENDG EVENTS, SO I SAW THE WORLD AT A YOUNG AGE.”HE KNEW HE WAS GAY “SCE I WAS LIKE 5 YEARS OLD. IN FIRST GRA, PEOPLE WOULD SAY, ‘DON’T YOU LOVE THE MILLN DOLLAR MAN, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘Y, VERY MUCH.’ I HAD A CSH ON LEE MAJORS.” (MANY YEARS LATER, KRSLEY’S IEND OPRAH WEY, ON WHOSE SHOW HE DID “MANY A MAKEOVER AND MAKE-UNR,” ASKED HIM ON AIR ABOUT THIS CSH, ONLY FOR THE MERA TO CUT TO MAJORS OFF-STAGE, HOLDG A RED ROSE, WHICH HE LIVERED TO KRSLEY.)FROM 5 TO 12, KRSLEY WOULD TCH GLIMPS OF 20/20 SPECIALS “ABOUT SEX CHANG AND GAY PEOPLE, WATCHG OM BEHD THE SOFA. I THOUGHT, ‘I’VE GOT TO FD OUT MORE ABOUT THIS. WHAT IS THIS AFFLICTN? WHAT DO I HAVE? HOW DO I GET RID OF ?’ I WOULD LERALLY TRY TO PRAY AWAY, AND TRY AND THK HOW I ULD HAVE A GIRLIEND AND BE ‘NORMAL.’ THEN I STARTED TO GET . I HAD CSH ON CERTA PEOPLE HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH CLASS, AND WISH WE WERE GOG TO THE FOOTBALL GAME. I NEVER ACTED ON .”HIS LIBERAL ARTS LLEGE HAD “A VERY ATERNY CULTURE, WASN’T A PLACE I FELT FORTABLE BEG WHO I REALLY WAS. I WAS NEVER A”—HE S IMPISHLY AND PUTS ON A MOCK-POSH ACCENT—“PRACTICG HOMOSEXUAL UNTIL AFTER I GOT OUT OF LLEGE AND ME TO NEW YORK AT 21.“I WENT THROUGH JUNR HIGH, HIGH SCHOOL, LLEGE, I DIDN’T E OUT TO MY FAY, BUT I ME OUT MYSELF WHEN I MOVED HERE 1991. THIS WAS THE PLAYGROUND WHERE I ULD FALLY BE WHO I WANTED TO BE, WHO I REALLY WAS, AND FD A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO BEME FAY AND A SUPPORT WORK.”***IN THE BIG CY, KRSLEY FOUND A MUCH-SIRED SENSE OF ANONYMY, AND “THE WHOLE WORLD AT YOUR FEET. I THOUGHT, ‘HERE I MIGHT ACTUALLY MEET A GUY, AND WILL BE OK TO BE BOYIENDS WH THEM.’ BEG OUT NEW YORK WAS SO EASY. I FELT LIKE I WAS STARTG A NEW LIFE, LERALLY THE WNS RELOTN PROGRAM. I FELT, ‘I’M 90 AWAY OM HOME. I N BE WHOEVER I WANT. YOU N DO THE SAME L.A., BUT NEW YORK YOU’D BETTER BE THENTIC ABOUT , ’E YOU’LL GET FOUND OUT. YOU N FAKE A B MORE L.A.”HE RELLED SNEAKG TO THE POPULAR CHELSEA CLUB SPLASH TO MEET HIS FIRST-EVER DATE, A GUY WHO WORKED AT EMPOR ARMANI WHO SOLD TI. “I BOUGHT A TIE FOR $125. I ULDN’T AFFORD , BUT HE WAS SO CUTE. SPLASH WAS SUCH A WONRLAND. GROWG UP, ON TV YOU’D SEE GAYS WHO WERE SUPER-FLAMBOYANT, BUT SEEG THE GUYS AT SPLASH REALLY OPENED UP A WHOLE WORLD OF POSSIBILY.“BUT THE WERE STILL THE DAYS OF PEOPLE DYG OF AIDS. IT WAS STILL REALLY SRY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WAS FALLY ABLE TO ACT ON MY SEXUALY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU THOUGHT, ‘I MIGHT GET THIS DISEASE, I MIGHT DIE.’” HE PSED. “ANOTHER LAYER OF SHAME AND FEAR, THAT FEELG OF ‘YOU’RE STILL NOT REALLY EE.’”KRSLEY HAD “ALWAYS BEEN REALLY AMB, BUT HADN’T HAD A LLG. I HAD A FANTASTIC TN BUT NO AREA OF EXPERTISE.” FOR TWO YEARS HE WORKED FOR A NONPROF, “UNTIL I REALIZED I WANTED TO BUY SOME SHO.”HE MA A LIST OF PLAC—CALV KLE, MGM, RALPH LREN AMONG THEM—WHOSE RPORATE CULTURE HE LIKED. ONE DAY AT THE GYM, ATTIRED RALPH LREN SWEATPANTS AND RRYG A TEDDY BEAR AND BASKETBALL, A FEMALE HEADHUNTER ASKED KRSLEY WHO HE WAS. KRSLEY SAID HE REPLIED, “I’M CARSON. I WANT TO WORK AT RALPH LREN.”TWO DAYS LATER KRSLEY, THEN 25, HAD AN TERVIEW LED UP THERE, AND WAS QUICKLY SCED BY THE MAHOGANY WALLS, PLAID RPETG, AND CHA BOWLS EMBOSSED WH POLO PONI AND FILLED WH M&MS. HE WAS HIRED TO BE AN ASSISTANT THE MEN’S SIGN PARTMENT, “SETTG UP APPOTMENTS, AND BUYG SANDWICH AND SHAMPOO. BUT I WAS DOG A TOWN CAR AND THOUGHT WAS GREAT.”OVER SEVEN YEARS KRSLEY WORKED HIS WAY UP THE ANIZATN, EVENTUALLY BEG TASKED TO SHEPHERD CLOTH TO TERNATNAL PHOTOSHOOTS “WH MOLS AND SIBERIAN HKI, AND WAS PHENOMENAL.”A -WORKER TOLD KRSLEY THAT BRAVO WAS STG FOR A SHOW.KRSLEY SAID HIS IAL RPONSE WAS: “WHAT’S BRAVO? A NONSTICK OKG SPRAY?”TOLD THE CHANNEL WAS LOOKG FOR A GAY MAN WHO HAPPENED TO BE A STYLE EXPERT, “I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT’S ME.’”HE AND OTHER TRYOUT PRENTERS WERE SHOWN A TAPE OF A STRAIGHT GUY “WHO WAS SO WELL-ENDOWED HE BLOW-DRIED HIS HAIR AT THE GYM NAKED SO PEOPLE ULD GET A GOOD LOOK AT . EVERYONE WAS VERY PC, SAYG WE ‘NEED TO BRIDGE STRAIGHT AND GAY WORLDS.’“WHEN THEY ME TO ME I SAID, ‘WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? HE’S HUNG LIKE A PONY. WHY NOT GET HIM SOME FLAT-ONT KHAKIS?’ AND THEY WERE LIKE, ‘OK, YOU’RE SASSY. THAT WAS MY FORAY TO TV. TWO YEARS LATER, WE HAD A PRIMETIME EMMY.”WH THE SHOW ABOUT TO AIR, KRSLEY, THEN 33, STILL HADN’T E OUT TO HIS PARENTS.“MY MOM AND DAD WERE LIKE, ‘YOU’RE QUTG YOUR JOB AT RALPH LREN TO DO WHAT?’ I’D SAY, ‘OH, ’S A TV SHOW. THEY HAVEN’T EVEN E UP WH A NAME YET.’ MY IENDS [AND HIS SISTER] WERE LIKE, ‘YOU HAVE TO TELL YOUR FAY YOU’RE GAY.’”THIS WAS GIVEN AN ADD URGENCY AS TV GUI WAS SET TO FEATURE QUEER EYE ON S VER.“I HAD ALL THE FEELGS YOU HAVE: ‘OH MY GOD, WILL THEY NOT LOVE ME? KICK ME OUT OF THE HOE? DISOWN ME? DISHER ME?’ ALL THOSE THGS. I WAED TILL THE DAY BEFORE TV GUI ME OUT. MOM PICKED ME UP OM THE TRA STATN HER MIVAN, AND I REMEMBER THKG, ‘OH GOOD, ’S RAG. SHE N’T EAK OUT TOO MUCH OR WE’LL REEN OFF THE ROAD AND DIE.’“SHE WAS LIKE, ‘OH OK, YEAH, I THK WE ALL KNEW THAT. NEXT YOU HAVE TO TELL YOUR FATHER.’ I WAS LIKE, ‘UH OH,’ AND I DID AND WAS TOTALLY FE. I HAD AGONIZED AND TORTURED MYSELF FOR SO LONG AND REALLY ULD HAVE BEEN AVOID. IT WASN’T A BIG AL.”***KRSLEY SAID HE WAS PLEASED THAT FAME HAD HAPPENED TO HIM “AT 33, RATHER THAN 23. IF HAD I WOULD HAVE GONE OFF THE EP END AND PULLED A LDSAY LOHAN AND BEEN A DISASTER. I HAD BEEN NEW YORK CY, KNEW HOW TO SAVE MONEY AND HANDLE THGS. I’D ALWAYS BEEN FAMO MY HEAD, I LOVED ENTERTAG PEOPLE.“WE HAD NO IA WOULD BE A SUCCS. WE WOULD JOKE THAT WE WOULD BE SUPER-FAMO. THEY TOLD WE WERE GOG TO MAKE EIGHT EPISOS, AND I WOULD GET $2,000 PER EPISO. I SAID, ‘THAT’S GREAT, BUT DO YOU HAVE NTAL SURANCE?’”KRSLEY’S BOSS AT RALPH LREN REASSURED HIM THEY’D TAKE HIM BACK IF QUEER EYE DIDN’T WORK OUT. HE SAID HE WASN’T ASKED TO RAMP UP THE MP FOR THE SMALL SCREEN, HE WAS JT WHO HE WAS.RELLG FONDLY SOME OF THE MEN THE TEAM HELPED, KRSLEY SAID, “SOME BRISTLED AT AT FIRST—‘I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THIS, HE’S GETTG UP MY GRILL’—BUT BY THE END, THEY WERE ALL LIKE, ‘OH MY GOD, WE LOOK LIKE TWS, I LOVE YOUR SHIRT.’”“THE DAY AFTER THE FIRST EPISO AIRED, WAS WATEROLER TALK,” KRSLEY RELLED. “IT WAS A HOT SHOW. IT WAS SUPER-FUN AND SUPER-VALIDATG, BEE ALL ALONG WE HAD BEEN ASHAMED OF WHO WE WERE OR CRICIZED FOR , AND NOW WE WERE BEG CELEBRATED. THAT WAS A PRETTY AMAZG WHIRLWD.“OTHER FAMO PEOPLE TOLD TO ENJOY THE RI,” HE SAID. “SO MUCH WAS GOG ON, WE ULDN’T ABSORB . ONE DAY WE WERE MAKG A MIC VIO, SHUTTG THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE DOWN AND BEG FILMED OM A HELIPTER. THEN WE WERE ON BARBARA WALTERS’S MOST INTERTG PEOPLE. THEN WE WERE ON A PLANE TO OPEN THAT YEAR’S HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN DNER LOS ANGEL. THEN WAS THE EMMYS. I WISH WE ULD HAVE SPREAD OUT A B, SO WE ULD HAVE SAVORED ALL THOSE MOMENTS.”SOME OBJECTED TO THE SHOW, CLAIMG THAT PERPETUATED STEREOTYP.“I WAS BEG MY LOUD, SASSY, OUTSPOKEN SELF, WEARG THE KD OF LOUD OUTFS I LIKED TO WEAR,” SAID KRSLEY. “I FELT LIKE THE HARST CRICISM ME OM OTHER GAY PEOPLE, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘REALLY, YOU’RE NOT GOG TO HELP A BROTHER OUT HERE?’ PEOPLE SAID THE SHOW EMBRACED STEREOTYP, THAT WE WERE NOT ALL STYLISTS AND HAIRDRSERS. I’M LIKE: ‘YEAH, BUT WE ARE SOME OF THE BT ON.’“SOMETIM A STEREOTYPE IS WELL-EARNED BEE YOU’RE REALLY GREAT AT . GAY PEOPLE TEND TO BE DREAMERS, AND BEE YOU GROW UP FEELG LIKE AN ODDBALL, OUT OF THE LOOP OR THAT YOU DON’T BELONG YOU LIVE YOUR OWN WORLD, YOU NJURE UP FANTASI THAT LATER MAKE YOU GOOD AT CREATIVE JOBS LIKE BEG AN TERR SIGNER OR FASHN STYLIST.“AT QUEER EYE WE TOOK THE POSN THAT WE WERE GOOD AT WHAT WE DO AND IF THAT MEANT WE WERE ACCED OF BEG STEREOTYPIL, SO BE . I WAS LIKE, ‘LISTEN, I’M NOT GOG TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT ME TO LIVE, OR PORTRAY THE GAY PERSON YOU WANT TO HAVE. IF YOU’RE A BUTCH, STRAIGHT-ACTG GAY GUY, GREAT, SO BE . THE ONLY PERSON I AM REPRENTG ON TELEVISN IS MYSELF, AND THAT IS WHO I AM.”HE HIMSELF WISH THERE WERE DIFFERENT KDS OF GAY PEOPLE NSISTENTLY PRENTED ON TV, AND QUEER EYE’S SUCCS DOVETAILED WH SHOWS LIKE WILL AND GRACE, AND AN CREASG WAVE OF LGBT REPRENTATN.“I THK WE WEREN’T TRYG TO ADVANCE THE E, WE WERE TRYG TO DO MAKEOVERS,” SAID KRSLEY. “IN A SUBVERSIVE WAY WE WERE TRODUCG GAY PEOPLE TO PEOPLE ACROSS AMERI. SOMEBODY WHO DIDN’T KNOW SOMEONE WHO WAS GAY ULD SAY, ‘OH, I KNOW THE FAB FIVE AND THEY SEEM NICE AND OL AND GOOD AT THEIR JOBS.”ON THE SCENE, AND ON APPS, THERE IS STILL RISN OR REJECTN LEVELED AT EFFEMATE GAY MEN. HAS KRSLEY EVER EXPERIENCED THAT?“Y, I HAVE. IN 1991, WHEN I MOVED HERE, THERE WAS STILL SUCH PANIC AND ANXIETY ABOUT HIV AND AIDS. IF YOU LOOKED MCULAR AND REALLY BUILT YOU WERE HEALTHY. PEOPLE HAD STARTED TAKG STEROIDS. THAT WAS THE IAL, THE BIG, SMOOTH, GEO NORDIC GOD, AND I WASN’T THAT. I WOULD GO TO ALL THE PLAC WHERE THOSE PEOPLE WERE—FIRE ISLAND, PROVCETOWN—AND GET NO ROMANTIC TERT.“SOMETIM, WHEN YOU’RE AN OUTSIR—AND I HAD ORIGALLY FOUND THIS OUT AT JUNR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL— ORR TO BE ACCEPTED OR MATA YOUR SAFETY, YOU TAKE ON THE URT JTER ROLE AND ENTERTA THE MASS. IF 12TH-GRARS WERE TRYG TO BEAT ME UP, AS A NTH-GRAR I’D DO SOMETHG TO ENTERTA THEM. I’D FALL OFF THE CHAIR, MAKE THEM LGH, BE THE CLASS CLOWN. IT HELPED ME VELOP GREAT TIMG.”FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS, AND KRSLEY RELLED OF THE EARLY ’90S GAY SCENE, “I WASN’T THE MCULAR IAL. I WAS THE SCRAWNY, FEME, LOUDMOUTHED, SASSY KID. SO I VELOPED A SENSE OF HUMOR AND ENTERTAED THOSE PEOPLE. I WAS THE NERDY CLASS CLOWN OF THE GROUP. NOW ’S DISSIPATED A B. WE HAVE A LOT MORE VARIETY WHAT MAK UP THE GAY MUNY. BUT AT THAT POT I FELT LIKE AN OUTSIR.”CERTALY, BEG FAMO AND BEG ON TV HELPED BREAK THE ICE WH GUYS, HE SAID. IT WAS LIKE, ‘OH NOW WE’RE IENDS! MY OWN ANTHROPOLOGIL OBSERVATN IS THAT THIS [GAY ANTI-EFFEMACY ATTU] IS ABOUT ‘PASSG.’ SOME GAY MEN SCRIBE THEMSELV AS ‘STRAIGHT ACTG.’ I’M LIKE, ‘LISTEN, YOU’RE HAVG SEX WH ANOTHER MAN, THERE’S NOTHG STRAIGHT ABOUT .’ THIS NEED TO PASS IS, I THK, A RULT OF HOMOPHOBIA. IF ‘BEG GAY’—FLAMBOYANT, LOUD, STEREOTYPIL—IS SEEN AS BAD, THOSE ‘PASSG’ THK, ‘I’LL DO THE OPPOSE AND BE OK.’”YOU DIDN’T, I SAID.“NO, I’M LAZY,” KRSLEY ADPANNED. “ALSO, I JT KNEW THAT WASN’T ME, AND SEEMED A LTLE DULENT. I’VE NTUED TO BE MY SASSY SELF AND FOUND A VEHICLE FOR THAT.”IT HAS BEEN 13 YEARS SCE QUEER EYE BEGAN, KRSLEY NOTED. “PLAC LIKE ATRALIA STILL DON’T HAVE MARRIAGE EQUALY. A LOT OF WORK STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE GLOBALLY. THERE’S THE ISSUE OF HOMELS LGBT YOUTH, AND WE STILL HAVE TRANSPHOBIA. WE HAVE PROGRS, BUT NEEDS TO MOVE FASTER.”KRSLEY WILL BE VOTG FOR HILLARY CLTON THE UPG ELECTN. “IT SEEMS LIKE A DANGERO TIME: SOMEHOW RACISM AND BIGOTRY HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AND SOME WAYS CELEBRATED, AND THAT SEEMS SO WRONG AND BACKWARDS.”HE HAS MET DONALD TMP SEVERAL TIM. “HE’S ALWAYS BEEN VERY CHARMG WH ME, AND I’VE BEEN VERY SASSY WH HIM. FOR ME PERSONALLY, THOUGH, HE’S NOT THE NDIDATE THAT REPRENTS THE AMERI I THK WE LIVE .”KNOWG WHAT HE KNOWS OF HIM, DO KRSLEY THK TMP PERSONALLY IS HOMOPHOBIC? “I DON’T THK SO, BUT SOMETIM HIS SUPPORTERS N BE.”***WH FAME ME FAMO PALS. KRSLEY MET CHER AT A MOVIE PREMIERE. SHE FELL LOVE WH A SPULAR NECKLACE HE WAS WEARG. HE TRIED TO PUT ON HER AND WAS TERPTED THE NIMBLE-FIGURED ACT BY AN ALARMED ASSISTANT, WHO SHOUTED, “WHAT ARE YOU DOG TO CHER?”A FEW DAYS LATER HIS CELL RANG WH AN UNKNOWN NUMBER. “HELLO, CARSON, ’S CHER. I’M WEARG THOSE MEDALLNS. I WENT HIKG AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVED .”HE WAS EVEN KISSED, “RIGHT HERE,” HE SAID POTG AT HIS CHEEK, BY HIS CSH TOM FORD, ALTHOUGH AT ANOTHER MOMENT, SUFFERG A TERRIBLE S FECTN AND LOOKG MSY, POST-TREATMENT BY HIS DOCTOR, HE HEARD FORD LL HIS NAME AS HE WAS ADMIRG A PAIR OF FORD-LABEL SHO STG $4,000.“OH MY GOD, PLEASE DON’T LET THAT BE TOM FORD,” KRSLEY THOUGHT. “THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I WILL EVER SAY THAT.”“HI, CARSON,” SAID FORD. “I LIKE YOUR BEARD.”CONVCED HE LOOKED TERRIBLE ONT OF HIS IDOL, KRSLEY FLED THE STORE PRONTO. “AND HE IS HAPPILY BETROTHED,” KRSLEY SAID.KRSLEY HIMSELF IS SGLE, HAVG LEFT A LONG-TERM RELATNSHIP TWO YEARS AGO.“I’M MORE OF A ROMANTIC. I STILL DREAM OF THE WHE PICKET FENCE, GOLN RETRIEVER, AND HBAND WH A VOLVO.” HE PSED. “I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GOLN RETRIEVER, LET ALONE A HBAND WH A VOLVO, BUT I HAVE HAD LOTS OF DAT AND WOULDN’T TRA ANYTHG LOOKG BACK, BEE ’S BEEN A FANTASTIC JOURNEY.”HE NOTED HE WAS ALWAYS THKG “I KNOW THE PERFECT GUY FOR YOU” FOR SGLE IENDS. “WHY N’T I FD THE PERFECT GUY FOR ME?”HE WAS, HE SAID, “VERY REER-FOCED, WHICH IS GOOD AND BAD.” HE TRAVELS A LOT, PARTICULARLY TO LOS ANGEL FOR WORK. “MAYBE THIS IS MY OWN AVOIDANCE OF BEG GROWN-UP AND SETTLED DOWN. I REALLY DO LIKE BEG SGLE SOMETIM.”FAME, OF URSE, HAS BROUGHT OPPORTUNI TO MEET PEOPLE “AND GETTG A BETTER TABLE RTRANTS. I THK I’M A GOOD JUDGE OF CHARACTER. I N SEE IF PEOPLE ARE GENUE, SO WHEN THEY ASK FOR MY CRED RD NUMBER, I SAY, ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT. I JT MET YOU.’”AFTER QUEER EYE END, AFTER FIVE SEASONS AND 100 EPISOS, KRSLEY WORKED ENERGETILLY TO MATA HIS FAME. HE HAS APPEARED ON DANCG WH THE STARS, RU PL’S DRAG RACE, AND CELEBRY FAY FD. “IT’S A NSTANT HTLE. WHEN EVERYONE WANTS YOU TO DO A SHOW IS THE TIME WHEN YOUR SHOW SELF IS HOT. BUT I DID ANOTHER TV SHOW, HOW TO LOOK GOOD NAKED, AND FASHN LLECTNS, AND OTHER TV SHOWS AND FILMS. LOOK AT MY IMDB: I’VE BEEN BY.”KRSLEY WOULD LIKE TO HOST A MORNG SHOW, CENTERED AROUND LIVG WELL, HEALTH, BETY, FASHN, AND HOME DéR, AND WRE A MEN’S BOOK FOR LENNIAL MAL NFED ABOUT HOW TO DRS.PEOPLE ASK HIM IF QUEER EYE WILL EVER E BACK, “BUT THAT CENTRAL TENSN BETWEEN A STRAIGHT MAN ALLOWG A BUNCH OF GAY MEN TO E TO HIS BEDROOM HAS DISSIPATED, AND THAT’S A GREAT THG.”KRSLEY IS SUCH A ZIPPY PRENCE I ASK IF HE EVER GETS DOWN. “I’M A SRP, SO EVEN IF I’M ‘RAH-RAH LOOK AT ME,’ I LOVE TO BE ON MY OWN. I FELY NEED TO RECHARGE MY BATTERI. IF I’M ON VATN WH A GROUP, I NEED TIME TO LOCK MYSELF MY ROOM TO READ BOOKS AND BE A SPSTER: MY EY DICKSON MOMENTS. I KNOW HOW SER REAL PRSN IS AND I HAVEN’T HAD THAT.”HIS PERDS OF ANXIETY, HE SAID, HAVE BEEN CENTERED ON WORRYG ABOUT THE ACCEPTANCE OF FAY AND IENDS TO HIS G OUT, AND FEELG, HIS 20S, THAT HE WASN’T DOG AS WELL AS HIS DOCTOR AND LAWYER BUDDI.***HE SAID HE FELT AT EASE ABOUT AGG; HE ED TO RECEIVE HIS TWICE-A-YEAR BOTOX AND FILLERS TREATMENTS OM THE FAMO—AND MUCH-SATIRIZED—DR. FREDRIC BRANDT, WHO MTED SUICI LAST YEAR. “HE WAS THE GREATT GUY THE WORLD. I DON’T KNOW WHY HE DID ,” SAID KRSLEY.HIS NEW BOTOX AND FILLERS DOCTOR L.A. JECTED HIM JT BEFORE KRSLEY STARTED FILMG CELEBRY APPRENTICE, WHICH WILL BUT ON JAN. 2, PRENTED BY ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER.“I MA THE MISTAKE OF SAYG, ‘DO WHATEVER YOU THK I NEED.’ THREE NEEDL LATER I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT.’ LERALLY I DON’T THK MY EY CLOSED THAT FIRST WEEK. IN THE OPENG SCEN OF APPRENTICE, THEY ASKED ME TO RAISE AN EYEBROW. I WAS LIKE, ‘I N’T. I THK I SAID TO THE MERA MORE THAN ONCE: ‘MY FACE DON’T MOVE. DEAL WH .’”HE HAS BOTOX BEE HE HAS A “STRONG FURROW” BETWEEN HIS EY “AND A GIGANTIC FOREHEAD. ADD WRKL AND LOOKS LIKE A HLY PLOUGHED FIELD. I DON’T MD AGG, THOUGH. BUT YOU BANG YOUR ELBOW AND HURTS FOR THREE DAYS. THGS LGER FOREVER. YOU JT DON’T REGENERATE LIKE YOU ED TO. YOU N’T STAY OUT LATE, YOU N’T DRK TOO MUCH. AFTER A HANER, YOU’RE ‘CRISPY,’ AS I PUT , FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS.”KRSLEY ALSO HAD PLASTIC SURGERY, A NOSE JOB, AFTER FISHG FILMG QUEER EYE. HIS OLD NOSE “HOOKED DOWN,” AND HE FELT SELF-NSC ABOUT BEG FILMED OM THE SI. “IT WAS A LTLE, TY PROCRE BUT MA ME FEEL BETTER. I LOVE EVERY DAY, ALTHOUGH I STILL N’T FEEL THE TIP OF .” AS FOR HAVG ANYTHG ELSE DONE, HE SAID, “GUYS WH FACE-LIFTS HAVE TO BE REFUL. YOUR EY N LOOK A LTLE SMALL AND BEADY. SO NO, I THK I’M PRETTY GOOD FOR NOW.”HIS LHE BODY IS DOWN TO HIS MOTHER’S GEN, RATHER THAN THE GYM, KRSLEY CLAIMED. “IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO MEET HOT GUYS, BUT THAT’S THE ONLY THG THAT GETS ME THERE.” HE DON’T SPY THE BIG 5-0 ON THE HORIZON WH THE SAME WORRY HE HAD ABOUT TURNG 30 AND FEELG AS IF HIS PROFSNAL LIFE HADN’T REALLY BEGUN. “FORTY WAS TOTALLY FE, AND I THK 50 MIGHT BE OK. I LIKE THKG ABOUT BEG OLD, AND HAVG A DOG [HE KEEPS ONE AT HIS PENNSYLVANIA FARM, HE SAID], HBAND, AND ADOPTED GRANDCHILDREN.”WHERE WILL HE FD THIS GUY? “MAYBE ON SCFF,” KRSLEY LGHED, REFERRG TO THE GAY APP. AS HIS CSH ON TOM FORD, LEE MAJORS, AND BURT REYNOLDS TTIFY TO, “I LIKE MEN’S MEN. I’M A BIG ‘OPPOS ATTRACT’ PERSON. WHEN YOU SEE GUYS WHO LOOK LIKE EACH OTHER, N SEEM NARCISSISTIC. I WANT THE OPPOSE OF ME, LIKE A FOOTBALL PLAYER OR FARMER.”HE HAS ALREADY HAD EXPERIENCE OF THE FORMER, WHEN HE DATED ATLANTA FALNS PLAYER ESERA TUAOLO. “HE WAS HOT. HE LOOKS LIKE A BIG JOCK, BUT HE WAS VERY SENSIVE AND A SGER. HE WAS A REAL FAY GUY AND SUPER SWEET.”AMERIN SPORTS IS “JT SO MACHO,” KRSLEY SAID, MULLG WHY MORE ATHLET HAVEN’T E OUT. “UNFORTUNATELY PEOPLE STILL EQUATE BEG GAY WH BEG WEAK, OR PRISSY OR FEME—WHICH IS SELF MISOGYNISTIC.“IN THAT WORLD YOU WANT TO BE PERCEIVED AS TOUGH AND STRONG, AND NOT WEAK ANY WAY. THAT’S WHY THERE’S STILL HOMOPHOBIA THOSE RANKS. EVENTUALLY WILL BREAK DOWN. EVERY GENERATN BE MORE OPEN-MD AND OLER. MY 19-YEAR-OLD NIECE IS ‘WHATEVS’ ABOUT THE WHOLE GAY THG.”AFTER A LONG-TERM RELATNSHIP BROKE DOWN TWO YEARS AGO, KRSLEY DID NOTHG ROMANTILLY FOR A YEAR, FEELG AS IF HE WAS “OVER .” BUT RECENTLY HE HAS SEEN “THE POSSIBILI AGA,” AND HAS STARTED DATG. “I THK GETS HARR AND HARR, AND I THK I GET PICKIER AND PICKER. WHEN YOU DATE DIFFERENT TYP OF PEOPLE YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU DON’T WANT. YOU’RE LS TOLERANT OF THGS THAT DON’T MAKE YOU HAPPY. THEY HAVE TO LIKE THE THGS YOU LIKE: FLEA MARKETS, SHOPPG, TRAVEL, HORS, WEEKENDS THE UNTRY. IF HE ME WH A BASKET OF PUPPI, I’D BE LIKE, ‘Y, SIGN ME UP.’ A SENSE OF HUMOR, GREAT SE, AND ‘CUTE’ DON’T HURT, ALTHOUGH ’S LS ABOUT PACKAGG AND MORE ABOUT HEART AT THIS POT.”IS KRSLEY EVER BADLY DRSED? HE ADMS TO SOMETIM WEARG CUT-OFF SWEATPANTS, A T-SHIRT WH A FFEE STA, AND BASEBALL P L.A.WHEN I ASKED NERVOLY ABOUT WHAT MAKEOVER KRSLEY WOULD EXECUTE FOR ME, HE OBSERVED MY SHO (RED BROGU) AND SHIRT (RED AND BLACK CHECK), AND RED-STRIPED SOCKS, WHICH ALL GOT A THUMBS-UP.HOWEVER, THE PREVAILG RED ULD HAVE DONE WH BEG BROKEN UP WH A KELLY GREEN SOCK, THE SHIRT ULD BE “BRIGHT SAND,” AND I WOULD HAVE ALSO BENEFED OM “A NEEDLEPOT BELT OM SMATHERS & BRANSON.” KRSLEY WAS VERY DIPLOMATIC ABOUT MY MSY HAIR. “YOU HAVE GREAT HAIR AND GOOD LOR,” HE SAID, OBSERVG ME REFULLY. “IT JT NEEDS SOME SHAPE: I’D SUPER-GROOM THE SIS AND ADD TEXTURE ON TOP.”DID I NEED BOTOX? “I DON’T THK YOU’RE THERE YET,” KRSLEY SAID. THEN HE PSED. “ACTUALLY, YOU ULD GET A DROP HERE ON THE SIS AND ON THE TOP, SO YOU DON’T GET WRKL.” HE SAW OR AT LEAST SENSED MY FLEETG ALARM AND ADD GENTLY, “IT’S PREVENTATIVE.”DO THIS BOOK MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG? IS PUBLISHED BY ST MART’S PRS, $25.99 TIM TEEMAN
JAGUARS ASSOCIATE STRENGTH ACH OUT AS GAY A FIRST FOR US-BASED PRO LEAGU

‘PUMPG’ IS DANGERO NEW FAD AMONG GAY MEN

But the trend — ed “pumpg” — has ntued to be a e of ncern as mak s way to a group lled “jectors, ” which is a subgroup of “gaers, ” gay men who want to appear larger. And now, the gay muny is llg for more visibily on the practice now that two ter-famo gaers wh the last year — cludg Dovak — are ad.

Compared to straight men, gay men are more prone to foc heavily on their weight and appearance.

Gay men are also more prone to eatg disorrs and other body dysmorphia ndns that rult poor self image. But until the gaer muny beme more popular wh the troductn of a niche hook up app dited to them, “Grommr, ” larger gay men had few plac to fd satisfactn or admirers of their bigger appearance.

TIM TEEMANSENR EDOR AND WRERUPDATED APR. 13, 2017 2:36PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 13, 2016 1:10AM EDT RX BEFORE THE BRACG TORRENT OF ANECDOT AND STORI ISSU FORTH—OM AN EARLY LOVE OF PAISLEY TO GETTG BULLIED TO MEETG CHER; OM G OUT TO HEADY FAME TO BOTOX AND PLASTIC SURGERY; ALL OF THIS LIVERED LIGHTNG-FAST AND FILLED WH GOSSIPY CHARM AND WTY ONE-LERS—CARSON KRSLEY OBSERVED SOME MTS AND A BOTTLE OF STILL WATER ONT OF HIM.“LIFE SAVERS AND WATER! I’LL HAVE H BREATH AND BE HYDRATED,” HE SAID BRIGHTLY.KRSLEY, MOST FAMO AS THE MOST FLAMBOYANT AND “SASSY”—AS HE LLS —MEMBER OF QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY’S “FAB FIVE,” IS STG THE NTH-FLOOR NTEEN OF IAC, THE PANY THAT OWNS THE DAILY BEAST, THE HUDSON RIVER SPARKLG THE SUN BELOW TO ONE SI, AND THE SKYSCRAPERS OF MIDTOWN MANHATTAN LOOMG OUT OF OTHER WDOWS.KRSLEY’S NEW, BREEZY ADVICE BOOK, DO THIS BOOK MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG?, SAT ON THE TABLE BETWEEN , A STYLE GUI FOR “THE NORMAL AMERIN WOMAN,” WH HIS MP, CHATTY ADVICE DISTILLED DOWN TO HANDY LISTS AND PUNCHY SLIC OF TEXT SUCH AS “WHAT MATCH MY MARGARA?” AND “WHY BUY WHEN YOU CAN RENT?” (CLOTH), HOW TO CLEAR OUT YOUR CLOSET, AND OTHER “QUICK FIX TO MAKE WOMEN FEEL FABULO.” THE 47-YEAR-OLD KRSLEY WROTE THE BOOK AFTER BEG APPROACHED AIRPORTS BY WOMEN ASKG HIS UNSEL ABOUT WHAT THEY SHOULD DO ABOUT THEIR OWN STYLE CRIS. HE DON’T OFFER “HIGHFALUT’” OR EXPENSIVE SOLUTNS, BUT REASSURGLY EVERYDAY, MANAGEABLE ON.“IT DON’T TAKE A LOT TO FEEL BETTER ABOUT YOURSELF AND THE WAY YOU PRENT YOURSELF TO THE WORLD,” HE SAID. PERDIC “NFSNS” ON THE PAG CLU THE TIM HE DID TOO MUCH BOTOX, OR ED FLUORCENT EYE CREAM.HIS SK DO LOOK VERY SMOOTH OM THE BOTOX AND FILLER JECTNS HE SAYS HE HAS TWICE A YEAR—TO LOOK “H FOR SUMMER AND CHRISTMAS”—AND, AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT OM A STYLE ADVICE GIVER, HE IS WEARG A GEO, SLIM-FTED MIDNIGHT BLUE SU BY MOODS OF NORWAY, SKY-BLUE VCE CAMUTO SHIRT, AND SOCKLS, IS SPORTG GOLN-LORED JIMMY CHOO LOAFERS. THE ARE A SIZE 9 AND HE A SIZE 10, “BUT I HAD TO HAVE THEM, AND SO I PUT MY FEET THEM, THEY WERE TOO SMALL, BUT THEY STRETCHED, AND NOW THEY F PERFECTLY.”OBSERVG THE NEW YORK PANORAMA AROUND , HE NOTED THAT LIVG MIDTOWN EAST WAS “SUPER-BORG AND LAME,” BUT THAT THE AREA WAS NEWLY POSSSN OF AN OUTPOST OF THE GANSEVOORT HOTEL. “IF MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS OL, NEW YORK CY IS FELY UPGRADG,” HE SAID.HE POTED OUT A PICTURE OF HIMSELF THE BOOK, AS A LTLE BOY WEARG A FLORAL PK SILK SHIRT AND RDUROY VT AND MATCHG PANTS. A PICTURE PTN NOT HE IS WEARG SILK PAISLEY “UNROOS” TOO.“THAT WAS SCHOOL PICTURE DAY SEND GRA. THERE I AM, A ’70S RECIPE FOR ‘FABULOSY’ OR DISASTER, HOWEVER YOU WANT TO LOOK AT . I EVEN PATED MY NAILS THAT DAY, I THK A MAGENTA LOR. I JT THOUGHT YOU SHOULD ALWAYS GET DRSED FOR AN OCSN.“IT OM HAVG A STYLISH MOTHER. MY MOM WASN’T SOME PARIS FASHN MOL. SHE WAS A LOL BETY QUEEN OM PENNSYLVANIA. SHE WAS MISS MILK MAID, 1955, OR SOMETHG. THAT SOUNDS LIKE A LE OM A MIL OR HEDWIG. TOM FORD, WHO I HAVE A HUGE CSH ON, ALSO HAD A STYLISH MOTHER. A LOT OF STYLISH PEOPLE DO.”HIS PARENTS WERE “NOT NOT FE” ABOUT THEIR SON’S LOVE OF SARTORIAL EXPERIMENTATN. “IT WAS NEVER LIKE, ‘TAKE THAT NAIL POLISH OFF, YOU’RE GOG TO GET A SPANKG.’ I JT DID WHAT I DID AND NOBODY SEEMED TO RE.”HE WAS PARTICULARLY CLOSE TO HIS MATERNAL GRANDMOTHER, WHOSE SIX GRANDCHILDREN RANGED WILDLY AGE OM 70 TO HIM. “SHE HAD ALL THE WEIRD LEFTOVER DOLLHO AND BARBIE DREAMHO. I WAS LIKE, ‘GRANDMA, N I PLEASE GET A TEA SET TO PLAY WH THE DOLLS.’“I LIVED MY OWN WORLD THEIR LIVG ROOM. I DIDN’T KNOW WAS WEIRD UNTIL I WENT TO SCHOOL, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘TOMMY, DO YOU WASN’T TO E OVER AND PLAY WH MY TEA SET?’ AND I’D GET, ‘DO YOU WANT A BLOODY NOSE?’ AS A RPONSE. I DIDN’T KNOW UNTIL I WAS WH MY PEERS THAT MAYBE BEG THIS FABULO WASN’T REALLY WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE.”I ASKED KRSLEY IF HE WAS BULLIED AT SCHOOL. “Y, BUT GOT PROGRSIVELY EASIER AS I GOT OLR.” HE PSED. “I LOVED WEARG CALV KLE JEANS, AND NANCY KALB WAS MY FASHN RIVAL SCHOOL. AND SHE WAS THE CHICT GIRL. SHE HAD CALV KLE JEANS AND I WAS LIKE, ‘OH NO, BCH. I’M GOG TO GET SOME AS WELL.’ SO I DID. BUT I REALLY GOT MA FUN OF FOR HOW I LOOKED.“IT’S ONE OF THE GREAT IRONI LIFE. WHEN I DID QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT GUY, WAS AN EMPOWERG MOMENT WHERE GAY GUYS WERE TELLG STRAIGHT GUYS WAS OK TO RE ABOUT HOW THEY LOOKED AND GROOMED. IT WOULD HELP YOU GET THE GIRL OR THE JOB OR THE LOOK THAT MAYBE YOU ALWAYS WANTED.“I REMEMBER BEG A TEENAGER WALKG THROUGH THE MALL, AND WOULD BE LIKE (MEAN VOICE), ‘UGH, THERE’S THAT QUEER DU.’ AFTER QUEER EYE, WAS LIKE (WELG VOICE), ‘OH MY GOD, THERE’S THAT QUEER DU.’ IT’S AMAZG: THE POWER OF TV, PROGRS, AND TIME, AND HOPEFULLY WE ARE STILL MOVG THAT DIRECTN OF EQUALY AND ACCEPTANCE.”KRSLEY’S AMBNS GROWG UP WERE RIVED OM DRKG HOURS OF ’70S TELEVISN. HE WAS ON HIS OWN A LOT (HIS BROTHER AND SISTER WERE A LOT OLR THAN HIM), AND SO HIS FIRST AMBN HAD BEEN TO BE AN ARCHECT, “BEE OF [MIKE BRADY ] THE BRADY BUNCH,” AND A WDOW DRSER “BEE OF RHODA.” WHEN THE FAY BUILT THEIR HOE, THE YOUNG KRSLEY SKETCHED S FLOOR PLANS. “WHEN THE TEACHERS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ME TO TAKE AWAY MY DOODLG, THEY’D SAY, ‘WA, A FRENCH NORMANDY CHATE… THIS IS REALLY GOOD!’”KRSLEY KNEW STRONGLY THAT “I DIDN’T WANT TO BE WHAT MY FAY DID.” HIS FATHER WAS A R ALER, HIS MOTHER A HOMEMAKER AND PART-TIME LOL POLICIAN. HE RELLED BEG DRAGGED TO TOWNSHIP MEETGS AND TO CTNS AS ACHGLY DULL.“ONE TIME, WE WERE BEG FOLLOWED BY A POLICE R WHILE CISG TO SEE WHAT THE OTHER R ALERS HAD FOR VENTORY, AND I WAS THE BACK GOG ‘HELP ME, HELP ME.’ WE WERE PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE, AND I THOUGHT I’D BE HUGE TROUBLE FOR PRETENDG TO BE KIDNAPPED. I ALWAYS LOVED DRAMA AND ATTENTN.”WHEN I FIRST ASKED HOW G OUT WAS FOR KRSLEY, HE SAID HE HAD BEEN 7 YEARS OLD AND SAT HIS PARENTS DOWN, TOLD THEM HE WAS GAY, HIS MOTHER BRISTLG AND HIS DAD SHAKG HIS HEAD. “LET’S SEE HOW SEND GRA GO,” HIS MOTHER ADVISED.“THAT WASN’T THE SE AT ALL,” KRSLEY ADD HURRIEDLY: HE WAS JOKG. “IN THAT ERA WASN’T A TIME WHERE I ULD E OUT. TODAY, TEENAGERS ARE G OUT AS LBIAN, GAY, BI, AND TRANS. IT’S AMAZG THAT PEOPLE ARE LIVG THEIR THENTIC LIFE SO EARLY.”HIS GRANDPARENTS, WHO LIVED NEXT DOOR, HAD A PONY FARM, AND THE YOUNG KRSLEY WOULD S THE ANIMALS’ FEEDG TROUGH AS THEY MUNCHED HAY AROUND HIM.“BEG NATURE, BEG WH ANIMALS, BEG ALONE BEME MY PE, AND THE PONI BEME MY NFIDANTS. IT SOUNDS LIKE AN AFTER-SCHOOL MOVIE, BUT THAT’S WHAT HAPPENED. I WAS A VERY GOOD HORSEPERSON AND A NATNALLY RANKED EQUTRIAN ATTENDG EVENTS, SO I SAW THE WORLD AT A YOUNG AGE.”HE KNEW HE WAS GAY “SCE I WAS LIKE 5 YEARS OLD. IN FIRST GRA, PEOPLE WOULD SAY, ‘DON’T YOU LOVE THE MILLN DOLLAR MAN, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘Y, VERY MUCH.’ I HAD A CSH ON LEE MAJORS.” (MANY YEARS LATER, KRSLEY’S IEND OPRAH WEY, ON WHOSE SHOW HE DID “MANY A MAKEOVER AND MAKE-UNR,” ASKED HIM ON AIR ABOUT THIS CSH, ONLY FOR THE MERA TO CUT TO MAJORS OFF-STAGE, HOLDG A RED ROSE, WHICH HE LIVERED TO KRSLEY.)FROM 5 TO 12, KRSLEY WOULD TCH GLIMPS OF 20/20 SPECIALS “ABOUT SEX CHANG AND GAY PEOPLE, WATCHG OM BEHD THE SOFA. I THOUGHT, ‘I’VE GOT TO FD OUT MORE ABOUT THIS. WHAT IS THIS AFFLICTN? WHAT DO I HAVE? HOW DO I GET RID OF ?’ I WOULD LERALLY TRY TO PRAY AWAY, AND TRY AND THK HOW I ULD HAVE A GIRLIEND AND BE ‘NORMAL.’ THEN I STARTED TO GET . I HAD CSH ON CERTA PEOPLE HIGH SCHOOL ENGLISH CLASS, AND WISH WE WERE GOG TO THE FOOTBALL GAME. I NEVER ACTED ON .”HIS LIBERAL ARTS LLEGE HAD “A VERY ATERNY CULTURE, WASN’T A PLACE I FELT FORTABLE BEG WHO I REALLY WAS. I WAS NEVER A”—HE S IMPISHLY AND PUTS ON A MOCK-POSH ACCENT—“PRACTICG HOMOSEXUAL UNTIL AFTER I GOT OUT OF LLEGE AND ME TO NEW YORK AT 21.“I WENT THROUGH JUNR HIGH, HIGH SCHOOL, LLEGE, I DIDN’T E OUT TO MY FAY, BUT I ME OUT MYSELF WHEN I MOVED HERE 1991. THIS WAS THE PLAYGROUND WHERE I ULD FALLY BE WHO I WANTED TO BE, WHO I REALLY WAS, AND FD A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO BEME FAY AND A SUPPORT WORK.”IN THE BIG CY, KRSLEY FOUND A MUCH-SIRED SENSE OF ANONYMY, AND “THE WHOLE WORLD AT YOUR FEET. I THOUGHT, ‘HERE I MIGHT ACTUALLY MEET A GUY, AND WILL BE OK TO BE BOYIENDS WH THEM.’ BEG OUT NEW YORK WAS SO EASY. I FELT LIKE I WAS STARTG A NEW LIFE, LERALLY THE WNS RELOTN PROGRAM. I FELT, ‘I’M 90 AWAY OM HOME. I N BE WHOEVER I WANT. YOU N DO THE SAME L.A., BUT NEW YORK YOU’D BETTER BE THENTIC ABOUT , ’E YOU’LL GET FOUND OUT. YOU N FAKE A B MORE L.A.”HE RELLED SNEAKG TO THE POPULAR CHELSEA CLUB SPLASH TO MEET HIS FIRST-EVER DATE, A GUY WHO WORKED AT EMPOR ARMANI WHO SOLD TI. “I BOUGHT A TIE FOR $125. I ULDN’T AFFORD , BUT HE WAS SO CUTE. SPLASH WAS SUCH A WONRLAND. GROWG UP, ON TV YOU’D SEE GAYS WHO WERE SUPER-FLAMBOYANT, BUT SEEG THE GUYS AT SPLASH REALLY OPENED UP A WHOLE WORLD OF POSSIBILY.“BUT THE WERE STILL THE DAYS OF PEOPLE DYG OF AIDS. IT WAS STILL REALLY SRY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I WAS FALLY ABLE TO ACT ON MY SEXUALY, BUT AT THE SAME TIME YOU THOUGHT, ‘I MIGHT GET THIS DISEASE, I MIGHT DIE.’” HE PSED. “ANOTHER LAYER OF SHAME AND FEAR, THAT FEELG OF ‘YOU’RE STILL NOT REALLY EE.’”KRSLEY HAD “ALWAYS BEEN REALLY AMB, BUT HADN’T HAD A LLG. I HAD A FANTASTIC TN BUT NO AREA OF EXPERTISE.” FOR TWO YEARS HE WORKED FOR A NONPROF, “UNTIL I REALIZED I WANTED TO BUY SOME SHO.”HE MA A LIST OF PLAC—CALV KLE, MGM, RALPH LREN AMONG THEM—WHOSE RPORATE CULTURE HE LIKED. ONE DAY AT THE GYM, ATTIRED RALPH LREN SWEATPANTS AND RRYG A TEDDY BEAR AND BASKETBALL, A FEMALE HEADHUNTER ASKED KRSLEY WHO HE WAS. KRSLEY SAID HE REPLIED, “I’M CARSON. I WANT TO WORK AT RALPH LREN.”TWO DAYS LATER KRSLEY, THEN 25, HAD AN TERVIEW LED UP THERE, AND WAS QUICKLY SCED BY THE MAHOGANY WALLS, PLAID RPETG, AND CHA BOWLS EMBOSSED WH POLO PONI AND FILLED WH M&MS. HE WAS HIRED TO BE AN ASSISTANT THE MEN’S SIGN PARTMENT, “SETTG UP APPOTMENTS, AND BUYG SANDWICH AND SHAMPOO. BUT I WAS DOG A TOWN CAR AND THOUGHT WAS GREAT.”OVER SEVEN YEARS KRSLEY WORKED HIS WAY UP THE ANIZATN, EVENTUALLY BEG TASKED TO SHEPHERD CLOTH TO TERNATNAL PHOTOSHOOTS “WH MOLS AND SIBERIAN HKI, AND WAS PHENOMENAL.”A -WORKER TOLD KRSLEY THAT BRAVO WAS STG FOR A SHOW.KRSLEY SAID HIS IAL RPONSE WAS: “WHAT’S BRAVO? A NONSTICK OKG SPRAY?”TOLD THE CHANNEL WAS LOOKG FOR A GAY MAN WHO HAPPENED TO BE A STYLE EXPERT, “I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT’S ME.’”HE AND OTHER TRYOUT PRENTERS WERE SHOWN A TAPE OF A STRAIGHT GUY “WHO WAS SO WELL-ENDOWED HE BLOW-DRIED HIS HAIR AT THE GYM NAKED SO PEOPLE ULD GET A GOOD LOOK AT . EVERYONE WAS VERY PC, SAYG WE ‘NEED TO BRIDGE STRAIGHT AND GAY WORLDS.’“WHEN THEY ME TO ME I SAID, ‘WHAT’S THE PROBLEM? HE’S HUNG LIKE A PONY. WHY NOT GET HIM SOME FLAT-ONT KHAKIS?’ AND THEY WERE LIKE, ‘OK, YOU’RE SASSY. THAT WAS MY FORAY TO TV. TWO YEARS LATER, WE HAD A PRIMETIME EMMY.”WH THE SHOW ABOUT TO AIR, KRSLEY, THEN 33, STILL HADN’T E OUT TO HIS PARENTS.“MY MOM AND DAD WERE LIKE, ‘YOU’RE QUTG YOUR JOB AT RALPH LREN TO DO WHAT?’ I’D SAY, ‘OH, ’S A TV SHOW. THEY HAVEN’T EVEN E UP WH A NAME YET.’ MY IENDS [AND HIS SISTER] WERE LIKE, ‘YOU HAVE TO TELL YOUR FAY YOU’RE GAY.’”THIS WAS GIVEN AN ADD URGENCY AS TV GUI WAS SET TO FEATURE QUEER EYE ON S VER.“I HAD ALL THE FEELGS YOU HAVE: ‘OH MY GOD, WILL THEY NOT LOVE ME? KICK ME OUT OF THE HOE? DISOWN ME? DISHER ME?’ ALL THOSE THGS. I WAED TILL THE DAY BEFORE TV GUI ME OUT. MOM PICKED ME UP OM THE TRA STATN HER MIVAN, AND I REMEMBER THKG, ‘OH GOOD, ’S RAG. SHE N’T EAK OUT TOO MUCH OR WE’LL REEN OFF THE ROAD AND DIE.’“SHE WAS LIKE, ‘OH OK, YEAH, I THK WE ALL KNEW THAT. NEXT YOU HAVE TO TELL YOUR FATHER.’ I WAS LIKE, ‘UH OH,’ AND I DID AND WAS TOTALLY FE. I HAD AGONIZED AND TORTURED MYSELF FOR SO LONG AND REALLY ULD HAVE BEEN AVOID. IT WASN’T A BIG AL.”KRSLEY SAID HE WAS PLEASED THAT FAME HAD HAPPENED TO HIM “AT 33, RATHER THAN 23. IF HAD I WOULD HAVE GONE OFF THE EP END AND PULLED A LDSAY LOHAN AND BEEN A DISASTER. I HAD BEEN NEW YORK CY, KNEW HOW TO SAVE MONEY AND HANDLE THGS. I’D ALWAYS BEEN FAMO MY HEAD, I LOVED ENTERTAG PEOPLE.“WE HAD NO IA WOULD BE A SUCCS. WE WOULD JOKE THAT WE WOULD BE SUPER-FAMO. THEY TOLD WE WERE GOG TO MAKE EIGHT EPISOS, AND I WOULD GET $2,000 PER EPISO. I SAID, ‘THAT’S GREAT, BUT DO YOU HAVE NTAL SURANCE?’”KRSLEY’S BOSS AT RALPH LREN REASSURED HIM THEY’D TAKE HIM BACK IF QUEER EYE DIDN’T WORK OUT. HE SAID HE WASN’T ASKED TO RAMP UP THE MP FOR THE SMALL SCREEN, HE WAS JT WHO HE WAS.RELLG FONDLY SOME OF THE MEN THE TEAM HELPED, KRSLEY SAID, “SOME BRISTLED AT AT FIRST—‘I DON’T KNOW ABOUT THIS, HE’S GETTG UP MY GRILL’—BUT BY THE END, THEY WERE ALL LIKE, ‘OH MY GOD, WE LOOK LIKE TWS, I LOVE YOUR SHIRT.’”“THE DAY AFTER THE FIRST EPISO AIRED, WAS WATEROLER TALK,” KRSLEY RELLED. “IT WAS A HOT SHOW. IT WAS SUPER-FUN AND SUPER-VALIDATG, BEE ALL ALONG WE HAD BEEN ASHAMED OF WHO WE WERE OR CRICIZED FOR , AND NOW WE WERE BEG CELEBRATED. THAT WAS A PRETTY AMAZG WHIRLWD.“OTHER FAMO PEOPLE TOLD TO ENJOY THE RI,” HE SAID. “SO MUCH WAS GOG ON, WE ULDN’T ABSORB . ONE DAY WE WERE MAKG A MIC VIO, SHUTTG THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE DOWN AND BEG FILMED OM A HELIPTER. THEN WE WERE ON BARBARA WALTERS’S MOST INTERTG PEOPLE. THEN WE WERE ON A PLANE TO OPEN THAT YEAR’S HUMAN RIGHTS CAMPAIGN DNER LOS ANGEL. THEN WAS THE EMMYS. I WISH WE ULD HAVE SPREAD OUT A B, SO WE ULD HAVE SAVORED ALL THOSE MOMENTS.”SOME OBJECTED TO THE SHOW, CLAIMG THAT PERPETUATED STEREOTYP.“I WAS BEG MY LOUD, SASSY, OUTSPOKEN SELF, WEARG THE KD OF LOUD OUTFS I LIKED TO WEAR,” SAID KRSLEY. “I FELT LIKE THE HARST CRICISM ME OM OTHER GAY PEOPLE, AND I WAS LIKE, ‘REALLY, YOU’RE NOT GOG TO HELP A BROTHER OUT HERE?’ PEOPLE SAID THE SHOW EMBRACED STEREOTYP, THAT WE WERE NOT ALL STYLISTS AND HAIRDRSERS. I’M LIKE: ‘YEAH, BUT WE ARE SOME OF THE BT ON.’“SOMETIM A STEREOTYPE IS WELL-EARNED BEE YOU’RE REALLY GREAT AT . GAY PEOPLE TEND TO BE DREAMERS, AND BEE YOU GROW UP FEELG LIKE AN ODDBALL, OUT OF THE LOOP OR THAT YOU DON’T BELONG YOU LIVE YOUR OWN WORLD, YOU NJURE UP FANTASI THAT LATER MAKE YOU GOOD AT CREATIVE JOBS LIKE BEG AN TERR SIGNER OR FASHN STYLIST.“AT QUEER EYE WE TOOK THE POSN THAT WE WERE GOOD AT WHAT WE DO AND IF THAT MEANT WE WERE ACCED OF BEG STEREOTYPIL, SO BE . I WAS LIKE, ‘LISTEN, I’M NOT GOG TO LIVE THE LIFE YOU WANT ME TO LIVE, OR PORTRAY THE GAY PERSON YOU WANT TO HAVE. IF YOU’RE A BUTCH, STRAIGHT-ACTG GAY GUY, GREAT, SO BE . THE ONLY PERSON I AM REPRENTG ON TELEVISN IS MYSELF, AND THAT IS WHO I AM.”HE HIMSELF WISH THERE WERE DIFFERENT KDS OF GAY PEOPLE NSISTENTLY PRENTED ON TV, AND QUEER EYE’S SUCCS DOVETAILED WH SHOWS LIKE WILL AND GRACE, AND AN CREASG WAVE OF LGBT REPRENTATN.“I THK WE WEREN’T TRYG TO ADVANCE THE E, WE WERE TRYG TO DO MAKEOVERS,” SAID KRSLEY. “IN A SUBVERSIVE WAY WE WERE TRODUCG GAY PEOPLE TO PEOPLE ACROSS AMERI. SOMEBODY WHO DIDN’T KNOW SOMEONE WHO WAS GAY ULD SAY, ‘OH, I KNOW THE FAB FIVE AND THEY SEEM NICE AND OL AND GOOD AT THEIR JOBS.”ON THE SCENE, AND ON APPS, THERE IS STILL RISN OR REJECTN LEVELED AT EFFEMATE GAY MEN. HAS KRSLEY EVER EXPERIENCED THAT?“Y, I HAVE. IN 1991, WHEN I MOVED HERE, THERE WAS STILL SUCH PANIC AND ANXIETY ABOUT HIV AND AIDS. IF YOU LOOKED MCULAR AND REALLY BUILT YOU WERE HEALTHY. PEOPLE HAD STARTED TAKG STEROIDS. THAT WAS THE IAL, THE BIG, SMOOTH, GEO NORDIC GOD, AND I WASN’T THAT. I WOULD GO TO ALL THE PLAC WHERE THOSE PEOPLE WERE—FIRE ISLAND, PROVCETOWN—AND GET NO ROMANTIC TERT.“SOMETIM, WHEN YOU’RE AN OUTSIR—AND I HAD ORIGALLY FOUND THIS OUT AT JUNR HIGH AND HIGH SCHOOL— ORR TO BE ACCEPTED OR MATA YOUR SAFETY, YOU TAKE ON THE URT JTER ROLE AND ENTERTA THE MASS. IF 12TH-GRARS WERE TRYG TO BEAT ME UP, AS A NTH-GRAR I’D DO SOMETHG TO ENTERTA THEM. I’D FALL OFF THE CHAIR, MAKE THEM LGH, BE THE CLASS CLOWN. IT HELPED ME VELOP GREAT TIMG.”FAST FORWARD A FEW YEARS, AND KRSLEY RELLED OF THE EARLY ’90S GAY SCENE, “I WASN’T THE MCULAR IAL. I WAS THE SCRAWNY, FEME, LOUDMOUTHED, SASSY KID. SO I VELOPED A SENSE OF HUMOR AND ENTERTAED THOSE PEOPLE. I WAS THE NERDY CLASS CLOWN OF THE GROUP. NOW ’S DISSIPATED A B. WE HAVE A LOT MORE VARIETY WHAT MAK UP THE GAY MUNY. BUT AT THAT POT I FELT LIKE AN OUTSIR.”CERTALY, BEG FAMO AND BEG ON TV HELPED BREAK THE ICE WH GUYS, HE SAID. IT WAS LIKE, ‘OH NOW WE’RE IENDS! MY OWN ANTHROPOLOGIL OBSERVATN IS THAT THIS [GAY ANTI-EFFEMACY ATTU] IS ABOUT ‘PASSG.’ SOME GAY MEN SCRIBE THEMSELV AS ‘STRAIGHT ACTG.’ I’M LIKE, ‘LISTEN, YOU’RE HAVG SEX WH ANOTHER MAN, THERE’S NOTHG STRAIGHT ABOUT .’ THIS NEED TO PASS IS, I THK, A RULT OF HOMOPHOBIA. IF ‘BEG GAY’—FLAMBOYANT, LOUD, STEREOTYPIL—IS SEEN AS BAD, THOSE ‘PASSG’ THK, ‘I’LL DO THE OPPOSE AND BE OK.’”YOU DIDN’T, I SAID.“NO, I’M LAZY,” KRSLEY ADPANNED. “ALSO, I JT KNEW THAT WASN’T ME, AND SEEMED A LTLE DULENT. I’VE NTUED TO BE MY SASSY SELF AND FOUND A VEHICLE FOR THAT.”IT HAS BEEN 13 YEARS SCE QUEER EYE BEGAN, KRSLEY NOTED. “PLAC LIKE ATRALIA STILL DON’T HAVE MARRIAGE EQUALY. A LOT OF WORK STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE GLOBALLY. THERE’S THE ISSUE OF HOMELS LGBT YOUTH, AND WE STILL HAVE TRANSPHOBIA. WE HAVE PROGRS, BUT NEEDS TO MOVE FASTER.”KRSLEY WILL BE VOTG FOR HILLARY CLTON THE UPG ELECTN. “IT SEEMS LIKE A DANGERO TIME: SOMEHOW RACISM AND BIGOTRY HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AND SOME WAYS CELEBRATED, AND THAT SEEMS SO WRONG AND BACKWARDS.”HE HAS MET DONALD TMP SEVERAL TIM. “HE’S ALWAYS BEEN VERY CHARMG WH ME, AND I’VE BEEN VERY SASSY WH HIM. FOR ME PERSONALLY, THOUGH, HE’S NOT THE NDIDATE THAT REPRENTS THE AMERI I THK WE LIVE .”KNOWG WHAT HE KNOWS OF HIM, DO KRSLEY THK TMP PERSONALLY IS HOMOPHOBIC? “I DON’T THK SO, BUT SOMETIM HIS SUPPORTERS N BE.”WH FAME ME FAMO PALS. KRSLEY MET CHER AT A MOVIE PREMIERE. SHE FELL LOVE WH A SPULAR NECKLACE HE WAS WEARG. HE TRIED TO PUT ON HER AND WAS TERPTED THE NIMBLE-FIGURED ACT BY AN ALARMED ASSISTANT, WHO SHOUTED, “WHAT ARE YOU DOG TO CHER?”A FEW DAYS LATER HIS CELL RANG WH AN UNKNOWN NUMBER. “HELLO, CARSON, ’S CHER. I’M WEARG THOSE MEDALLNS. I WENT HIKG AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVED .”HE WAS EVEN KISSED, “RIGHT HERE,” HE SAID POTG AT HIS CHEEK, BY HIS CSH TOM FORD, ALTHOUGH AT ANOTHER MOMENT, SUFFERG A TERRIBLE S FECTN AND LOOKG MSY, POST-TREATMENT BY HIS DOCTOR, HE HEARD FORD LL HIS NAME AS HE WAS ADMIRG A PAIR OF FORD-LABEL SHO STG $4,000.“OH MY GOD, PLEASE DON’T LET THAT BE TOM FORD,” KRSLEY THOUGHT. “THIS IS THE ONLY TIME I WILL EVER SAY THAT.”“HI, CARSON,” SAID FORD. “I LIKE YOUR BEARD.”CONVCED HE LOOKED TERRIBLE ONT OF HIS IDOL, KRSLEY FLED THE STORE PRONTO. “AND HE IS HAPPILY BETROTHED,” KRSLEY SAID.KRSLEY HIMSELF IS SGLE, HAVG LEFT A LONG-TERM RELATNSHIP TWO YEARS AGO.“I’M MORE OF A ROMANTIC. I STILL DREAM OF THE WHE PICKET FENCE, GOLN RETRIEVER, AND HBAND WH A VOLVO.” HE PSED. “I DON’T EVEN HAVE A GOLN RETRIEVER, LET ALONE A HBAND WH A VOLVO, BUT I HAVE HAD LOTS OF DAT AND WOULDN’T TRA ANYTHG LOOKG BACK, BEE ’S BEEN A FANTASTIC JOURNEY.”HE NOTED HE WAS ALWAYS THKG “I KNOW THE PERFECT GUY FOR YOU” FOR SGLE IENDS. “WHY N’T I FD THE PERFECT GUY FOR ME?”HE WAS, HE SAID, “VERY REER-FOCED, WHICH IS GOOD AND BAD.” HE TRAVELS A LOT, PARTICULARLY TO LOS ANGEL FOR WORK. “MAYBE THIS IS MY OWN AVOIDANCE OF BEG GROWN-UP AND SETTLED DOWN. I REALLY DO LIKE BEG SGLE SOMETIM.”FAME, OF URSE, HAS BROUGHT OPPORTUNI TO MEET PEOPLE “AND GETTG A BETTER TABLE RTRANTS. I THK I’M A GOOD JUDGE OF CHARACTER. I N SEE IF PEOPLE ARE GENUE, SO WHEN THEY ASK FOR MY CRED RD NUMBER, I SAY, ‘ABSOLUTELY NOT. I JT MET YOU.’”AFTER QUEER EYE END, AFTER FIVE SEASONS AND 100 EPISOS, KRSLEY WORKED ENERGETILLY TO MATA HIS FAME. HE HAS APPEARED ON DANCG WH THE STARS, RU PL’S DRAG RACE, AND CELEBRY FAY FD. “IT’S A NSTANT HTLE. WHEN EVERYONE WANTS YOU TO DO A SHOW IS THE TIME WHEN YOUR SHOW SELF IS HOT. BUT I DID ANOTHER TV SHOW, HOW TO LOOK GOOD NAKED, AND FASHN LLECTNS, AND OTHER TV SHOWS AND FILMS. LOOK AT MY IMDB: I’VE BEEN BY.”KRSLEY WOULD LIKE TO HOST A MORNG SHOW, CENTERED AROUND LIVG WELL, HEALTH, BETY, FASHN, AND HOME DéR, AND WRE A MEN’S BOOK FOR LENNIAL MAL NFED ABOUT HOW TO DRS.PEOPLE ASK HIM IF QUEER EYE WILL EVER E BACK, “BUT THAT CENTRAL TENSN BETWEEN A STRAIGHT MAN ALLOWG A BUNCH OF GAY MEN TO E TO HIS BEDROOM HAS DISSIPATED, AND THAT’S A GREAT THG.”KRSLEY IS SUCH A ZIPPY PRENCE I ASK IF HE EVER GETS DOWN. “I’M A SRP, SO EVEN IF I’M ‘RAH-RAH LOOK AT ME,’ I LOVE TO BE ON MY OWN. I FELY NEED TO RECHARGE MY BATTERI. IF I’M ON VATN WH A GROUP, I NEED TIME TO LOCK MYSELF MY ROOM TO READ BOOKS AND BE A SPSTER: MY EY DICKSON MOMENTS. I KNOW HOW SER REAL PRSN IS AND I HAVEN’T HAD THAT.”HIS PERDS OF ANXIETY, HE SAID, HAVE BEEN CENTERED ON WORRYG ABOUT THE ACCEPTANCE OF FAY AND IENDS TO HIS G OUT, AND FEELG, HIS 20S, THAT HE WASN’T DOG AS WELL AS HIS DOCTOR AND LAWYER BUDDI.HE SAID HE FELT AT EASE ABOUT AGG; HE ED TO RECEIVE HIS TWICE-A-YEAR BOTOX AND FILLERS TREATMENTS OM THE FAMO—AND MUCH-SATIRIZED—DR. FREDRIC BRANDT, WHO MTED SUICI LAST YEAR. “HE WAS THE GREATT GUY THE WORLD. I DON’T KNOW WHY HE DID ,” SAID KRSLEY.HIS NEW BOTOX AND FILLERS DOCTOR L.A. JECTED HIM JT BEFORE KRSLEY STARTED FILMG CELEBRY APPRENTICE, WHICH WILL BUT ON JAN. 2, PRENTED BY ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER.“I MA THE MISTAKE OF SAYG, ‘DO WHATEVER YOU THK I NEED.’ THREE NEEDL LATER I WAS LIKE, ‘THAT SEEMS LIKE A LOT.’ LERALLY I DON’T THK MY EY CLOSED THAT FIRST WEEK. IN THE OPENG SCEN OF APPRENTICE, THEY ASKED ME TO RAISE AN EYEBROW. I WAS LIKE, ‘I N’T. I THK I SAID TO THE MERA MORE THAN ONCE: ‘MY FACE DON’T MOVE. DEAL WH .’”HE HAS BOTOX BEE HE HAS A “STRONG FURROW” BETWEEN HIS EY “AND A GIGANTIC FOREHEAD. ADD WRKL AND LOOKS LIKE A HLY PLOUGHED FIELD. I DON’T MD AGG, THOUGH. BUT YOU BANG YOUR ELBOW AND HURTS FOR THREE DAYS. THGS LGER FOREVER. YOU JT DON’T REGENERATE LIKE YOU ED TO. YOU N’T STAY OUT LATE, YOU N’T DRK TOO MUCH. AFTER A HANER, YOU’RE ‘CRISPY,’ AS I PUT , FOR TWO OR THREE DAYS.”KRSLEY ALSO HAD PLASTIC SURGERY, A NOSE JOB, AFTER FISHG FILMG QUEER EYE. HIS OLD NOSE “HOOKED DOWN,” AND HE FELT SELF-NSC ABOUT BEG FILMED OM THE SI. “IT WAS A LTLE, TY PROCRE BUT MA ME FEEL BETTER. I LOVE EVERY DAY, ALTHOUGH I STILL N’T FEEL THE TIP OF .” AS FOR HAVG ANYTHG ELSE DONE, HE SAID, “GUYS WH FACE-LIFTS HAVE TO BE REFUL. YOUR EY N LOOK A LTLE SMALL AND BEADY. SO NO, I THK I’M PRETTY GOOD FOR NOW.”HIS LHE BODY IS DOWN TO HIS MOTHER’S GEN, RATHER THAN THE GYM, KRSLEY CLAIMED. “IT’S A GREAT PLACE TO MEET HOT GUYS, BUT THAT’S THE ONLY THG THAT GETS ME THERE.” HE DON’T SPY THE BIG 5-0 ON THE HORIZON WH THE SAME WORRY HE HAD ABOUT TURNG 30 AND FEELG AS IF HIS PROFSNAL LIFE HADN’T REALLY BEGUN. “FORTY WAS TOTALLY FE, AND I THK 50 MIGHT BE OK. I LIKE THKG ABOUT BEG OLD, AND HAVG A DOG [HE KEEPS ONE AT HIS PENNSYLVANIA FARM, HE SAID], HBAND, AND ADOPTED GRANDCHILDREN.”WHERE WILL HE FD THIS GUY? “MAYBE ON SCFF,” KRSLEY LGHED, REFERRG TO THE GAY APP. AS HIS CSH ON TOM FORD, LEE MAJORS, AND BURT REYNOLDS TTIFY TO, “I LIKE MEN’S MEN. I’M A BIG ‘OPPOS ATTRACT’ PERSON. WHEN YOU SEE GUYS WHO LOOK LIKE EACH OTHER, N SEEM NARCISSISTIC. I WANT THE OPPOSE OF ME, LIKE A FOOTBALL PLAYER OR FARMER.”HE HAS ALREADY HAD EXPERIENCE OF THE FORMER, WHEN HE DATED ATLANTA FALNS PLAYER ESERA TUAOLO. “HE WAS HOT. HE LOOKS LIKE A BIG JOCK, BUT HE WAS VERY SENSIVE AND A SGER. HE WAS A REAL FAY GUY AND SUPER SWEET.”AMERIN SPORTS IS “JT SO MACHO,” KRSLEY SAID, MULLG WHY MORE ATHLET HAVEN’T E OUT. “UNFORTUNATELY PEOPLE STILL EQUATE BEG GAY WH BEG WEAK, OR PRISSY OR FEME—WHICH IS SELF MISOGYNISTIC.“IN THAT WORLD YOU WANT TO BE PERCEIVED AS TOUGH AND STRONG, AND NOT WEAK ANY WAY. THAT’S WHY THERE’S STILL HOMOPHOBIA THOSE RANKS. EVENTUALLY WILL BREAK DOWN. EVERY GENERATN BE MORE OPEN-MD AND OLER. MY 19-YEAR-OLD NIECE IS ‘WHATEVS’ ABOUT THE WHOLE GAY THG.”AFTER A LONG-TERM RELATNSHIP BROKE DOWN TWO YEARS AGO, KRSLEY DID NOTHG ROMANTILLY FOR A YEAR, FEELG AS IF HE WAS “OVER .” BUT RECENTLY HE HAS SEEN “THE POSSIBILI AGA,” AND HAS STARTED DATG. “I THK GETS HARR AND HARR, AND I THK I GET PICKIER AND PICKER. WHEN YOU DATE DIFFERENT TYP OF PEOPLE YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU DON’T WANT. YOU’RE LS TOLERANT OF THGS THAT DON’T MAKE YOU HAPPY. THEY HAVE TO LIKE THE THGS YOU LIKE: FLEA MARKETS, SHOPPG, TRAVEL, HORS, WEEKENDS THE UNTRY. IF HE ME WH A BASKET OF PUPPI, I’D BE LIKE, ‘Y, SIGN ME UP.’ A SENSE OF HUMOR, GREAT SE, AND ‘CUTE’ DON’T HURT, ALTHOUGH ’S LS ABOUT PACKAGG AND MORE ABOUT HEART AT THIS POT.”IS KRSLEY EVER BADLY DRSED? HE ADMS TO SOMETIM WEARG CUT-OFF SWEATPANTS, A T-SHIRT WH A FFEE STA, AND BASEBALL P L.A.WHEN I ASKED NERVOLY ABOUT WHAT MAKEOVER KRSLEY WOULD EXECUTE FOR ME, HE OBSERVED MY SHO (RED BROGU) AND SHIRT (RED AND BLACK CHECK), AND RED-STRIPED SOCKS, WHICH ALL GOT A THUMBS-UP.HOWEVER, THE PREVAILG RED ULD HAVE DONE WH BEG BROKEN UP WH A KELLY GREEN SOCK, THE SHIRT ULD BE “BRIGHT SAND,” AND I WOULD HAVE ALSO BENEFED OM “A NEEDLEPOT BELT OM SMATHERS & BRANSON.” KRSLEY WAS VERY DIPLOMATIC ABOUT MY MSY HAIR. “YOU HAVE GREAT HAIR AND GOOD LOR,” HE SAID, OBSERVG ME REFULLY. “IT JT NEEDS SOME SHAPE: I’D SUPER-GROOM THE SIS AND ADD TEXTURE ON TOP.”DID I NEED BOTOX? “I DON’T THK YOU’RE THERE YET,” KRSLEY SAID. THEN HE PSED. “ACTUALLY, YOU ULD GET A DROP HERE ON THE SIS AND ON THE TOP, SO YOU DON’T GET WRKL.” HE SAW OR AT LEAST SENSED MY FLEETG ALARM AND ADD GENTLY, “IT’S PREVENTATIVE.”DO THIS BOOK MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG? IS PUBLISHED BY ST MART’S PRS, $25.99 TIM TEEMAN

Among the people ad om jectg silin were Dovak who died last November, a Miami trans woman who died om jectns to her butt (Oneal Ron Morris, the woman who jected her, was sentenced to 10 years for practicg medice whout a license), and last month, Tumblr gay celebry Tank Hafertepen — the partner of the man Dovak allegedly went to for advice — died of a lung hemorrhage ed by, part, silin jectn syndrome, acrdg to his ath certifite obtaed by Rollg Stone. And the dangero trend among gay men choosg to ject siline has changed the perspective of clicians and rearchers like Radix, who proposed, “This is somethg that maybe we should regnize we need to be askg about this [among our male patients].