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Holding Out For A Hero… he’s right here!For five seasons now, actor Brian Michael Smith has been saving the day as hunky, yet humble firefighter Paul Strickland on Fox’s procedural drama 9-1-1: Lone Star.And those heroics have continued off-screen, too. Because, as the first out Black trans man in a series regular role on broadcast TV, Smith has used his time in the spotlight to continually advocate for trans and QPOC communities, and has even joined the Board Of Directors for the Human Rights Campaign.Subscribe to our newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.As we prepare to say goodbye to Station 126 on the upcoming series finale of Lone Star, we asked Smith to be the latest guest in our rapid-fire Q&A series, Dishin’ It, inviting the star to both reflect back on what the show’s meant to him and to look ahead to the future.In our conversation below, Smith opens up about what he’s learned from the show—in terms of real-life rescue skills and other life lessons—shares the place that helped him find community and purpose, and shares some empowering advice for queer folks everywhere as we face the rest of the year ahead.A post shared by Brian Michael Smith (@the_brianmichael)Our ice-breaker: Is there a piece of media—whether a movie, TV series, book, album, theater, video game, etc…—that has played an important role in your own understanding of queerness and the queer community? Why does it stand out to you?I think my understanding of queerness and the queer community beyond my own personal experiences came from a variety of sources.

Working at the LGBT Center in Manhattan was transformative—it connected me to the broader community and its history in ways I hadn’t previously understood. Watching Paris Is Burning, The Aggressives, Noah’s Ark, and The L Word opened my eyes to the breadth of our community and the incredible tapestry of experiences within it.But the piece of media that had the most profound

Lone Star