Out 100 Honorees Randy Harrison and Peter Paige [published 12.2001]
From Queer as Folk stars to New York City firefighters, we give you the greatest gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender success stories of 2001.
Story by Jeffrey Epstein
2001 cleanly divided into Before and After September 11, and few of us got through the year without questioning everything about our world and our lives. But in these understandable moments of uncertainty and fear, the accomplishments of the GLBT achievers chosen for this year’s Out 100 provide outstanding examples of people who have embraced freedom and made it matter. And it is perhaps now, even more than Before, that we need our heroes.
Out 100 Honorees Randy Harrison and Peter Paige
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Whether they love its boldness or question its sex-and-drug-drenched depiction of gay men, millions of Americans now tune in faithfully to Queer as Folk. The Showtime drama’s provocative portrait of gay life has shaken up the way we’re portrayed in the media--and it’s shaken up the lives of its stars as well.
“Surreal is definitely the easiest word to encapsulate the feeling,” says openly gay Folk star Peter Paige of the whirlwind of the past 12 months.
The dramatic series, which debuted last December and follows the lives (more specifically, the sex lives) of a group of gay men and lesbians in Pittsburgh, has become Showtime’s highest-rated show, thanks not only to its abundance of explicit sexuality but also to its solid performances, particularly that of Paige, who as Emmett has given a richness to his flamboyant character (“He has amazing access to his emotions and to his soul,” praises co-executive producer Ron Cowen), and that of Randy Harrison, who plays 18-year-old newbie Justin.
Queer comes back in January for a second season, and the drama is just beginning. Folkies who fretted all summer long can rest assured that Justin, who was gay-bashed in the season finale, is alive. “There’s a lot of therapy that I have to go through,” says Harrison of his character, who is off to art school this year. “Specifically with Brian.” Michael will start dating a gay studies professor from Carnegie Mellon University. Lipman promises, “A lot of dancing at Babylon. A lot of drugs. Lots of sex.”