Ahead of the 30th Anniversary of World AIDS Day, Advocates For Youth and the MAC Aids Fund have launched a brand-new web series called Kikis with Louie. As its fabulous title suggests, this is a candid sit-down talk show designed for the young LGBTQ population. Hosted by Louie Ortiz-Fonseca, Director of LGBTQ Health and Rights at Advocates for Youth, Kikis with Louie is what you’d get if you mixed The Oprah Winfrey Show with Watch What Happens Live and focused it exclusively on real-life advice from some of the community’s best and brightest.
Episodes feature honest conversations with LGBTQ youth and the celebrities, athletes, artists, and activists they admire most. The series spans six-cities and features musician Shamir discussing his bipolar diagnosis, Reggie Bullock of the Detroit Pistons opening up about the murder of his trans sister, and YouTuber Brendan Jordan going in-depth about coming out as genderfluid, among other wide-ranging interviews.
“Unfortunately, we know many LGBTQ young people, especially youth of color, are left in the dark when they ask questions about sex, relationships, and growing up,” said Ortiz-Fonseca. “The goal of the series is to equip LGBTQ young people with information, and make sure they know that they are deserving of safe, happy, and healthy lives.”
At a time when the LGBTQ community faces continuous harassment and discrimination, a show like Kikis with Louie is more crucial than ever. The first episode of Kikis with Louie offers a candid conversation about on-screen representation, trans-erasure at the height of the AIDS crisis and the need for sex ed to be LGBTQ-inclusive. Check out the first episode of the series below, starring Pose and Saturday Church star Mj Rodriguez.