'Queer Eye' star Karamo Brown meets with Mike Pence's wife

"If we can find common ground in the arts, what else can we find common ground on that would make us grow closer as a country?"

Queer Eye

Source: Getty Images

Queer Eye star Karamo Brown has taken his fight for change all the way to the White House, meeting with Vice President Mike Pence's wife, Karen Pence.

The visit, which was conducted earlier this year, was part of a Creative Coalition delegation advocating for the economic and cultural benefits of comprehensive arts programs and education.

“I was just at the White House a week ago, and I met with Karen Pence and her chief of staff," Brown said in an on-camera interview with .

He continued: “It was phenomenal to be able to go in there and discuss arts, but also to speak about LGBT issues.”
“The thing is, no matter if someone has personal feelings about my sexuality or how they view me, it’s my job to the community to show up in spaces – and all of our jobs to the community – to show up in spaces where we can say: ‘You know what, I can figure out how to try to work with you, so that we can make sure that other people, we’re helping future generations.'”

Speaking to the in April, Brown said that he was motivated by a love for both the LGBTIQ+ community and the arts.
"While I know Karen Pence supports the arts, my question for her staffers was: Does she support the arts for everyone? And hearing 'yes' — without any malice or judgment — gave me a glimmer of hope in a time where this country feels so divided."

"If we can find common ground in the arts, what else can we find common ground on that would make us grow closer as a country?"

The new season of Queer Eye is released on Netflix today.


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Published 15 June 2018 1:39pm
By Samuel Leighton-Dore


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