LGBT+ Pride Month - Denise Lee
Denise Lee is one of the most infectious personalities you can be around. I absolutely adore her and we were able to work around her super busy schedule to get her in for an interview. A big supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, Denise is an ally that stands up and is a voice for injustice.
If you ever have the chance to sit down and have a conversation with Denise your life will have been made the better for it. She can be seen frequenting the stages of Dallas, Fort Worth, and Oklahoma City. Her cabaret series that she puts on every year is a must see event.
Denise:
Hi. I'm Denise Lee, and I am a Dallas based actress here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. I have been working in this community for over 30 plus years, we'll leave it at that.
TMP: What does Pride Month mean to you?
Denise:
Pride means to me being able to stand with members of the LGBTQ community, and walk along side them in their quest for equal rights, and to not only celebrate, but commemorate all of the events that led up to hopefully the rights they have now, and the rights we are trying to keep from being taken away.
TMP: For those that feel they are alone and unable to come out, what message do you have for them?
Denise:
I think that all of us feel alone at some point in time in our life, but as with all of our problems, there are other people who go through the same thing. What I encourage you to do is seek out those places that embrace you. A lot of times we only focus on those things that don't embrace us, those people who hurl insults, and those people who hate us. But what we have to focus on at our lowest point are the people who love us, and there are always, always people who love us.
TMP: As an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, what advice would you give to others that also like to be an ally?
Denise:
I think that it takes all of us to stand together. There's more power in numbers. And for people who say, "Well, I'm not gay, or I'm not lesbian, or I'm not transgender, so it's not my fight." When one of us is attacked we're all attacked, and so unless we stand together we'll never be able to be victorious.
TMP: What is something that you would like to say to those viewing this, that we have not specifically covered?
Denise:
I think it is so important to know that each of us can fight in their own way. Some people think that in order to stand up, or fight against the system, if you will, that there has to be some big event that makes that happen. It could be doing something as simple as making sure that people aren't disrespectful in your circles, to stand up against hate and bigotry, and that all of us can do something. It doesn't take money, it doesn't take popularity, it doesn't take a name notoriety, it just takes you having the desire to want to be an ally, to want to make sure that we all receive the rights we're entitled to.
I think it comes down to knowing right from wrong. And in our hearts we know what's right, and we know what's wrong, and it's about time that we all stood up for what's right. There are times it's, you don't necessarily have to agree with right, but you know it's right. Sometimes you go, "Yeah, that's probably the right thing to do. I wouldn't do it." But we always think from our perspective. I think we have to look from other people's perspective if we are going to effectively stand with them in this fight.
A huge thank you to Denise for taking time out of her busy schedule to participate in this series. If you would like to learn more about Denise you can read about her and her upcoming events over at http://deniseleeonstage.com/