Quotes from Karamo Brown

I always had an ability to listen and give people the space to open up and express themselves, and I was hoping it would translate on TV.

A lot of times, we look at people who have disabilities as, 'Oh, we can't invite these people here or there.' And I hate that, because it's inappropriate. It's so weird to me when people say they don't have friends who have disabilities.

I always encourage people to get out there, travel the world, see new things, experience new people, experience new food, experience new culture. What happens is that helps you to grow and be your best self.

In 2007, I discovered I was a father to a little boy who I did not know about. After being on MTV's 'The Real World' and traveling the world, I was greeted by a stack of papers on my doorstep informing me that I had a child.

I know a lot of people who are depressed, and they walk around, and they're smiling every day, but no one's asking them how they're really doing.

Parents don't even know what's going on on Snapchat.

I will kick my best friend out of the way if RuPaul wants to stand next to me as my best man.

My background is in social work and psychotherapy.

Southern black gay and bi men are suffering from a self-esteem issue.

Life experiences with oppression and homophobia often become internalized and can have detrimental effects on the development of positive sexual identity for Southern black gay men.

No matter if someone has personal feelings about my sexuality or how they view me, it's all of our job to continue to show up in spaces where we can say, 'You know what? I can figure out how to try to work with you.'

I would like to encourage hip hop artists to invite those of us who are in the queer spaces in, so we can have those conversations. I love hip hop. If you bring me in the studio, I know how to act. And we can talk about what's not cool because, clearly, there's still homophobia that penetrates in all these areas.

My household runs the same way it was with my parents, who were a mother and father with their kids.

What does culture mean? It's not a physical thing. I love a museum, but that, for me, doesn't make you a better person.

Bangkok is one of those places where it's so rich and full of tradition, but they're so open to different people - different gender expressions and gender identities. As a gay man, I never once felt uncomfortable there. As a black man, I never once felt uncomfortable.

We all are scared. First of all, as a culture, we're constantly told that if you start to express yourself or express your needs, you're needy. You're too emotional. And they put all these negative connotations on it. That has started since we were kids, especially for men.

Unfortunately, a lot people still don't understand queer culture.

Being an openly gay black man, unfortunately I've had experiences working with individuals who've tried to exploit my blackness or my gayness in a way that doesn't make me feel comfortable, or they try to manipulate me into being a caricature of myself.

Bomber jackets, for me, are the new blazers. They're something I can wear with suit pants or slacks - or I can go really urban with it. I think, as men, we don't have the little black dress that women do to go from day to nighttime, but the bomber can be the LBD for men.

My life is an open book. There is nothing to hide here.

I have been a proud, openly gay man since I was 18.

My family is Jamaican and Cuban, but we would go to see our Jamaican side every summer for three months and every Christmas. One of the things I used to love was climbing trees and picking ackee fruit for breakfast.

My first job ever was, I got hired by Oprah Winfrey.

What defines someone as a 'man' should not be the clothes they wear or how deep their voice is. It should be the content of his character, his strength in the face of overwhelming adversity, and his ability to still love and help others when the world has turned its back on him.