Celebrate Pride with The Valley’s Zack Wickham as he details his coming out story while sipping Smirnoff Ice with Tom! He talks allies, supportive parents, the importance of representation, first kisses, first loves, and pickled noodles. Plus, Zack puts Tom to the “Ally Test!” And stick around to hear Pride messages from Andy Cohen, Lisa Vanderpump, Kyle Chan, Below Deck's Fraser Olender, The Valley's Jasmine Good, and WeHo Mayor Chelsea Lee Byers.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Chapter 1: What does Pride mean and why is it celebrated?
They welcome leather daddies, silver foxes, pretty much anyone looking for a cold beer and a wink, a safe place. Then, Studio One. I think this was before my time, too. Part nightclub, part pageant, part revolution. Yeah, I like that. Where disco reigned and unity pulsed beneath the mirrored ball. It sounds groovy. And, of course, the Abbey, which I know well and love.
One of my favorite spots still to this day. It originally was a little coffee shop back in 1991, and then it sort of grew into this holy grail, this cathedral of cocktails, a place where you could mingle with the guy next door, politicians and drag queens all hanging out, mingling over martinis. I still love it to this day.
Motherlode, our neighbor, Tom Tom's neighbor, just a little bit west of us on Santa Monica Boulevard, was one of the first and longest running gay bars in West Hollywood. I think they opened in 1970, if I remember correctly, but if you haven't been there, think strong, very strong, affordable drinks and fabulous dive vibes everywhere. Like one of my favorite little old school OG G-bars.
My personal favorite, the Bayou. Love the Bayou. Also the last remaining place on the planet I'll take a jello shot. And it's only because they're really fun out of a syringe. By the way, hi Marcos. But yeah, I love gay bars. I love West Hollywood. I feel home there as I do in any watering hole. Why do they matter? Well... You guys, they weren't just like clubs. They weren't just nightlife.
They were lifelines. They were places where you could come hook up, feel safe to just be yourself, heal. Yeah. Back in the darkest days of AIDS crisis, you know, they organized events, lifted each other up and just supported a persecuted community. West Hollywood officially became a city in 1984. I did not know that. And it was one of the first in the country with a majority openly gay council.
A direct result of the organizing powers that started these bars. So it's a very special place. Very near and dear to me and so many others. It's the Pink Pony Club. I love it. We're going to go. We're going to celebrate Pride. Before I go meet up with Zach...
guys a little message how about more kisses more hugs more love love wins maybe not every time but in the end at least i hope love conquers all be an ally you guys choose love be a champion for those who need it remember what gandhi said Where there is love, there is life. And according to Jax, he was also the guy who can predict the future. All right. All right.
Before we go meet up with Zach, let's close out with another beautiful quote from Harvey Milk. We will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets. Zach Wickham, where are we and what are we doing?
We are in West Hollywood. Well, we're technically at my apartment first, but we are about to consume Smirnoff Isis.
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Chapter 2: Why is representation important for the LGBTQIA+ community?
What was the dynamic with your family? Not to play with, but were you nervous to come out to your family?
What's crazy is my family is the most supportive, caring part of the community. My dad, when he was at Humana, which is where he worked, he was part of the... I don't even know what they call it. The work group for the LGBT... He was always involved. My mom was involved with the LGBT group on our college campus once I came out. They were super open, super whatever. However...
Besides Will and Grace being the only thing our family had ever talked about being gay or like seeing a gay portrayal.
Before the internet, Ellen kissing another woman would have broken the internet.
Well, and it broke her career for a while. Yeah. You know, when she decided to do that... and be so brave. Like she lost her career for many years.
You guys, that was like 20 years ago, 25 years ago.
Yeah. And, and it, it took her a while to recover. And then after Ellen and I don't remember what year that was, but then until willing grace was on in 1998 was when it premiered, there wasn't like that, you know, there was like queer as folk and some other things, but they were on like HBO or Showtime or, you know, Oh, my God. Do you remember on HBO Taxi Confessionals? Taxicab Confessions.
Like it was yesterday.
Oh, my God. Now, that was a sexual awakening. It was called like real sex, blah, blah, blah. Like 71 or whatever. They always had a dick somewhere and I'd never seen them in the wild before.
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Chapter 3: What are the historical significance of gay bars?
No, I'm just, I think I've been called an otter before.
I think it's actually very fitting. Thank you. I, for myself, I don't really fit in any of the animal categories. I'm like... You defy categorization. You do. You're in a league of your own. Yeah, kind of. I feel like there's a lot of us that can't really be categorized into those very overarching terms. Yeah. Yeah, because I don't have hair, but I'm not a seal like... Wait, what's a seal?
I just made it up. Oh, okay.
And then below that is a... Everyone knows a twink, which can be used as a derogatory term, but...
Yeah. So a twink, which is, you know, a very skinny white male, but can be any ethnicity as well. I actually, sometimes I will call Benji a seal because he's so smooth.
Benji is smooth as hell. He is. Generally speaking, I'm not talking.
Yeah. Yeah, exactly.
Well, that's just, that was just a little cliff notes, just cliff notes for the gang.
Okay. So what about mother?
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