Perez Hilton on Surviving Sepsis, Finding God & Being Gay

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This week on Duke’s Download, I sit down with the one and only Perez Hilton — and we go way deeper than celebrity gossip. Perez opens up about his recent life-threatening health crisis: three weeks hospitalized with severe sepsis after an ulcer and perforation caused by taking NSAIDs on an empty stomach — followed by a terrifying deep vein thrombosis scare. It was serious. It was humbling. And it changed everything. Perez shares a profound spiritual experience he had in the hospital — one that brought him back to faith. We talk about: * Reading the Bible on his own terms * Visiting an Episcopalian church * Navigating Christianity as a proudly gay man * Why he believes God made him exactly as he is It’s honest. It’s nuanced. And yes — we talk about the backlash. This conversation is about survival — physically, spiritually, and publicly. And trust me, you’ve never heard Perez like this before. You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram: * @jamesdukemason * @PrideHouseMedia

Preserving Queer History: Brian J. Smith on His New Film "A House Is Not a Disco"

This week, I sit down with actor and filmmaker Brian J. Smith (Sense8, Stargate Universe, Tony‑nominated for The Glass Menagerie) — but this conversation is really about something deeply personal and culturally urgent: his Fire Island documentary, A House Is Not a Disco. And honestly? This film feels like a time capsule. Brian and I talk about why Fire Island — a place so central to queer history, identity, and freedom — deserved a documentary that captured it not just as a party destination, but as a living, evolving community. He shares how the film was shot across the 2022 season, with extraordinary access to residents, performers, and longtime community members. We get into what it takes to document a queer space from the inside — the trust, the archival material, the emotional responsibility — and why this moment in LGBTQ culture felt important to preserve on camera. We also talk about: * Why he moved from acting into directing and producing * Capturing Fire Island as both sanctuary and spectacle * The balance between nostalgia and forward momentum * Why queer spaces must be documented before they disappear * Self‑distribution in today’s indie film world Of course, we also touch on Brian’s career — from moving to New York in 2002 to study acting, to navigating a “don’t ask, don’t tell” industry climate after graduating in 2006, to how Sense8 built a passionate global fanbase during the early days of streaming before algorithms began steering creative decisions. But at its heart, this episode is about his extraordinary film A House Is Not a Disco — It’s about a chosen family, queer legacy, and what it means to document a culture while you’re still living in it. If you care about: ✅ Fire Island history and LGBTQ culture ✅ Queer documentary filmmaking ✅ Independent film distribution ✅ Sense8 and LGBTQ representation in media ✅ Preserving queer spaces ✅ The evolution of LGBTQ storytelling This one’s for you. A House is Not a Disco is available for pre-order on July 2nd here Gathr.com [https://gathr.com/vod/69affd7f/a-house-is-not-a-disco#]. It will be availblre for download July 9th. For more information about the film go to ahouseisnotadisco.com [http://ahouseisnotadisco.com] And be sure to follow at @ahouseisnotadisco You can write to us at: Questions@DukesDownload.com And follow us onInstagram: * @jamesdukemason * @PrideHouseMedia

1 de jul de 202631 min

Perez Hilton on Surviving Sepsis, Finding God & Being Gay

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