Queer Eye fashion expert Tan France has spoken out about his past struggles with racism, telling that he was initially driven to audition for the Netflix show by his desire to represent those not often seen on TV.
“I wanted to show the world a version of me and everything that I represent, because I represent a lot that’s never really been seen before: an Asian person on American TV, who’s British, gay and follows a certain religion,” France said.
France continued, saying that while he may no longer experience the same levels of discrimination, creating visibility and dialogue in the mainstream media is important.
“I don’t get called the same names as I did at home in the north of England," he said. "I would often get called a ‘Paki’, and that’s sickening in this day and age."
He added: “It was really important for me to have open dialogues on the show to break down these misconceptions about what I might represent.”
The 35-year-old fashion designer shared that he had faced racism while filming the first season of the hit program, with one of the show's participants asking whether France was a "terrorist".
“It was very shocking and very jarring,” he recalled. “That set the tone for me and made it clear why I was doing the show. I wanted to set the record straight.”
He added: “I’ve experienced racism and homophobia my whole life, so I’ve trained myself to just deal with it calmly, to not cause a scene and to find a way to calm the situation down.”
Having energised audiences around the world upon its release earlier this year, Netflix has renewed Queer Eye for a second season.
