An Interview with Quincy Le Near and Deondray Gosset, Creators of The DL Chronicles

Shhhh! Don't tell anyone, but we're deep into the DL. The DL, or Down Low, is slang for African-American men who identify as being straight, but hook-up with men on the hush-hush. They date chicks, have children, and often marry in an effort to appear hetero in public. We are into the DL because of a revolutionary new television show on here!, the DL Chronicles. Telling the story of men of color who by circumstance, consequence or choice, live with secret rendezvous and hidden passions. Originally conceived as a series of short films by creators Quincy Le Near and Deondray Gosset, the sexy episodic series transcends the soap opera set-up, and tells stories of conflicted three dimensional people.

You guys are partners and partners?
DG: We've been together for 11 years. We met as actors, a friend introduced us. It took a while to figure each other out-nobody knew we were gay. It was a guessing game, figuring out if we were getting the right vibe.

So you were both on the DL yourselves?
DG: A lot of people asked why we tell these stories. Honestly, the men that we knew or the friend that we grew up with, these are their stories. Bits of us and our family and friends are in these tales. It all comes from a personal place.

What was the audience's reaction to a show about the DL?
DG: Initially when people heard the title of the show, there was immediate resistance. Some of the same people, who said they would never support it, later saw it-and got it. It's more than just about the DL, it's about why the phenomenon happens in the first place. Usually stories are from a victim/predator stand-point, and don't discuss why these men are in these situations.

Is your audience largely African-American gay men?
DG: Yes, and surprisingly African-American straight women.

QL: We gather from fan mail, that a third of our audience is white. So, we have a pretty diverse crowd.

Who did you intend to reach?
QL: We developed the series to embrace all men of color. We've have a fan base in England, and now men of color there are begging for an English or Caribbean character. Men from Africa, the Middle East, and the South Pacific-who don't get to see their stories told, they want time too. These are the people we'd like to reach and feature. Brokeback Mountain and Queer As Folk are from a white perspective, an international white perspective. All men of color have voices, and nobody is exploring their stories. We have a chance to do that with DL Chronicles. It won't just be the African-American perspective.

DG: At some point we want to explore the lives of women. These situations are not particular to men, it can apply to everyone. This is a hot button topic, but we can choose an avenue to explore the female side of this-women closeted and on the DL.

Is it hard to find African-American actors willing to play
gay characters?
DG: It's tougher, however, we are getting leading men who are great! During the audition process, it can be disheartening to find actors not ready to take on this material, or are not comfortable with the topic.

QL: We are an anthology series, each episode is different. We need good-looking men who are great actors and comfortable with a gay and bisexual story. And we need new ones every single episode. It's challenging. We never want to use actors who aren't going to be able to step up to the plate, and we hope we never exhaust the pool of talent! There are thousands of undiscovered people in LA.

Do your friends ever accuse you of writing up their DL lives?
DG:Occasionally, my friends watch an episode and reveal they went through similar situations, I wasn't originally aware of. That makes me feel good, cause I got the experience and emotion right.

QL: Once, a family member asked me if I was writing about them. I never saw the parallels-till they brought it up! We have been a part of so many people's lives-something is going to come through.

Le Near and Gosset appear at the Equality Forum National Race Issues Panel, Prince Music Theater, 1412 Chestnut St, Mon, Apr 30, 8pm, free, equalityforum.com. The DL Chronicles will return to here! on May 4th, heretv.com.