Phil: Hey, this is Phil aka Corinne.

Alex: And I’m Alex Berg. And you’re listening to…

Both: The I’m From Driftwood Podcast.

Alex: Several years ago, Moses and JC each shared stories with I’m From Driftwood that touched on racial preferences in dating. Let’s take a listen

Moses: I’m Nelson Moses Lassiter. I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

JC: I’m JC. I am from Manila. That’s the capital of the Philippines. I grew up there. I moved to the US specifically in New York in 2005 and the tender age of 21.

Moses: When I came to terms with my sexuality, it was – took a very long time. I used to just debate with myself back and forth. And I used to, you know, I was actually angry that I was gay and I was angry at God for making me gay. It was just so many things that were through my mind.

JC: Moving to New York was an adventure. You know, I mean, I was fortunate enough to get a scholarship to go to grad school here. And I took that opportunity and it opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities, including exploring myself.

Moses: So  when I came to terms with everything, I wanted to go out and just meet guys and just make friends and kind of find, I guess, my place in the world, knowing that, you know, the world that I came from just wasn’t the one for me. It wasn’t accepting. And eventually, I started meeting people and making friends, and there was this one time I was actually just chatting up this one guy and it was… the conversation was going really great and there was definitely a really cool connection there. And, you know, there are a lot of similarities.

And I was like, “Oh, would you want to grab a drink sometime?”

And he goes, oh, he’s like, “You’re really, really sweet. You’re really nice. But I don’t date black guys.” And he’s just like, “Well, you know, I’m just, they’re just not my type.”

And I’m like, “Well, what does that, what does that mean? Is it because you just don’t like me because I’m black?” That’s weird, you know?

And he was just like, “That’s okay though. I have a friend who’s into black guys.”

And I was like, “What is… what does that mean? What does it mean to be into black guys?”

JC: Earlier on when I just moved to the us, I was so happy ‘cause, you know, you can be gay, you can be yourself and you can do whatever you want.

It was like the advent of social media and social connections, social networks. People thought primarily through chat rooms. I was… I was talking to this guy. We’re talking like, you know, probably like a good hour with traded pictures, but usually trade, not face first. It’s like body pictures. And then, you know, I mean, I looked like light-skin in that picture for some reason and so he just assumed I was kind of like white. Then I said, like, you know, I was Asian.

He said like, “Oh, sorry, buddy. You know, you seem to be a cool guy, but I’m not into Asians.” And you know, of course it affected my self-confidence. I didn’t know how to respond to it initially because I… I am new. I grew up from a different culture and I thought Americans were more welcoming to people from other places.

Moses: You know, I met this guy. You know, his friend. And I was like, “So what is it about black guys that you like?”

He was like, “I like the way that they look and the way they talk, the way they walk, the way they wear their pants down low.”

And I was like, “None of this has anything to do with an actual black person. This is, you know, these are stereotypes and these are just, you know, preconceived notions and things that you hear.” It wasn’t that he liked black guys. He was into the idea or into, you know, it was more of like an object of affection or a fetish more than actually liking the person. And it was… it was at that moment when I realized that, Wow, this is… this is another thing. So then I was like, All right, what is this world that I am slowly becoming a part of? Because it was just like, it was the complete opposite of everything that I was expecting

JC: Three years after that, still with a defeated, you know, self ego, I was on my way to the Fire Island waiting for a friend of mine. We agreed that we’re going to meet up at the train station in Jamaica. I was waiting for my train and then I saw him coming in to the hall through the aisle. And there was this two white guys in front of us. Again, at first, they were chuckling. I didn’t know what the reason was. I just ignored it.

And then they kind of, like, started pointing at my friend who is like having difficulty walking through the aisle. And then they started laughing, because they said, “Oh, look at that Asian guy. He’s going to Fire Island and they chuckled. So I tried to ignore it ‘cause, you know, I mean, you can interpret that in many ways.

But then one of them said that, “Who would fuck him?

So I kind of like, you know, tried to tap one of them and I said, “Hey guys, there’s another Asian guy behind you. Not that I’m eavesdropping, but I think that was not funny.” But they were nice enough to apologize.

And they said, you know, “We’re just joking. That was very insensitive of us.” And, you know, I took their apology and it gave me kind of like a, you know, that was the first time I actually felt that, you know, if you stand up and then if you call out people, you actually stop the behavior, or at least you feel that you did something for yourself.

Phil: I’m proud of JC for standing up and, you know, holding those guys accountable. What I loved about him is that he could have very well said what he said to them, and it would have changed nothing but it has to be done, and in hoping that as you’re doing it, you’re planting a seed on some way that, Hey, it’s not okay to do what you’re doing and you need to think about what you’re saying and why you’re saying it. Like really, hopefully make sure these people are thinking about what they’re doing. Yeah.

Alex: Yeah, I mean, for me, this was one of those moments where it was like, you know, us white queer people need to be holding each other accountable for these kinds of things and educating each other. And I think that there’s also an important distinction here to be made that when a white person states something under the guise – under a quote unquote preference, I really believe that that can be veiled racism or fetishization versus… there is a distinction between why a person of color might prefer to date another person of color for not wanting to have to explain racism or because a white person just hasn’t experienced those same types of moments of oppression, or might not be thoughtful about their privilege.

So I also feel like something this had me thinking about was that real distinction that, of this racism really coming from white gays, and then, you know, why a person of color might not want to date a white person.

Moses: On the flip side, we made things even crazier was that, you know, my black friends were upset with me because I was dating someone that wasn’t black.

I had this one black friend who’s it was… he was still in the closet. He was actually rather upset at the fact that I was dating a white guy. And we were hanging out and I was, you know, telling him about this guy.

And he was just like, “Why are you dating, you know, white people? You know that they don’t like us.”

And I was like , What do you mean they don’t like us? ‘Cause I’m dating someone who likes me a lot. So what’s…where… where are you getting at?” He basically said that I was a self-hater and I didn’t like black people or I didn’t like who I was and I wanted to be someone else because of the fact that I wasn’t dating, you know, my own race.

JC: I’ve met a lot of friends who I consider now like brothers and/or sisters. They’re like amazing friends. And even then, I have like multiple experiences where they would make the same exact kind of like statements. One good example is while we were in an Uber going to a party after pregame, they’re looking in through their Grindr and then they’re like, you know, browsing through the boys.  The boys.

And then they saw this one picture of a guy and then they’re like, “Oh, it’s cute. Hot, you know?” And then one of them said, “He looks Asian. Move.”

And I was like, “Guys, I’m right next to you. There’s only three of us here on the backseat, you know? I mean, what do you mean by that? You know, I thought we were friends.” And they apologized, which is just good ‘cause they’re my friends. But deep inside, you know, I… it does affect me and it does affect how I… how I see myself and how I communicate with other people. These experiences

Moses: These experiences happened less… like, within like half a year. And it was just like all of these new things that were coming into sight, such a fast pace, as such a short time. I was just like… We need a lot of work.

Phil: You know, I thought the story was really interesting because, you know, over my dating career, I definitely feel like I’ve had some friends, and they were black friends, who were just like, “Hmm. You know, are you going to do some black women? Like, is that ever going to happen?”

You know, I feel like I’ve gotten questioned here. They’re not, not in a very harsh way and not… not in a very sort of aggressive way, but in a way where I, you know, I’m sure my friends were like, You need to open up your scope of people you’re dating. 

And for me, it’s never really been about preference. It’s definitely, definitely not prejudice. I’m usually dating whoever’s in my dating pool all the time. Whoever’s, like, in my social circle of time. It really just depends on who I’m spending time with. But I can definitely see how in our community, there is a thing sometimes where people, you know, especially with like dating apps. you are told to put in your preferences and it can really come across really problematic.

Alex: I feel like this is especially, you were kind of saying, this is really prevalent on dating apps where people will literally write on their dating profile who they’ll… who they’ll date or who they won’t date.

Is there anything else that you want to say, get talked to about in these particular stories?

Phil: I don’t. I don’t. I think I want to bring in our guests because I think, you know, I want to talk to this gentleman about what it’s like dating for him. And has he had any of these situations or any of these incidents where someone didn’t want to date him because of his race. Sampson? Come on in, baby.

Alex: Welcome to I’m From Driftwood, Samson. We’re so excited to talk to you, you know, since you are an award-winning comedian and activist, a writer, an all around entertainer, so much good stuff. So thank you so much for joining us.

Sampson: Thank you all for having me. This means a lot to be here

Phil: Now, before we jump into the topic of today’s show, you know, I want to introduce the members of our Driftwood community. Some of them may not be familiar with you and what you do. Tell them a little bit about you and what you do.

Sampson: Not familiar with me? They better get with the program, okay?

Phil: Shame on them. Shame on them.

Sampson: Shame. Shame. Shame. I’m just… I’m just from around the way. You know, I’m from Southeast DC. My folks are from North Carolina. So even though I’m in the entertainment industry, I’m definitely still full of homeboy vibes. It’s… you hang with me, it’s like, I’m your favorite cousin, I’m that neighbor, come visit me and I’m going to share a blunt with you. You can come eat at my house.

And that has translated very well into my comedy for over 20 years as a – I humbly say this because I didn’t know I was doing it when it was happening – as a pioneer in queer comedy. I was one of the first black queer standup comedians in the country. So I’m very grateful that I have been able to be out on the road. I miss being out on the road.

And not just performing in places like New York City and LA, but I was in Alabama, okay? I had white supremacists coming to my shows. You know, the KU Klux Klan came to my show. I’ll send you all the article. And they came out and I was like, “I didn’t even know they like comedy.”

Okay. You know, I could… I could go on and on, because of course I’m very passionate about it, but the most beautiful thing about it has been using comedy, film, writing, you know, being in the community as a member. I don’t like saying activist… as a member. Helping to serve meals and be a part of the community to bring our collective humanity together, to use laughter to do that and honesty like we’re doing here. And I’ve been doing that for a really long time.

Alex: Well, we are going to dig further into all of the things that you brought up. So our producer, Anddy would describe you as a queer comedy icon. And as you talked a little bit about, that means that you’re usually touring all over the place and performing. So what has life been like for you right now being a comedian during COVID?

Sampson: Sad! I’ve been over here. I did turn into a chef now. I’m like, I didn’t know I could make that. It’s been, I mean, thankfully we have technology, but nothing beats the human experience. And I think being kind of deprived of the human experience has been the hardest part.

Phil: You know, I’d love to know how you first got into comedy and maybe give – even give us a story about, you know, the first time you jumped on stage.

Sampson: Oh, Lord. Whew.

Phil: Take us back.

Sampson: You want me to revisit that? Let’s see. I started when I was 16, really when I was younger. Phil and I, I think, can… can relate very closely to this. I’m not sure where Alex, how closely, but I mean, where, where did you grow up, Phil?

Phil:  In New York. I’m a New Yorker.

Sampson: Okay. So, you know, we used to sit on the stoop and talk about each other’s mamas.

Phil: 100%. That is true.

Sampson: You know, we used to have these little things called block parties, you know? We used to go to school and I’m from DC so we called it joning. But you know, in different places, they call it snapping and roasting and jonesing and all that stuff, talking about each other’s mamas and daddies. Humor has been a coping mechanism for a lot of the horror that we face as human beings.

You know, we… when we didn’t have anything else, we had laughter. So that’s always been a part of my experience. I didn’t know that I could do anything professionally with it. A white teacher in second grade named Miss Diane Walters who said, “You’re funny. That’s not something to be ashamed of. I want you to do something constructive with it.” Because I had been failing all my classes until I met this lady and she gave me every Wednesday to stand up in front of the class and do five minutes, as long as I did my work and was quiet the rest of the week. And it really taught me a sort of discipline and respect for authority, because authority doesn’t have to be… it doesn’t have to be aggressive. So I had a lot of teachers who said, you know, Do something with this, nurture it. Because my mother wanted me to be a pastor and go to the military or something like that. And I’m like, Lady, you crazy.

Alex: Well, from your five minutes in front of the class to now working with some amazing prolific people, I mean, you’ve played major gigs across the globe. Is there any particular career highlight that you’re most proud of?

Sampson: Ooh, that’s a good question. And to tell you the truth, I don’t know. I’m not really into it for the accolades, even though those are nice. I got a bunch of awards in my closet right now.

I really think, and I mean this, I’m not being cute, it really is meeting the people and using humor to, like, get to the root of our issues as people. Yes, racism exists and it’s never going to go anywhere. Never. Homophobia exists. It’s not going anywhere. People are always going to have certain biases. Even when this country becomes mostly Brown, we’re going to have more colorism conversations. That’s going to happen. But I think using laughter to acknowledge those differences, tell the truth about them, which makes it funny, ‘cause it makes you a little uncomfortable. You laugh either because you’re uncomfortable because you relate to it. That’s beautiful.

And I think being able to have all kinds of different people, you know, even though I’m black and queer my audience, they’re white, they’re black. I mean, some people come, they come into theater. I’m like, How the hell do you know who I am?

You know, but it’s beautiful because all these people, at the end of the day, we are people living this human experience. And so I would definitely say, and there’s so many beautiful ways that we do it, just using the laughter to bring people together is the best thing that I’ve accomplished. And that’s why I keep doing it.

Phil: Yeah, it doesn’t surprise me that you are finding people coming to your show and being like, “How the hell did you… how did you out?” Because, you know what, because people are drawn to authenticity. They’re drawn to realness, you know? And so that’s what you’re giving them. And that’s refreshing, especially in this day and age. Realness, please. Okay. So thank you for that. We love that.

So I would like to bring you into the conversation we’re having earlier about dating race and the queer community.

Sampson: On dating?

Phil: Yep!

Sampson: Child, I gotta find a man to like me first.

Phil: So, I want to jump into one of them controversial topics surrounding this topic. So what is your take on preference versus prejudice?

Sampson: I think it’s approach. I think it really comes down to approach. Me, personally, I say this out loud all the time when I’m at the HRC galas, you know where… where there is “diversity.” That’s where diversity – air-quotes – comes together. You know, it’s, I really do embrace all of us as human beings. However we show up. We show up in all kinds of complicated ways we do.

But for me, I’m going to love a black man. There is a love that I have for my culture. For everything, Phil, that you know we do. I could probably quote some movies to you right now, and it would be an inside joke. You would just start laughing. We could have a whole conversation with movie quotes right now, or song or making sounds.

And something that I heard y’all discussing earlier, too, is not having to have cultural conversations with your partner. I dated a white guy once. And it was nice, too. He used to call me back and, you know, he had his stuff together. And he really did… he liked black men but he didn’t understand.

Like, I think we got on a date or he came to pick me up from my house or something back when I was living in DC and we were on BWI Parkway going to Baltimore where he lived at. We got pulled over by the police. We are on the side of the road, I’m in the passenger seat.

The police came to my side, had me to roll down my window, and asked me for my information.

And I’m like, “Well, sir, I’m not the one in the driver’s seat.”

‘I don’t care. Don’t talk back to me. I’m gonna ask you to get out the car.” So I get quiet and I’m sweating. I’m, you know, I’m not… I don’t really get emotional about things, but I just was, it was making me angry because I knew what was going on.

And then he goes around and asks him, “Are you okay? Is everything okay?” Didn’t ask him for his ID, driver’s license, ask him was the car his, any of that stuff. “Are you okay? Is everything good?” And then he let us go and it made me really upset. I’m getting upset now just thinking about it.

Phil: It’s upsetting.

Sampson: So we pull off and we’re quiet in the car and he, the way he’s driving, like, he’s, he’s happy. I could tell he felt safe. I could tell, like, you know, it’s… there’s a certain confidence that you have when you know society’s on your side –  I don’t know. It’s just, he, for him that was normal to be, Are you okay?

And I’m like, “Did you… did you see anything wrong with it?”

“Oh, he just, he wanted to make sure that I was okay.”

And I’m like, “So the way that he did that, you didn’t notice that?”

“Oh, I think you’re just reading too much into it.

Phil: Yeah. No.

Sampson: Who wants to go through things like that?

Phil: Yeah.

Alex:  I mean, that is… that is such a stark contrast. And so illustrative of how a white person would be insulated by their privilege and how that would be so harmful in so many different aspects.

So thank you so much for sharing that story with us. I mean, how do you find your social circles talking about this? Like, do you remember the first time that you started thinking about the issue of preference versus prejudice? You know, when this became important to you?

Sampson: It became important when we started dating. I had an affinity for white boys. You know, all my crashes were white. I liked Jonathan Taylor Thomas. I liked Elijah Wood. And I started trying to like… I would look at white guys when we would go out.

And my best friend was like, “No, baby, we got over here to this club. I’m going to put you in here and let you listen to some R&B music. I didn’t know there was any… any difference. And then that’s when I started learning that there was racism in the gay community. I thought that because we were gay, you know, and we share that experience being discriminated against and not being able to get married, I thought, like, We got it. And then when I learned that it was racism in the gay community, I’m like, What?

So that’s what I learned. You see it all the time when the apps.

Alex: Well, in June, 2020, these apps claimed that they were going to remove ethnicity filters. I mean, do you think that moves like that from these companies help at all? Like, is there anything that these companies could be doing better?

Sampson: No. You know, people are going to be people.

Alex: Yeah.

Sampson: I think, you know, the people who know better are going to do better. I think maybe because now they have movies and things streaming on these apps. But I think maybe including panels or something on the apps where people can have these sorts of conversations and see these conversations may help a little.

But again, preference, as we alluded to earlier, we mentioned earlier, is, you know, once you’re more comfortable with – maybe it’s because of where you live at in the city or what you feel comfortable with or what you vibe with.

And then you have other people that are like, I don’t care how great of a person you are. If you Asian, I don’t want it. You know, but there’s a difference between, you know, just maybe cultural understanding and versus discrimination and… and those… those things just it’s… it’s a part of people being people. I hate to say it. It’s a horrible thing to have to come to terms with, but I think understanding it, just continuing to have the conversation about it is the best we can do.

Phil: So on one of the stories we’ve heard earlier, one of the people actually confronted friends of theirs for making racist comments, you know, while scrolling through a dating app. Have you ever had to do the same to a friend or family member? Like kind of call them on a racist comment?

Sampson: Child. I should, but you know, black folks, we say stuff all the time and it’s normal. We don’t got nothing else. If we want to call somebody a crazy name, you know, we can do it. And there’s just this understanding you do it because, you know, sometimes you got to call them crazy white people. You know, sometimes, I mean, it’s – but as far as calling anybody out on racism, I will do that. You know, there is a difference between how black people do it. When we do it. You know, we don’t mean no harm. You can call someone, “Oh, crazy white lady.” Oh, you know, we call people Karens. They were in Starbucks being Karen. They were. Look at the video. That is the pure definition of a Karen.

You know, but if it’s something rooted in hatred, you know, if I have a friend who goes, “I hate white people,” and I hear them go, “Oh, I’m gonna go out today and I’m going to find a white person to beat him up,” I don’t condone that. I don’t condone hatred. I condone good humor that allows us to… to understand our differences and talk about them.

And I think one of the best ways to do it is acknowledge it and make fun of it. You know, I had white friends who say some crazy stuff about black people and I laugh because I’d be like, “It’s true. It’s true. Now don’t say it when you come to my neighborhood now. But you and I, we know that’s true.”

But I also understand it’s not with any ill intent. It’s humor. Again, including humor, that will help. But as far as calling people out, you absolutely have to call people out. I have friends who are, you know, white allies and accomplices who tell me things, you know, “Oh, you know, I know black people aren’t this and that and deserve this. And there needs to be more equity here.”

And I’m like, “Well, we know that, but you also last week told me about your racist uncle who hates black people and has a Confederate flag in his yard. So you need to go have a conversation with him.”

Alex: I mean, I, you know, one of the things you mentioned was having a friend who, like, says… talks about these issues with you and then tells you about their like Trump-loving uncle with a Confederate flag.

And I’m really of the mind that it’s like, now – I mean always, but especially now it’s super incumbent on white people to be having these conversations. This is our problem. This is white people’s problem. This is our problem. We created this problem. We perpetuate this problem. It is – we have to do better and we have to be having these conversations.

And I know that in my life, that is something that I am always trying to do with people and trying to send them information and call them out and trying to interrogate my own moments when I make mistakes and when I do things wrong, too. So I really feel like, you know, this is white people’s problem, and it’s incumbent on us to… to address this stuff with our people.

I think there was this big… I remember seeing a lot of people on Facebook after the 2016 election, a lot of white people being like, “Well, I’m never talking to my Trump-supporting family ever again.” And it was like, actually, no, like, you’re the one who has to do that. Like I saw a lot of, especially white LGBTQ people being like, “I’m not talking to them,” and it was like, well, then who’s going to do it? Like, we have to do this.

So that’s… that’s… I mean, when I feel like that’s the… that’s the way to move forward, I feel like is, you know, going and talking to the white gays amongst ourselves and educating each other and holding each other to account too.

Sampson: So, you know, you gonna have to take a little cocaine with you, but, you know, they’ll listen

Alex: Noted!

Phil: Take the edge off a little bit, right?

Alex: Well, I mean, look, as we… as we do move into a time where it does seem like more people who haven’t engaged with these issues are engaging with them more, in what ways would you like to see the queer community tackle this?

Sampson: Honesty. You know, we… we act like it doesn’t exist, but I mean, just honesty. I mean, continuing to have the conversations. I think that again, it’s going to take people who are connected, who have the access, who can’t get into the rooms that say me and Phil are,,, you know, we might not be able to get into those rooms, but, you know, Alex, you may be able to get to those rooms. And so if there are people in there who, you know, who you can have their ear and they may have, you know, gatekeepers or, you know, people can make decisions that will allow those conversations to be had.

I mean, dating, especially now, is a circus. Okay. I’m so happy I got me a little dog. I don’t know what to do. Dating is a circus as it is, but then you add those layers that make it more complicated, like, you know, racial issues and things like that. Use it as an opportunity to educate yourself about the world and how you need to approach it.

Boundaries are very important. There’s a… the block button is a blessing. Okay? And be willing to have those conversations with people that will have the conversations because – and I’ve been called names online by white gay folks and things, and I will call them out and I say, “Well, why would you…” And I don’t get upset because I know I know what the definition or the N-word is and I know it’s not me. I’m nowhere near that. You know, so I don’t get upset by it. But I say, “What would make you use that word? Why would you say something like that?”

And some of them go, “I apologize. I just got upset.”

And I’m like, “Okay, well, why is that your go-to when you’re upset?” And we have a conversation and I don’t know what they do when they get offline, but I know conversations like that – and I really… I get tired of being nice. Okay? I really do get tired of being nice. You just want to whoop some ass sometimes. You really do. But as humans, an element of compassion is important. You know, so we have to be willing to chew, as tiring as it is ‘cause people try you when you’re nice to them, but it’s tiring as it is, you know, you have to know how far you’re willing to go. You have to be willing to have these conversations with each other.

Phil: I agree. And some days you’re just too tired to have the conversation, right? Like just not today. You have to pick your day, you know, it’s like you gotta to pick the right day. There’s some days where you can, I’m like, I gotta tap out.

Sampson: Yeah. Some days you gotta tap out. Well, I’m going to make a… I’m going to make an app where we recruit white women who like to argue and they’re going to be our allies. And so they go to Starbucks and then we just sic them on people who, like, we need them to argue at for us. So that’s what we’re going to do. So if you need one of them to argue with your landlord, they’re going to send your landlord an angry letter. Okay? You know, if somebody calls you a racist name online, we going to send our friendly Karens to do iot.

Phil: I love it.

Sampson: It really… it takes all of us. It really – and we can’t be angry about it. We have to understand that this is what it is. And take the actions that we need to take to deal with it.

Moses: We can’t be seen as a group of people that want to have a unified message of equality and no discrimination if we ourselves are dividing ourselves, you know, through whatever methods, whether it’s someone’s, you know, feminine or whether someone is masculine or whether someone is Black or there’s someone is white.

I mean, if we continue to create these own divisions within our own group, you know, we’re no better than the ones that are discriminating against us. And it’s extremely important because we have to change the way that we think. We have to change our minds within our own community, open our own minds, before we can expect other people to open their minds to us. It is

JC: It is important for me to speak up for myself and for others because if I don’t and if they don’t, then nobody will. And you know, we live in a very diverse society and we have – each of us has a role to play and has something to give.

Phil: So what’s next for you, Samson? What’s going on with comedy? You have any plans coming up that we need to know about?

Sampson: You never know where I’m going to pop up. Just follow me on Instagram so you can know what I… where I’m gonna pop up till we can get back on the road. My Instagram is just the @SampsonMcCormick. Just my name to make sure to go follow me.

I also am a queer content –  Black queer content creator. So I have a new film that’ll be out Valentine’s Day weekend, speaking of dating, called “Love the One You’re With,” and it’s about ghosting and relationships and dating and the Black queer community. The fact that it’s coming out on Valentine’s Day, if you’re in a relationship that’s a little rocky, you might not want to look at it with you’re partner because,  oh my God.

That film was coming out. I’m very proud of it. We shot it illegally. I say that very proudly. We shot it illegally during the quarantine. I was scared. You know, we were sneaking, renting Airbnbs and stuff, shooting, like, “Come on, hurry up, you got your mask on? All right,  take it off and come over here.”

But it’s beautiful. And I have another comedy special that’s on YouTube called Church Boy. It’s become my number one most streamed comedy film out of all five that I have. Go to YouTube and check it out and follow me on Instagram to stay connected. There’s always… there’s lots of laughter, family, just family and good vibes. That’s what you get from me.

Alex: Well, we will definitely be following up on all of the projects and stuff you have coming up. This was such an insightful, vulnerable, fun conversation to have, Sampson. So we really appreciate you joining us. Thank you so much. Thank

Sampson: Thank y’all. Thank y’all for having the conversation.

Phil: We… this was wonderful. Thank you.

The I’m From Driftwood Podcast is hosted by Phil aka Corinne

Alex: And Alex Berg, and is produced by Andy Egan-Thorpe.

Phil: It’s recorded as a program of I’m From Driftwood, a worldwide nonprofit LGBTQAI+ story archive.

Alex: I’m From Driftwood’s Founder and Executive Director is Nathan Manske. It’s Program Director is Damien Mittlefehldt.

Phil: I’m From Driftwood is a nonprofit organization, and this Podcast was funded in part by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.

Alex: Additional funding is provided by TD Bank and Heritage of Pride New York.

Phil: I’m From Driftwood was created to help queer and trans people learn more about their community…

Alex: Help straight people learn more about their neighbors…

Phil: And help everyone learn more about themselves…

Alex: All through the power of storytelling.

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Alex: Thanks for listening y’all.