GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos sat down with Judge Mathis Sr. and Greg Mathis Jr. of Mathis Family Matters to talk identity, religion, and more. In the interview, the father and son duo express their mutual respect and support for one another, especially as Greg works to establish himself as an openly gay man in the public eye. Judge Mathis Sr. reflects on learning his son had not been living fully truthfully due to fear of discrimination, sharing: “It troubles me to know that all these years that I thought he was living his life free of constriction regarding his sexual identity, it troubled me to know he hadn’t been.”
On the challenges he is facing, and the impact of his father’s support, Greg tells GLAAD: “It means a lot. It’s a vulnerable experience to open yourself to the world, particularly when you know it’s an issue that a lot of people have strong feelings on and there’s a lot of bigots out there that unfortunately do have strong feelings towards the LGBTQ community.”
Watch the full interview below:
As with the Mathis’ conversation with GLAAD, audiences can also expect a nuanced, meaingful look at being Black, queer, and in the public eye in an upcoming episode of Mathis Family Matters. In an exclusive clip shared with GLAAD, Ramos joins Greg Mathis Jr. and his boyfriend to discuss Greg’s next steps in engaging with LGBTQ advocacy.
Despite his father’s “conservative fan base,” Greg feels committed and hopeful to sharing his true self with the world at large. “When I told [my dad] that I wanted to become more public with my sexuality, to kind of help inspire other people, and really share my story, he was proud of that. But he actually challenged me and said ‘you have to be that activist, you have to take that step.'”
Watch the full exclusive clip below:
Does Greg, in the words of his father, “have an obligation to show others?” Find out in the next episode of Mathis Family Matters, airing Sundays at 10 on E!
