"... I chose to be an out, gay Black actor. Doing that, I took a risk; I made a decision that for years people in the entertainment industry considered career suicide," writes Doug Spearman. "To be black and an actor is hard enough, but to call yourself gay on top of that? Screwed from the gate. But I also realized that nothing changes if nothing changes. Actors, really kids who sit in their rooms and watch TV like I did and dream of doing those things that I saw like I did, wouldn’t do them, might not even attempt them, if someone didn’t at least try to be all that they honestly were. So, I came out. And I’ve managed to have a bit of a career, too. It might be bigger if I’d chosen to be closeted, but then again, it might not. READ MORE

Doug Spearman is an American actor. His career highlights include work on such television shows as Star Trek Voyager, The Drew Carey Show, The Hughleys, Charmed, Gideon's Crossing, MAD TV, Girlfriends and Profiler. Spearman recently co-starred on the LOGO hit show Noah's Arc, in which he played Chance Counter, an out black gay college professor. MORE