Greetings, good people of the internet. It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Nathan Ramos.
Who are you?
Nathan Ramos - Queer Gaysian Icon, I guess? You can’t tell because this is an article, but I posed and did a model walk in a public space after typing that.
What are you?
My dad is a Filipino NASA Engineer/Army Brat from El Paso, TX, and my mom is your typical untrained interior designer, Michelin star chef without the accolades Korean Immigrant, so I'm kind of 1.5 gen? Koreapino? Filirean? Kimchi Adobo Kween?
Where are you?
I'm currently at the Century City Mall at an outdoor table. I thought it would be warmer today, but it's pretty windy. Malls are my favorite people watching spots and today is really giving it to me. Colbie Caillat B-Sides are playing, a woman threw her trash off of a balcony, and I definitely watched two guys initiate a Grindr hookup.
Where are you from?
I'm from a town called Strongsville, half an hour south of Cleveland. One time I performed Macbeth in a tractor warehouse for an agriculture school 25 minutes away.
What do you do?
I'm a writer/songwriter/actor.
My play As We Babble On is having its World Premiere at East West Players, in conjunction with the LA LGBT Center.
(Previews start May 31st, Opening Night June 6th, Closes June 24th).
I am also Creative Producer, Music Director, and Songwriter/Script Writer for the reboot of The Mickey Mouse Club -- Club Mickey Mouse.
(of which there are four Mouseketeers that identify with the Filipinx Experience.)
What are you all about?
I love epic superhero sagas, character driven comedy, and trash reality TV. As We Babble On connects all of these worlds that I love so dearly. I never saw myself, growing up in a pretty small homogenous town, so I immersed myself in comic books and video games, and can name every winner of Survivor and American Idol. In high school, I found niche gay community websites like xy.com -- places for fellow closeted teens to find friends, or probably be kidnapped.
I really work toward creating stories for people that look like me and have the same experiences I do (API Community/LGBTQ Community) but instead of focusing on the suffering, try to focus on pushing toward the joy and possibility of our personhood. I like when the sunshine punches through the gray. Also love funny gay/intersectional stuff that makes you laugh, turns you on, and horrifies you all at the same time, all while saying "omg that's so me."
What makes you angry?
The Asian diaspora is so fractured and has such a wide personal experience, that sometimes our voices and causes to me are like two ships passing. I really want to work toward continually discovering the common Asian American experience. Yes, we all come to America or have grown up here with different customs, various interconnectedness, and a tumultuous history, but we are all seen as a homogenous mass under the banner of 'Asian' in America, so gathering under that is important to me. It frustrates me when we other-ize each other, sometimes cutting our community off at the knees instead of building a castle together. A rising tide lifts all boats. So I guess I'm saying we should all just cuddle more? And yes I'm available to do so!
