Cast members from Queer as Folk cast are reuniting — online at least — to help support LGBTQ community centers during the coronavirus pandemic.
Scott Lowell, who played Ted, will host the event that will feature actors Sharon Gless, Peter Paige, Michelle Clunie, Hal Sparks, Randy Harrison and Robert Gant alongside creators Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman. Other names are expected to be announced shortly. The event goes down May 1 (11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST) on YouTube.
In addition to chats and special conversations with the cast about the ground-breaking Showtime show, fans who tune in will have the opportunity to bid on Queer as Folk memorabilia and donate funds to support CenterLink and its network of over 250 LGBTQ community centers. Organizations such as CenterLink have fallen into focus of coronavirus-era philanthropic efforts as they provide a wide-range of services to populations left vulnerable to severe COVID-19 illness, such as the elderly, homeless and those facing underlying health conditions. Also, support for these organizations has been reduced due to strict safer-at-home ordinances that have shelved fundraisers and Pride events.
Queer as Folk, based on the British series of the same name, debuted in December 2000 and followed the lives of a group of gay men in Pittsburgh. It was hailed by the community for its depiction of gay sex, drugs, politics and activism at a time when gay-focused series were in short supply. The cast has reunited before, in 2018 for an Entertainment Weekly feature and last year for an event in West Hollywood.
