Tom Goss

Recently I had the opportunity to interview Tom Goss who is a singer that is openly gay. I must admit he was another entertainer I was not aware of until I watched his videos on Youtube and I was very entertained with his music.

How long have you been in the music business?

• I released my first record in 2006 (Naked Without) and have been in the business ever since.

Was it hard for you as an openly gay man to break into the music business?

• The Music business is very hard for everyone, gay and straight.  I don't believe that my sexual orientation has hampered my ability to connect with people.  More than anything, people just want people to be authentic.

Where are you primarily located?

• I live in Washington, DC.

When can new music from you be expected?

- I'm going into the studio to record a new album in December and January.  Expect a late Spring 2014 release!

Any advice for someone who is trying to break into the music industry?

-  Work hard, stay true to your voice and be as authentic and open as possible.  If you do that, folks will connect with you.

I always like to get the professional questions out of the way before I ask the personal questions.

Other than music and Bears, what are your hobbies or interests?

-  hahaha, I've never heard bears described as a hobby/interest : )  I love eating, playing soccer (playing most any sport or game really) and hanging out with people I love.  I love keeping things low key and laughing a lot.  

 

 

What is it about Bears that you love so much?

• I don't really know.  It's hard to pinpoint what it is about something that you like when it's hard wired in your bones.  I can't tell you why I'm drawn to bears anymore than I can tell you why I'm drawn to men.  I have no idea why I'm attracted to bears, but I'm happy I figured that out.  They're awesome : )

How long have you been married to your partner?

-  Next week will be 3 years!

How did the two of you meet?

• Yahoo personals!  True story.  That was 8 years ago now : )

What is the name of your partner?

- Mike.

What are your passions in life?

• Music, food, laughter and truth.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

- First and foremost as a stable and supportive husband.  Other than that, I'm not sure.  I'd love to continue to grow as an artist and continue to create beautiful music, video and other imagery.  More than anything, I hope I learn to be more authentic and honest in everything I create.

And the end of the interview I wanted to get Tom's personal views of the gay community and the progress we have made this far.

Do you believe that the gay community is headed in the right direction and do you think that there is entirely too much drama in it a lot of the time?

•  I'm not one to speak about other people's drama.  I like to focus on all of the inspirational people living healthy lives and working hard for the rights of our community.  Those people far outnumber anyone else.

What are your feelings on pride and equal rights for all people?

• All people should be treated equally under the law.  Simple.

What are your thoughts about the progress the gay community has made over the past few years?

-  Astounding.  I think that Minnesota is kind of a microcosm of what has happened in the past couple years.  6 months ago they were voting on whether to ban gay marriage and define marriage as between a man and a woman, now it is completely legal.  I'm not sure we will ever witness such a change in public attitude and opinion as we're seeing now.  I'm happy to be able to watch it.  I'm so proud of the LGBT community for coming together and getting vocal.  It's more about education than anything.  It's much harder to take away the rights of your brother, cousin or co-worker than it is to take away the rights of something faceless and nameless, that you've been taught to fear.