Brian and Judson hookup with Kevin Aviance and talk the pressures of being an icon, making Beyoncé c*nty, ballroom history, what it means to be a Black Queen today, and more

About this episode

Brian and Judson interview Kevin Aviance about his life, career, and the pressures of being an icon in the LGBTQ community.

Brian and Judson are joined by recording artist, DJ, and performance legend whose influence has shaped generations of LGBTQ nightlife, dance music, and drag performance, Kevin Aviance! Kevin talks about how he reset his life after surviving a brutal hate crime in 2006 that shocked the LGBTQ community, how the pandemic gave rise to his DJing career, and how Beyoncé sampling his hit song “Cunty” on her Renaissance album completed his return to icon status. He also talks about the pressures of being labeled iconic, the origins of his latest album, HIPPOPOTAMUS!, his views on sex and hookup culture, his friendship with queens Honey Davenport and Sapphira Cristál and how they helped him understand what it means to be Black and queer in today’s world, his history with the ballroom scene and his reaction to its omnipresence within mainstream pop culture, why he loves aging, and his concern that the younger generation of queer people have lost a sense of history and the ability to learn through experience. Kevin then helps Brian and Judson respond to a Go Ask Your Dad question from a trans man who wants help building confidence to help him in finding friends and making hookups happen.

People in this episode

Hosts: Brian Rubin-Sowers, Judson Morrow

Guest: Kevin Aviance

Topics covered

• LGBTQ nightlife
• icon status
• ballroom history
• Black queer identity
• sex and hookup culture
• aging in the queer community

Keywords

• Kevin Aviance
• Beyoncé
• LGBTQ
• ballroom
• icon
• queer
• DJing
• Cunty
• HIPPOPOTAMUS!

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Cunty, HIPPOPOTAMUS!

More episodes of Dads And Daddies

• Brian and Judson hookup with ‘Blue Film’ writer and director Elliot Tuttle and talk adolescent sexuality, slippery morality, what overindexing on queer joy does to taste levels, and Daddying vs fathering · June 9, 2026 · 1h 23m
• Brian and Judson celebrate the launch of Season Three with a Go Ask Your Dad Extravaganza and talk open relationship rules, self-care routines, sex party connections, unpredictable libidos, and more · June 2, 2026 · 1h 18m
• Brian and Judson hookup with Zachary Zane and talk Bisexual Audibility, the joys of bottoming, being brave about sex when sober, the value of anger, whether top shortages are a myth, and more · May 19, 2026 · 1h 58m
• Brian and Judson hookup with Nick Wolny and talk generating wealth as queer people, whether poppers are an essential expense, accepting our social inheritances, preparing emotionally and financially for gay events, and more · May 12, 2026 · 1h 25m
• Brian and Judson hookup with The Disappointments creator and star Rich Burns and talk regrets after 50, the path from connection to kink, who decides who’s a Daddy, scheduling sex and more · May 5, 2026 · 1h 32m
• Brian and Judson celebrate 100 episodes with Cats: The Jellicle Ball’s Sydney James Harcourt and talk sex with straight men, preferring faceless Grindr profiles, his affair with Andy Cohen, recognizing realness as a trauma response, and more · April 28, 2026 · 1h 24m