In our new issue we talk to JD Samson about how good it is to see more and more of the LGBT community feature in shows which don’t centre solely on them immediately dealing with their sexuality. That said there could still be more. Enter Eastsiders, the creation of Kit Williamson. The web series is now in its second season and has just been nominated for two Daytime Emmys.

Focusing on couple Thom and Cal and how they adjust their relationship to make it work, Eastsiders manages to avoid clichés and deal with modern-day LGBT issues. Featuring a colourful cast of characters, there are cameos from Drag Race’s Willam, porn icon Traci Lords and more.

We talk to Kit about Eastsiders and beyond….

Eastsiders feels very much like an updated version of Tales of the City. Was that in mind when you were writing it?
Tales of the City is a huge inspiration. I honestly didn’t think of it when I was writing the series but I can see what you mean! That’s a huge compliment–Tales of the City has impacted so many people and I would love to write something that stands the test of time like that someday.

In Eastsiders, your Mum, Kathy & Hilary are all relatively ‘dramatic’ to say the least. Can we make any assumptions on the women in your life based on these characters?
There are definitely some facets of my friends and family in those characters but they’re not based on real people. I will say that almost everyone in my life is prone to extreme emotions. Not sure why I attract that but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Passionate people inspire me.

What was it like working with Traci Lords?
Van had worked with Traci on a movie and suggested I write something for her. I was so excited when she said she’d do it. Traci is incredible to work with and I learned a lot from her. I’d love to keep writing for her.

A really interesting quote from the hen party scene was ‘Bisexuals are always trying to get you on their team.’ Do you think the LGBT community can be quick to turn their back on a celebrity if they don’t conform to a sexuality?
I think there are a lot of politics at play when discussing a celebrity’s sexual orientations. It seems like some people want things to be digestible, something that can be condensed to a sound bite, but not everyone fits into a box. I think these people are projecting their own situation onto a celebrity and they get angry when that’s upended. I understand why it’s frustrating politically when someone changes their declared sexual orientation–but ultimately we need to be mindful of not building prisons for ourselves. To me, the struggle is not about making homosexuality acceptable as a mirror version of heterosexuality, but rather about imagining a world where everyone is free to express themselves.

Do you think entering the LGBT media as an independent show people are less looking to criticise you? With HBO’s Looking for example, which I loved, people seemed to want to find faults in it.
Because there’s so little LGBT content out there, there’s this added pressure to represent everyone’s experience–which you can’t do. What you can do is be conscious of the need for more diversity in casting as well as more diversity behind the camera. I think people are actually just as likely to criticize LGBT indie projects, which can be a little frustrating when you’re working with a limited budget. We had less money to shoot two seasons of EastSiders than a show like Looking has to shoot five minutes. That’s literally true. I’m proud of assembling such a talented, diverse cast for the second season of our show, especially because we didn’t have the benefit of working with a casting director and holding weeks of auditions.

Was diversity something you purposely wanted to build into the plot or is it something that simply interested you?
Both. Silver Lake and Echo Park are extremely diverse–it’s a huge part of the fabric of the neighborhood.

I actually thought Willam Belli’s character’s relationship with Quincey was the most interesting. Dealing with ideas of masculinity and also being the star of the relationship. How did you find writing that storyline?
I loved writing for Stephen Guarino and Willam. I ended up expanding the part of Douglas because Willam came on board. One of the biggest themes of the second season is identity and how your relationship defines you, and I wanted to explore the concept that a gay couple is ‘supposed’ to look and act a certain way. I don’t believe that anyone should conform to a role just to make people comfortable–but I certainly grew up thinking that way. It’s something I’m still working through, being completely at peace with who I am, rather than projecting an image for other people. I think everyone struggles with that to a degree, but gay guys have a tendency to discriminate against each other in that regard as much or more than straight people do.

It was really interesting to see John in a heterosexual relationship. Was this something you wanted to feature to prove gay men can play straight roles? 
I definitely have an agenda when it comes to casting gay actors in straight roles. When straight actors play gay they are lauded as brave or unusually empathetic. But gay actors get put into a box. People like Matt Bomer and Neil Patrick Harris are forging a path for others to follow. I’m very fortunate to have been able to play both straight and gay roles, but if you count up the gay actors playing straight leading roles in films and TV shows you won’t be counting for very long.

Congratulations on your two Emmy nominations. Where were you when you found out?
I am teaching a web series production class at a college this semester and I was in the faculty lounge. I was completely caught off guard when I saw the tweets about it–I had thought they were announcing the nominees a week later.

What’s next for both you and Eastsiders?
I’m circling around the idea for a third season but I can’t say anything else just yet. We also have a very exciting announcement in the next few months, so stay tuned!

Will Kathy come back??
Kathy never left! She lives inside all of us. It would be incredible to follow her character backstage on the non-equity tour of Cats.

Lastly what is your favourite Mariah Carey song?
I love ‘Heartbreaker’! And her cover of ‘All by Myself’. I love a song you can scream along to in the car.

Gurl, bye. That’s Celine.

You can follow Kit on Facebook & Twitter.

You can rent Eastsider Season 1 through Vimeo On Demand here or Season 2 here.