Gale Harold’s official statement about missing this week’s “Queer as Folk” reunion in Germany

When I posted earlier about Gale Harold missing out on this weekend’s Queer as Folk reunion in Germany, I didn’t realize that he had released a statement explaining his absence last week.

Here it is:

The first thing I’d like to say is that I truly regret not being a part of Rise’n Shine 2012. I am very proud of the American adaptation of Queer as Folk that I had the good grace to be a part of. I have to thank Dan Lipman and Ron Cowen for giving me that chance.

I’d love to be there to celebrate with you. Obviously QAF changed all of our lives. And that fact is more than just the echo of a well-worn phrase. In the years since the series completed, one thing has become very clear to me; there were many lifelong transformations that I, and I think my cast-mates went through while living through our characters.

I had been greatly looking forward to attending the convention, reuniting with all my old cast-mates and meeting all of you. A wonderful work opportunity has only recently come my way and unfortunately the scheduling of that project does not allow me the time to come to Cologne and join you. This disappoints me just as much as I fear it will disappoint many of you. I hope you will all understand and forgive my absence.

Whatever I gave to others through QAF, I received vastly more in return. I can remember when we started to hear the stories from those first watching the show. I will never forget being told by some of my brothers and sisters in the gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender community that they were hearing their own voices and seeing themselves, some for the first time, on screen. Not everyone in the community saw, or even liked the work we did. But there were many who found hope and solidarity in the stories we tried to tell. I’ve heard that directly from many of those who did. That is undoubtedly what I treasure most. The best we can do as story tellers is tell the truth and find someone to listen to us and respond; however it affects them and however we get there. We told the truth.

I had looked forward to being in Cologne with all of you and hearing some new stories.
I will deeply miss hearing them.
It would have been great after the years that have passed to be with the boys and girls from Pittsburgh together in a new city far,far away…

Sincerely,
Gale Harold