Family, this week on Queer News Anna DeShawn is still celebrating her birthday so we're bringing you something special, a Chicago connection that runs deep. She sat down with singer-songwriter Jim Verraros, who you may remember from the very first season of American Idol, where he made history as the first openly gay contestant on national TV back in 2002. In this candid conversation, Jim reflects on coming out at a time when queer visibility was scarce, the pressures and trauma of reality TV, and how representation has shifted in the 20 years since. We talk about Nico Lang's Rolling Stone exposé on queer Idol contestants, the resilience it takes to return to music after 15 years, and Jim's brand new album Explicit