Interview with Margie and Luke from "The Amazing Race"

Luke and Margie Adams

It was the gayest season ever of The Amazing Race, and also one of the best ever. Coincidence? I don't think so. There was father and son Mel and Mike White, who are both gay; sisters Kisha and Jen, (Kisha is a lesbian); one person who apparently isn't out of the closet; and, finally, Luke Adams and his mom Margie.

Luke and Margie were the only team with a gay member to make it to the final three, and while they didn't quite make it over the finish line first, they ran an impressive race — especially considering Luke is deaf, a potential drawback in a race where quick communication can be vital.

While the show never identified Luke as gay, this 24-year-old Coloradan is out and proud — and especially proud of the fact that he's the youngest gay man to ever make it to the final three. There were a lot of firsts on this season of The Amazing Race, but I'll let Luke tell us about them later. He is the resident TAR expert, after all.

AfterElton.com: Congratulations, guys!
Margie Adams: Thank you. Thank you so much.

AE: You were the first mother and son to make it to the final three, correct?
MA: I think so, Luke would know better than me.
Luke Adams: Yes.

AE: Luke, you're not only the first deaf racer on the show, but also the youngest gay person to make it to the final three. What did it mean for you guys to be on The Amazing Race and make it so far?
MA: It's incredible. I think we still think we're dreaming.

AE: Luke, from our interview with Mel White, we understand you are openly gay and wanted to be identified as such, but the TAR producers didn't want to. Do you feel they missed out on a chance to represent an extremely under-represented segment of the gay and lesbian community?
LA: CBS didn't want to add too many labels, a gay this or a gay that. Mel and Mike were very open about being gay, that was their team. I think the focus on my team with my mom was the fact that I was deaf, not that I was gay. I think they didn't want to confuse people by adding too many labels to me.
MA: [laughs] There are a lot of labels that could be on him!
LA: A lot of people have misconceptions that I like Cara and Jamie [pictured, right], and that's not true. We're friends, of course, but my interest in them is not like that. [laughs]

AE: What dating challenges do you face as a young, gay deaf man that a hearing person might not?
LA: It's the same.
MA: I think his dating options are fewer. [laughs]
LA: Dating for me might be a little harder because of the communication issue. I need to find someone to date who is willing to have patience and learn sign, and is willing to understand the deaf culture. I suppose that could be an issue.

AE: What message would you most like the hearing gay community to take away from your time on the show?
LA: I don't know. When I was in the race, I was really focused. That's not who I am. I'm not the same person I was on the race. I want people to know I'm the same as all other people except I can't hear. That's the only difference.

AE: Margie, how did you react when Luke came out?
MA: Luke told me when he was nineteen and he was a freshman in college. He told me in a text message from school, because that's how we communicate, through text or relay, and I said, "Okay. Thank you for telling me. Why did you wait so long?" He was surprised and said, "What?"

LA: No, no, no, Mom. I wanted to make sure I was actually gay. There was a time in my life that I was a little bit confused. I felt kind of both ways about it, but I wanted to make sure before I said anything to you that I was gay.
MA: Yeah, well, Luke sends me this text message and says, "I have something really important to tell you, and I don't want to hurt your feelings and I don't want you to be mad, but I'm gay." And I was like, "Thank you for telling me." And he was like, "You're not mad?" And I just said, "Why would I be mad? I've known your whole life." [laughs]

It doesn't change who Luke is. He's my son. He's a wonderful person. If he likes a man or likes a woman, that doesn't make any difference to me. I just want him to be happy. I called his sister when he told me, and said, "Hey, Luke finally came out." And she said, "Oh, it's about time." [laughs] There was no drama, no surprise. Nothing really changed except I think Luke was able to take a breath and be himself a little more around us.
LA: Actually, I felt a lot better after I did come out to my mom.