“For Me, It’s Spiritual.” Pose Actor, Dyllon Burnside Says Sex Between Men Is Like His Relationship With God

Pose star Dyllón Burnside has said he relates sex between men to his relationship with God because for him the act is “spiritual” and “holy.” Burnside – who plays the character of Ricky on the hit FX show, Pose – explores the theme of gay sex on his new single, Heaven, which he recently performed for Attitude Pride At Home, in association with Klarna. Discussing the song in a new interview, the performer furthermore discussed the representation of gay sex (or lack of it) in music.

“I think queer artists, particularly male queer artists, have been asked to sort of castrate themselves in order to sell, for so long,” Burnside said. “It’s this censoring of male-on-male sexuality. I push back against that. And that’s what I’m saying with ‘Heaven’, is that sex between men is not dirty. It’s holy, it’s sacred, it’s pure. I can relate it to my relationship with God because for me, it’s a spiritual experience.”

He adds: “Sex is all over ‘Heaven’. And I say it like that intentionally. Sex is all over heaven. Let’s be clear. So much of our lives is sex, and when we look at film and TV, and when we listen to music, sex is everywhere. It’s a natural part of our human experience. It would be disingenuous for me to not include sex in my music.”

In a 2020 Men’s Health interview, Burnside says he exists “outside of the sexual binary of just gay or straight.” The 32-year-old added: “I have the ability to move in a way that’s traditionally masculine, and I love that. But I have the ability to move in a way that is traditionally described for those of us who occupy more of a feminine space. I think we have to find the freedom within ourselves to explore all of that so that we can really be comfortable and confident in our bodies.”