"And The Truth Shall Set You Free..."

Zeke Thomas 

NBA Legend’s Son Is An Openly Gay DJ

12.30.2013

BY MICHAEL MUSTO

And other wild scenes from the nightlife

You think there’s no gay visibility in sports? Well, the out, proud Zeke Thomas—son of NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas—happens to be the official DJ for the annual NBA All-Star game, which will be held in New Orleans in February. That’s music to a lot of sports fans’ ears—and it’s hardly Zeke’s only high profile credit either. He also DJs club bashes in New York, Las Vegas, Miami, and his hometown of Detroit, plus he’s a recording artist/producer who’s coming out with a song called “Regret,” about the horror of waking up after a not really necessary night of too much partying. Our recent chat was intoxicating—a real slam dunk, if you will (with no dribbling).

Musto: Hi, Zeke. Do you find that the NBA is gay friendly?

Zeke Thomas: I do. When Jason Collins came out, my father said to me, “This isn’t something uncommon.” He played with gay players. He said, “Even in high school, I knew there were gay athletes.” It’s not as big an issue as the media like to make it out: “You’re gonna be shamed in the locker room!”

Were you personally always out?

I came out in 2008, my sophomore year at college. My parents like to say they always knew I was gay. I came out to them, and they were very accepting. I always knew they would be accepting. Growing up, I had gay uncles, like every kid in America. I never was so scared that my parents were going to shun or disown me—the horror stories you hear. I was just nervous about, “Are my friends gonna accept me?” because I was a jock kid, so to speak, with an athlete father.

I did theater and was in the art scene, but there is a masculine connotation that comes with being an athlete’s kid. Still, I feel like those barriers of masculinity are constantly being broken down and redefined. People like to put labels on everything, and I feel stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason—most of them aren’t true. Even though I’m black and like chicken.

And can dance?

I can dance! [laughs]

Did any of the friends you were worried about turn out to be gay themselves?

My straight friends, they were all straight. I had questions about some of them, but they remained straight. I had gay friends growing up, but I didn’t let them in all the way. It was kind of like a secret, with a little bit of shame. That’s something I feel hopefully will change as our country grows. No one should have to worry about who they want to be friends with and what they want to be.

Was music a catharsis and an escape for you?

Music and the arts were a place where I could be myself, no matter what. I didn’t have to hide. But had I not moved to New York, maybe I wouldn’t have come out as quickly as I did. I love my Hoosier friends and family [Zeke has a music degree from Indiana University], but let’s remember that Indiana is where the KKK was founded. 

You say you were a “a jock kid.” Did you feel you had to live up to some athletic standard because of your father?

In high school, I played basketball, football, and ran track. But my dad never pressured me into those athletics. In fact, when I started doing theater, he was so thrilled about it, and he came to all my shows. I think he came to more of those than the games! He said, “You’re so good at this. You should do this.” So I did! [laughs]

Have you encountered any homophobia in the business?

Definitely, and even racism. I had a manager who told me I could never be a big DJ and be openly gay. I thought, “That makes no sense. You can’t hide who you are.” Obviously I no longer work with him.

And now to the really serious subject: Is it true that you DJ’d the immortal Midwest Tomato Fest?

Yes, it’s the largest festival I’ve headlined. It attracts 10 to 15,000 kids to the parking lot of the Metrodome, where the Minnesota Vikings play. In a roped off, tented area, there are two or three tall pyramids of tomatoes. As soon as they say, “Go!” it’s pandemonium. I played a lot of electronic dance music—David Guetta, Calvin Harris.

I’m speechless here. Moving right along: Do you have a boyfriend these days?

I do. I’m very happy. We’ve been together a couple of years. Maybe I’ll get married one day. We met at a bar—he was very, very mean to me, and I’d like to emphasize that he was very, very mean to me. He was very standoffish, and he called me an entitled brat. 

Why did he say that?

Because when we were leaving the bar to go somewhere else, I was driving my mom’s Mercedes. I said, “You know what? I want to prove you wrong.” So I took him out on a date the next night. He actually was an hour late. We ended up being great, happy. 

Oh, good! You have definitely won the game.

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