OnlyOnAOL: It's a dream come true for 'UnREAL' star Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman

By: Donna Freydkin

He plays the suddenly moral producer Jay on the Lifetime hit "UnREAL," now in its second season. The show within a show takes a look at a fictional reality dating series very similar to "The Bachelor."

But the resonance of the show aside, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman has another reason to celebrate just how fantastic his real life has turned out to be: he's just had a scholarship named in his honor. The BGB acting studio's Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman Scholarship will be awarded to an LGBTQ actor of color.

What it means to the openly gay Bowyer-Chapman is this: "It is an opportunity for me to open the doors for an entire demographic of human beings who have been told for far too long that who we are is not of value, or worthy of our stories being told. In order for positive change to occur in the entertainment industry the world over, we, as people of color in the LGBTQ-identifying community must first grant ourselves permission to step out of the shadows of oppression and rise up strong and proud without apology or explanation. The power to change the narrative that has held us back for so long is in our hands."

See more:
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His ultimate goal isn't a small one: "Creating a safe space for young LGBTQ identifying actors of color to express themselves authentically and without reservation is a dream come true for me, and I only hope to have a hand in making another young persons dreams come true as well."

Well said, well said.