PrideHouseLA Founder Spotlight: Mollee Gray
June may be Pride Month, but we should celebrate our true, authentic selves all year round.
PrideHouseLA is a rainbow-emblazoned content house on TikTok that aims to provide a safe and inclusive space for members of the LGBTQ community. Founded by Mollee Gray, Jeka Jane, Kent Boyd, and Garrett Clayton, the house gained notoriety after dancer and social media personality Jojo Siwa used the platform for her own coming out. A judgment-free zone, PrideHouseLA looks to spread tolerance and supports everyone to be the unapologetic versions of themselves.
OFM had the pleasure of connecting with Gray, who is a multi-talented star recognized for her role in Disney’s Teen Beach franchise and a finalist on Season Six of Fox’s So You Think You Can Dance. In addition to PrideHouseLA, she talked about the benefits of social media, her own coming out story, and her relationship with Jane.
Can you begin by telling us more about PrideHouseLA and why you wanted to start this TikTok House with Jeka, Garrett, and Kent?
We started PrideHouseLA about a year ago, right around when the pandemic hit. We decided to be each other’s quarantine bubble, and we did not even start it with the intention of being a Pride House. Kent, Garrett, and I did Teen Beach Movie together, and we saw that TikTok had a huge fanbase for that. There are a lot of Teen Beach fans. So, we were like, let’s go to the beach, the only way you could hang with people was outside, and make some Teen Beach content. It became very popular; then we were like, ‘We can’t just do Teen Beach content.’ Obviously, Jeka was not in the movie.
Then the idea of starting one of these houses came about. We didn’t even really know what a content house was. We were very new to TikTok. Like, what would we be called? We are all gay, so the Gay House? The Queer House? I was like, ‘The Pride House!’ So, we ended up calling that, and then we talked about if we were going to do this, we would have to trust one another and feel safe with each other. We must also make other people feel safe and have a mission.
We do not want to just be pretty people making TikToks in crop tops. We want to have a message. A place where people like us can come to our page and feel included. It is a very inclusive home and more of a mission rather than an actual house. It’s a lot of fun, and we believe that we have something that we can share with everyone.
What does Pride mean to you?
I love this question. I have been getting it a lot. To me, Pride is this sacred feeling that, especially queer people, get to hold. When you come out and someone says they are proud of you, you finally feel proud of yourself. You feel prideful that you are who you are. Even if you have not come out publicly, you are still finding that pride and that validation of someone saying they are proud of you. Pride is a word to honor yourself and just live authentically you.
What have you enjoyed the most about being a part of PrideHouseLA?
I think my favorite part of being part of PrideHouseLA is just hanging out with everyone. We are thinking all the time about what kind of TikToks we can do, but also what else we can do for our community. We have gotten so close with each other; we are a family. I have never had really close friends like this. I am a social butterfly, but I am also kind of shy, so I keep my circle very small. I have always wanted a friend group like this, and we are just a family now.
Would you say having a friend group like this has helped you personally?
Oh, absolutely. It has definitely helped me personally. I have gone through so many ups and downs during this pandemic, and I would usually rely on Jeka as my person to vent to. I would vent about this, cry about this, but it is cool to have a group of people and realize that it is not just me feeling this way. We are each other’s best support system. We protect each other.
You all are working on a PrideHouseLA podcast. Can you talk more about this?
We are in the final stages with the contract, so we are about to launch it. We will talk about gossip, trends, and Hollywood stuff, but our podcast is going to be used to really get down to the nitty gritty of the LGBTQ world. There are going to be those conversations that people are maybe too scared to have, and we want to have those types of conversations with people. We want people to feel uncomfortable. We want people to ask questions. We want them to be educated.
It is definitely going to be something completely different than our TikTok, and people will then hear our voices. On TikTok, you do dances and add music, but people are going to hear our voice for what it is and hear how loud we can be. Also, hopefully we can reach people who are not open minded about the LGBTQ community. If we can open one person’s mind for acceptance, that is our goal. I am excited for it.
How beneficial would you say TikTok and other short form video content has become within the past year?
TikTok took over the world; it’s huge! There were so many people who were like, ‘I’m not joining TikTok. I’m too old for TikTok. Blah, blah, blah.’ Now, they say they should have joined earlier. It is here to stay, and it is so beneficial. Especially for social media influencers. I am an actor and dancer as well, but I will say, my work and income is primarily, right now, coming through social media.
It does not feel like work. I am doing this job, but I am getting to inspire my community. I am getting to be a role model for kids, and that is what I get paid to do. That is a dream. I remember being a kid and being like, I never ever want to work. I don’t ever want to work a day in my life, and I feel so lucky that this is my job. Social media is very beneficial, and I feel very honored to be able to do what I do every day.
Have you always had a passion for entertainment?
Absolutely. I grew up in Utah, and I was not quite sure if I could make it out in California. I definitely believed in myself, but I did not know if it was going to be possible. Then I did the High School Musical series as a dancer when I was 13. When I got on set, I was just in shock. I was in love. I remember looking at everything, and it was glowing. It was so amazing. I still had dreams of being a lawyer; I wanted to go to Harvard. I did great in school—I loved school—but the second that I got on set, I knew I was going to be out in California one day.
You did a lot of dancing projects at the beginning of your career, but you gradually moved on to do more acting gigs. Would you like to keep a balanced mix of both?
If it happens, it happens, but my primary focus right now is acting. I love to dance, but my husband and I also own a dance studio and we are still teaching dance all the time, so that kind of gives me my dance fulfillment. So, professionally, the jobs I would lean more toward taking right now would be acting.
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I would like to ask you a couple questions about Jeka. Was it love at first sight when you first met?
[Laughs] Yes, it was. It’s funny, Jeka says I walked through the door and when he looked in my eyes, it lasted so long. It was probably only a second, but it just felt very long. Unfortunately, the timing was just never in our favor. I was in a relationship and Jeka was in a relationship, so we kept going back and forth of it never being the right time. We did about two to three years of that, and then he accidentally sent me a Venmo invite when Venmo became a thing. So, we reconnected and started dating. It was pretty cool. It was love at first sight, and now he is stuck with me!
I saw the photos of your wedding, and it looked like an absolute dream. What were you feeling ever after saying, “I do?”
It was so crazy, I just want to get married again and again and again. It was such a cool feeling, and it went by so fast. I feel like I was getting pulled in every direction, and all I wanted to do is just be with him. After saying ‘I do,’ I was just like, ‘Holy shit, we did it.’ [laughs] It was very special. Those words did not solidify anything because we knew in our hearts, we said ‘I do’ a long time ago when we committed to each other. It was definitely just for the certificate.
Was Jeka still identifying as female when you started dating?
Yes, Jeka was presenting as female up until almost three years ago. We dated and got married as a same-sex couple, then he came out as transgender to me about two years ago. We switched his pronouns to he/him, and he started taking testosterone.
How did you react when Jeka said he was trans?
I think I felt every emotion, and I felt so sad for him. Immediately, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I cannot believe I didn’t know this about you.’ I felt like he’s been having to deal with this by himself. My first reaction was, ‘I wish I could have been there for him faster.’ Then I was just curious. I did not know anything about the trans community, what that really meant, what surgeries were out there. I did not know, so immediately, I was doing as much educational research that I could. The ironic thing was, we could not find a lot.
So, Jeka was saying, I feel like it is my purpose to start a YouTube channel with you and we should talk about my experience, what it was, and how you are feeling. As he was transitioning, it was a transition for everyone. Of course, we wanted to say the correct pronouns right away, but it was not immediate. There were slip ups and we learned how to correct that without being offensive. It was definitely a learning experience, and it still is. I ask him every day, ‘Is this an offensive question to ask?’ or, ‘Somebody asked me this; how should I respond?’ I just wanted to make sure I knew everything to make sure that he was OK.
You have talked about keeping your relationship with Jeka in the beginning on the down low. Why were you afraid to be open about it?
I did not trust what Hollywood would say. I was scared. I worked so hard for my career, and I was afraid that loving someone that was not acceptable to another person was going to ruin everything I worked for. I was actually doing a faith-based film at that time, and they ironically thought I was in a heterosexual relationship. They did not even know, but I was kind of open with my posting and stuff. On the film, they would literally try to pray the gay away. They would say things like, ‘We are praying for all the homosexual people out there; hopefully they will find God.’ I was the lead of this film, but it was very weird, and I was uncomfortable. I was involved with these conversations but did not say anything. Like, ‘Oh my gosh, they don’t know that I am a part of this community.’
When we were about to have my bridal shower, everyone kept pushing me to come out, but I was like, ‘I can’t do it.’ It was my publicist who said, ‘This is the most important day of your life, and you deserve to celebrate it.’ I stopped for a second and said, ‘OK. I am going to do it, and I am going to do it my way. I am going to tell my story.’ I came out, and immediately, that producer called me and was like, ‘Is it something I said? Why did you do this to us?’ That is when I realized I am so much better living my truth. If I can be an advocate for someone like me, then I am just going to come out. If you do not like me because of who I love, then maybe our energies are not meant to be together in this lifetime.
What kind of message do you hope your relationship with Jeka sends?
I hope, as cliché as it sounds, love is love. I was never taught to love a gender, and Jeka and I talk about that a lot. When we first started dating, I told him I was never taught, you need a man, or you need to find a rich man to marry. I was never brought up like that. Even in elementary school, when you have to draw your family, I just drew myself with some dogs and some babies. I have always been a very independent person and never thought I needed a man in my life.
Jeka says he feels like our higher power, God, whatever anyone believes in, put us in each other’s lives because Jeka is trans, and I was going to love him regardless. Whether he was female or came out as male, I am going to love him because his heart is so big, and I hope that can be maybe a goal for people who want to find love that is not about what is on the outside. It is about what’s on the inside. Are you going to love what’s on the inside or just be attracted to the outside? I was attracted to both, so win-win for me! I feel like our relationship portrays how love is supposed to be.
What more do you hope to accomplish with your platform?
Basically, I want to be that person people can look at, even just through a screen, and be like, I can be that. I can be just like her. With PrideHouseLA, that is our main goal. We want every kid of every age and color to look at our page and relate to someone like us. That is what my goal is. I want you to look at me and see that things are possible, and I do not just show my good stuff. I want people to know that everyone struggles. Everyone has their bad days, and I always try to be as prepared as possible. I want to have that true connection with my supporters and followers.
Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
We just recently dropped our merch line, just in time for Pride. So, make sure to check that out, and follow me on social media. Let’s hang out and be friends!
Stay up-to-date with Gray by following her on Instagram and TikTok. Click here to follow PrideHouseLA.
Photos Courtesy of Lee Gumbs, Sagai, and Vince Rossi
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