Though it's been over two years since Karamo Brown changed the face of reality television, he is still in the forefront dispelling stereotypes. Yes, that guy. He was the one who sported doo-rags and baggy-jeans, and was about to beat down some club denizens during one unforgettable episode. The tall, dark and handsome Houston native brought something "really real" to MTV's fifteenth season of its wildly popular reality franchise 'The Real World Philadelphia,' when he shocked housemates --and a national television viewing audience-- by revealing that he was, indeed, gay. Since leaving the show, Brown has maintained a public profile with various appearances on MTV, and also morphed into a gay rights champion and motivational speaker. "Just as an African American, same gender loving brother, it's important to be visible to help affirm other brothers to let them know that they should be comfortable within themselves," Brown told 'BV Newswire' about his gay pride. This weekend, the reality TV hottie is in the Big Apple to help promote the annual 'Pride In The City 2006'; a free three-day celebration which includes concerts, spoken word performances and "all-night parties." Karamo Brown, an alumni of Florida A&M University (where he majored in Business Administration), is in the midst of a month-long speaking tenure at New York City's Pace University. "I'm there to just be a beacon of light and let them feed off of me and learn what they can learn from me." "There is a little bit of pressure," he said, referring to people's perception of him. "But I don't let it get to me, ya know. People can want you to be what they want you to be but you can only be who you want to be." Karamo and his partner Edgardo Nieves (whom TV audiences were familiar with on the 'Real World') recently founded The Brave Heart Fund, a non-profit organization which assists teens who have had the courage to come out. He said the organization "provides financial support for those outed teens whose parents, schools and communities often abandon them." [Source: BV Entertainment News]
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