Porter has built a career on blending theater excellence, gospel grandiosity and reading-for-filth realness, all through the astonishing instrument of his voice. This combination is vividly translated in Porter’s new memoir, Unprotected, which recounts his lifelong struggle to heal the deep wounds buried under the sheen of his charismatic presence ... Porter’s voice on the page aptly matches his go-for-broke vocal instrument. He holds little back, never shying from raw emotionality, but avoiding histrionics. He writes bluntly about not being accepted by his church, as well as his quest to heal from years of sexual abuse by his stepfather in his preteen years ... This is not just a memoir, saints; this is a testimony. He is telling a story and he is spilling the tea and he is working through deep wounds in pursuit of a clearer path to a full experience of personhood ... Some stories one wishes Porter would linger on. His marriage and recent career successes, for instance, rush by in a blur of boldfaced names and viral moments. But in Unprotected, Porter is reaching for a loftier objective than just delivering a happily ever after ... In embracing his fullness, faults and all, Porter positions himself atop an altar, as he was memorably seen in the recent video for Lil Nas X’s That’s What I Want, and simultaneously at the foot of it, like a lost soul who races up the aisle of a church looking for transcendence or hope or salvation or healing on an extraordinary Sunday.

... stirring ... Through his experience as a gay Black man, repeatedly subjected to unspeakable pain, Porter delivers a searing indictment of how America treats race, sexuality and anyone outside the norm. Clear and piercing, his justified indignation is as defined as his singular singing voice and flashy fashion ... With raw vulnerability, Porter opens up on how the effects of childhood abuse long prevented him from loving Black men romantically ... Porter’s recollections are vivid and his prose playful, packed with amusing colloquialisms and no shortage of sass ... Even if Porter’s sharpest barbs seem saved for the church and the GOP, he doesn’t hold back when confronting Broadway’s and Hollywood’s systemic shortcomings ... Porter is also refreshingly candid on the allure of fame and industry accolades ... Whether he’s reliving triumphs or trauma, Porter bears his soul — just as he did all those years ago on that high school stage, bloodied and bruised. When faced with such honest audacity, one can only applaud.

... an unfiltered look at many of Porter’s highest and lowest moments, some of which seem designed to make readers as uncomfortable as he was. Others show what can be achieved via hard work and a steadfast dedication to authenticity ... Much of Porter’s story has been out there for years, but never presented in such a raw and concentrated manner as a memoir...you’ve definitely never experienced 278 pages of how those life-changing events added to emotional trauma that he’s still working through to this day ... It’s impossible to read Unprotected in anything but Porter’s extremely distinctive voice ... This is the kind of memoir that has no desire to sway how you feel about its author. If you weren’t a big Porter fan before Unprotected, this memoir won’t change your mind. However, those who enjoy his work and want to learn more about his story will come away with a deeper understanding of how, as Porter puts it, 'my life is a testimony to the power that art has to heal trauma.'

... wit, sass, projected confidence, his Blackness, his queerness. These are parts of his voice that he’s never without for long. It makes many of the stories seem like two things at once: they are both unprotected and heavily guarded, revealing and defensive, rubbed raw and bulletproof, sometimes alternating so quickly between the two extremes that one might assume that there are two Billys authoring the book ... Even at the darkest moments, Billy comes off as a consummate performer, and the stories are often punctuated with crowd work ... It feels natural (because I believe this is how Billy talks all the time) but practiced. Like he’s casually sharing his favorite stories of his past with you and ten of your closest friends in a private club’s VIP room. We’re all absolutely wrapped up in the drama and the glory and the powerful voice ... When the book is at its best, it feels like the two Billys are in conversation, in communion ... The book calls out hypocrisies across all levels of the business, and Billy uses his considerable platform to name names. If I’m making this sound gossipy or dishy, let me confirm, sometimes it really is. I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were many moments when I was absolutely engrossed in who he’d call out next. But Billy’s real service is in the moments when he’s not trying to perform at all, like the final chapter, which includes many actual diary entries. By sharing as much as he can, he helps others—me, whole generations—feel safe to share more.

His fearlessness in discussing the darker parts of his past (including sexual abuse by his stepfather and being diagnosed with HIV) is remarkable, but equally as impressive is the narrative of his decades-long dedication to hone his talent and make a space for himself in a racist and homophobic entertainment industry and society ... This memoir, as exceptional as Porter himself, should please not only devotees of the actor and his work but readers interested in a story of perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds.

... revelatory ... He writes in an intimate, conversational style, leaping from past to present and pairing his reflections on growing up gay in the 1970s with living through the AIDS epidemic and the deep pain and fear of the Trump presidency and Covid-19 pandemic. Those who know Porter from his Grammy and Emmy award–winning roles in Kinky Boots and the TV show Pose will relish the insider look at those productions and marvel at the tribulations Porter overcame to get there ... Haunting and inspirational, this is both a powerful indictment of the lasting harms of bigotry and an immensely moving account of moving forward.

Throughout, the author intersperses italicized passages that explore present-day issues, including the pandemic, but these attempts at timeliness are upstaged by his remarkable life story. Porter’s passionate support for music and art programs in public schools, as well as gay rights activism, are clear, but his first duty has always been to his work ... Overcoming racism, homophobia, bullying, and abuse, a theatrical star is born.