Daniel Durant Celebrates the Deaf & LGBTQ+ Communities on 'DWTS'

Daniel Durant could be making his way to the Mirrorball Trophy!

The acclaimed actor has brought many fans to tears with his beautiful dances throughout season 31 of Dancing With the Stars.

"Every week I have to learn a different dance. We started with slow dances and now they're getting faster. The faster songs are harder for me. I have to make sure I have to move and speed up and slow down to the tempo. At the same time, it's so fun," Durant tells PRIDE.

With '90s night coming up this Monday, Durant is bringing another level of passion to the ballroom.

"I'm born in '89, so I'm a '90s baby. I'm going to try and bring that nostalgia to the dance floor. It was important for me, because it's when I was adopted and it's when I started learning sign language. I [started] meeting deaf people and growing my deaf culture within myself. All of that happened during the '90s and it's an important time for me. That made me who I am today."

As part of the deaf community, Durant is hoping to inspire audiences to pursue their dreams, regardless of their situations.

"Looking back when I was growing up, I'm from a small town. I'm from Duluth, Minnesota and I had no deaf role models in person or anyone to hang out with. I found out about Marlee Matlin and how she won an Oscar when I was a kid. I always kept that in the back of my mind. If she could do it, then maybe I can do it. I understand what deaf children feel like and how they need to see somebody. I'm using my energy and my time as much as I can to represent for all of us, so they can see us and be successful in whatever they want to do."

Coming from such a small town, Durant was also raised by his two mothers, Lori Durant and Mary Engels. The two have been cheering their son on every single week.

"I'm thankful for my mothers. They saved me! They gave me all this love and they raised me. I've seen what my mothers go through in Minnesota... the discrimination, it's a small town. My moms always go through it and I keep that with me in the back of my mind off in the world. I owe it to them. I'm proud that I'm here. The LGBTQ+ community has supported me when I was growing up and now it's my turn. I'm here for you all. I want to support everyone and represent for us. All of us need to love each other. We're all human."

Catch Daniel Durant every Monday on Dancing With the Stars, now streaming on Disney+. For his full interview with PRIDE, watch the video below.

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