Fightmaster: Pride Q&A

An alum of Chicago's The Second City troupe, E.R. Fightmaster spent years focusing on their acting and comedy career, notably landing roles in Hulu's "Shrill" and ABC's "Grey's Anatomy," the latter giving them the opportunity to play the breakthrough role of nonbinary doctor Kai Bartley.

However, over the last few years, Fightmaster has also focused on their other love: music. They released their debut EP, Violence, in 2023 and quickly followed that record the following year with the Bloodshed Baby EP. Earlier in June, a proud personal moment during Pride month, they self-released their debut album,Tolerance, on their own Fightmasters Industries Inc. label.

With a savvy balance of confident indie-rock muscle and lilting Americana pop panache, Fightmaster's Tolerance embodies the musician's emotional life in myriad ways, touching on love, lust, and longing. They recently toured with Lucy Dacus and Lord Huron and have lined up festivals this fall, including Austin City Limits.

In a new FUV Q&A for Pride month. Fightmaster talked about the radical importance of LGBTQ+ recognition, rights and inclusion in this current political climate — as well as multilayered, powerful definition of "tolerance" in 2026.

What does Pride month in 2026 mean to you, especially given the concurrent release of Tolerance?

I love putting out projects during Pride, adding my art to the joy+resistance+culture pile. It has made me feel really honored to have folks reaching out to tell me which one of the songs on the album is their current favorite.The songs feel like part of me so I feel really connected to the outside world in the time period right after a release. 

"Minotaur" came out just before the album release — a striking song of love and longing — whereas "Press Release" has a pretty funny (and surprising) opening salvo: "I don't mind that you stopped loving me/But I wasn't crazy about the press release." In telling those stories of heartbreaks and hell in your songs over the last few years, what have you discovered about yourself as a songwriter? 

I started my career as a comedian and I think there is a certain honest irreverence that has become a superpower of mine. The comedy I like is all about self-awareness and songwriting requires that same mindset, so it feels effortless to me to explore my memories in a way that lacks judgment and allows for creative discovery. 

You just toured with Lucy Dacus and Lord Huron, along with your own headlining gigs. What song from Tolerance has taken on a new life on tour? What have you enjoyed the most about both of those tours and those particular tourmates? 

I love playing "Rumble" live. It absolutely rips. But I really love when the audience sings along and so far the best vehicle for that has been "Quicksand." I’m honestly worried I’ve been smiling too much. As far as tour goes, I learn a ton from watching other artists and both Lucy Dacus and Lord Huron put on exceptional shows. It’s been a month of watching a MasterClass in real life. 

You have a parallel career as an actor — notably you were cast as the first nonbinary doctor on "Grey's Anatomy." You've said that the writers room's casual, gender-affirming handling of the character's identity allowed you to just be a person — and also opened a door for other nonbinary characters in film and television. What did you enjoy about playing Dr. Kai Bartley and how that character was conceived? 

There was something so unapologetic about Kai, a really stoic swagger. Kai was not a character that needed to explain themself and I think the writers’ room understood that really well. It’s an honor getting to play a character into the Shondaland universe. It will forever be one of the coolest things I have ever done. 

The word "tolerance" is a powerful one — with a definition that surely became more important for you as you identified as a nonbinary, transmasc musician and actor. Why was it important to call the album Tolerance — and how do you explain its meaning to a politician trying to legislate someone's personal identity? 

The majority of my life I have heard the word “tolerance” used almost exclusively in settings where people in the margins were begging the center to tolerate their existence. You don’t have to love us, just tolerate us! The politicians that legislate against human rights are vile and empty. They can’t tolerate having all the privilege in the world. How can I expect them to tolerate me? I had a really visceral aversion to the word until I wrote the title track of the album and then started to build a framework around it. “Tolerance” as a concept is more fascinating to me when it is centered in the discovery of self. It’s an incredible barometer for growth. Can I tolerate getting to know myself better? Can I tolerate discomfort on my path to becoming a more whole? Can I tolerate learning to love more responsibly? Can I tolerate not being the hero in the story?

Your debut EP of 2023, Violence, also seized control of that word, bringing it into a different framework. Language is both restrictive and expansive, something you've explored in your songwriting and your own sense of self. What fresh avenues does music offer you as an artist that's strikingly different from your acting career? 

With acting I am trying to deliver someone else’s beautifully written story. I am trying to do someone else justice. But with songwriting, I write what forces its way out. I’ll be minding my damn business and I’ll get hit by a lyric that won’t go away so I’ll go grab a bass and figure out what bigger story that lyric is a part of. I meet a new part of me every time I finish a song. 

Growing up in the '90s or '00s, the chance of seeing nonbinary or trans musicians who were out and proud was rare — but now there's you, Jacob Alon, Ezra Furman, jasmine 4.t., Anjimile, Kae Tempest, Mal Blum, Princess Nokia, Dua Saleh, Yves Tumor and so many others. Do you feel that having that kind of artistic community helps a future generation not feel as isolated? Do you not feel as isolated?

I’m happy for the folks that are growing up with such a variety of queer artists to engage with, and I love looking at festival bills and seeing queer buddies all over the place. As far as isolation goes, I haven’t felt isolated since I came out. This current plethora of representation is just a bonus. 

Is there a particular LGBTQ+ organization that means a lot to you — and why? 

I partnered with the Ally Coalition while I was on tour, and they were great to work with. Together we were able to raise money for a bunch of Queer orgs. The last org I personally donated to was Transgender Law Center. Athlete Ally is doing good work fighting for queer inclusion in sports spaces. The Trevor Project is always working hard. CHIRLA is an awesome org that fights for immigrant and refugee rights and there is nothing more queer than fighting for each other’s dignity. I love everybody working to make a difference. It matters.

- E.R. Fightmaster
June 2026