Jade Esteban Estrada is a busy guy. Born in San Antonio, Texas, to a

U.S. Army officer and a stage actress, Estrada won a scholarship to the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in New York. Estrada studied dance, alongside Jennifer Lopez, under Slam, the lead dancer from Madonna’s Blonde Ambition Tour, among other notable teachers of the era. His music can be heard on the Golden Globe- and Emmy award-winning police drama “The Shield.” In fact, when I interviewed him, he was in between takes, shooting a remake of “The Producers” in California.

     Next week, before heading to present at the Tejano Music Awards (which he calls the “Oscars for my peeps”), he’s donating time out of his schedule to make an appearance at Hal & Mal’s. His production of “ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 1” will benefit Grace House. “ICONS” is a celebration of LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered) history, but, Estrada invokes Gertrude Stein when reminding viewers: “It’s not a gay thing. It’s a human thing.”

     Why is GLBT history important to both the GLBT and straight community?
     First, let me say, I prefer LGBT. Women always get the back burner. And Lesbians are the ones who get things done. When I hear GLBT, it’s another example of men taking the floor. When I hear GLBT, it reminds me that equality needs to happen in all areas. It’s old-fashioned.

     OK, so why is LGBT history important?
     It is lost history. It’s important to know all sides of the story. It’s very often said that whoever wins the war gets to write history. That’s just common knowledge. LGBT people have lost a lot because we had no power, no visibility in the past. It’s time to recapture that, to fill in the blanks.

     What does "ICONS" offer in explaining LGBT history?
     Among my friends, it is so obvious when a man or a woman has a close understanding of their family. There is an obvious continuation of a line or a mission. There are many times that LGBT people come into the world, and they have no background, no education, no stories. I am a Mexican American. It makes me feel so good to know that I have a history, that my people have a history. If you don’t know where your family is coming from, it’s a very hard road to follow when you have to reinvent the wheel. Of course, our straight counterparts are going to have more of a rock to stand on because they have long lines of history of saying that. The Religious Right, the conservatives, believe a certain way because they have a long line of backing. A lot of people didn’t know that Alexander the Great was gay, that Susan B. Anthony was gay. Young people don’t remember 1997 and what Ellen (DeGeneres) did. It’s a human right to have a cultural backing and history.

     You’ve said that Jane Austen is your No. 1 icon. Why?
     I don’t know. When you sift and sift through icons, and you realize who you are most affected by, you end up with the strangest icons. I am a Mexican Catholic from San Antonio, and I’m going gaga over someone who lived 150 years ago in England. The fact that she opened up the idea that women had thoughts in such a stylized way—it’s just fierce. It’s equivalent to the snaps of the 1980s from African Americans. She developed mental snaps for women who were not allowed to speak. She would make these wonderful observations. These books live forever because of that.

     What’s the most surprising response you’ve gotten while on tour?
     Overall, it’s been a really great experience so far. I was in the Poconos, and a guy walked right into my dressing room. He had tears in his eyes, and I said “Hi.” He said “I really enjoyed your show.” Sometimes it’s good to see people cry and know they were affected by my work. … Another 18-year-old kid in St. Louis said, “Thank you for your courage.” I’m from New York. It’s not courage. It’s just my work.

     Your event is benefiting the Jackson Grace House. Why is it important to you to donate your profits to a non-profit like this?
     My show has been very successful, so, fortunately, I can afford to do these things. You have to give back to the people who really need to see the show. Somehow in my creativity, I stumbled upon something that was relevant. It would be vulgar for me to keep this to myself.

     What’s something most people don’t know about you?
     I used to be a Boy Scout. I don’t think anybody knows that.