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This week on Queer News, your favorite queer radio personality Anna DeShawn returns with our roundup of stories where race and sexuality meet politics, culture, and entertainment. From political updates in the fight for trans rights in the military to a detailed look at the fashions on the Met Gala red carpet by contributor Benjamin Coy. Queer News keeps you informed, grounded, and connected. Plus, we celebrate community, honor our elders, and spotlight the art that continues to shape queer identity across the globe. Pod in, family—let's get into it.
In this episode of Late Night with Sylvester, I share my excitement about taking the show to YouTube Podcast and my big dreams for where it's heading.
Welcome to episode 42 of 2 Grooms 1 Plot! A podcast where two life-long storytellers talk about stories! On today's episode, we take a look at ‘Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Musical.' MGGE takes us to Savannah, Georgia. Known for its southern charm, but beneath the polite exterior, its quirky residents harbor secrets and motives. When affluent antiques dealer Jim Williams is accused of murder, his sensational trial reveals hidden truths and blurs the lines between good and evil, prompting Lady Chablis and other locals to transform the city. The true-crime bestseller and its memorable characters are brought to life in a new musical adaptation by MacArthur "Genius" grantee Taylor Mac, Tony Award winners Jason Robert Brown and Rob Ashford, and choreographer Tanya Birl. Your Hosts: Pavi Proczko is an audiobook narrator (Defiance of the Fall, Edens Gate), Writer (Brugum's Labyrinth, The Nightly), Actor and Singer (Chicago Shakespeare theater, Paramount Theater, Chicago Fire), and Game Master (D&D). Colin Funk is a Childhood Development Expert (Erikson Institute), Teacher (Stages Chicago), Actor and Singer (Porchlight Music Theater, Metropolis Theater), and Crafter (knitting, cross stick, Embroidery, watercolors). “With our unique lenses, we talk about a specific piece of storytelling each episode: What works? What doesn't? And the magic moments of story!” Pavi & Colin are married and live in Chicago. ❤️ Be sure to SUBSCRIBE and FOLLOW us for more! @2Grooms1Plot
This week, writers John Berendt and Taylor Mac discuss the Goodman Theatre's world-premiere stage musical adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Berendt is the author of the original book the musical is based on, and Mac wrote the book for the adaptation. Learn more about Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Musical, here. This conversation originally took place July 8, 2024 and was recorded live at the American Writers Museum. AWM PODCAST NETWORK HOME More about Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: The Musical Southern charm is bountiful in Savannah, Georgia. But behind polite smiles, the eccentric residents are filled with secrets and motives. When wealthy antiques dealer Jim Williams is accused of murder, the sensational trial uncovers hidden truths and exposes the fine line between good and evil—which sparks Lady Chablis and other Savannahians to change the city forever. The world-premiere stage musical adaptation of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil—John Berendt's 1994 blockbuster non-fiction book, a Pulitzer-Prize finalist that was on the New York Times Best-Seller list for 216 weeks—is realized at Goodman Theatre by creators MacArthur “Genius” Grantee Taylor Mac (book), Tony Award winner Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics) with choreography by Tanya Birl-Torres. Tony Award winner Rob Ashford directs a cast led by Tony- and Grammy-Award winning actor J. Harrison Ghee as The Lady Chablis; Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Jim Williams; and Olivier Award nominee Sierra Boggess as Emma Dawes. JOHN BERENDT was born and raised in Syracuse, New York. He attended Harvard, where he majored in English and wrote for the Harvard Lampoon. Upon graduation he was hired by Esquire magazine—first as an editor, then as a monthly columnist. Later, he became the editor of New York Magazine. It was during a trip to the South in the mid-1980s that he discovered Savannah—a cloistered, inward-looking garden city that basked on the Georgia coast, reveling in its own peculiarities and giving not a thought to the outside world. He was enchanted and began writing about the city and its people in what would eventually become the non-fiction book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. TAYLOR MAC is a MacArthur Fellow, a Pulitzer Prize Finalist, a Tony Award Nominee (for Best Play), and the recipient of the Kennedy Prize (with Matt Ray), the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award, a Guggenheim, a Drama League Award, a NY Drama Critics Circle Award, two Obie's, two Bessies, and the first American to receive the International Ibsen Award. Mac is the author of Joy and Pandemic (Huntington Theater); The Hang (with Matt Ray); Gary, A Sequel to Titus Andronicus; A 24-Decade History of Popular Music; Hir; The Fre, The Walk Across America For Mother Earth, The Lily's Revenge; The Young Ladies Of; and The Be(A)st of Taylor Mac. The documentary Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music recently premiered on HBO to critical acclaim.
Two tears in a bucket...time to podcast! We're interrogating Clint Eastwood's 1997 Savannah murder trial adaptation MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL, and it's basically all context today, folks! The bestselling book of it all, the Kevin Spacey of it all, the Savannah of it all, and most importantly the Lady Chablis of it all - we're covering it. We also discuss notions of truth, Hoodoo as a practice of resistance, and finally introduce Ian's powerful and dangerous teenage crush on Smallville actress Kristin Kreuk. Good ep! Check it out! Topics include: what to do with Nazi memorabilia, Northern chauvinism, Savannah city planning, unfortunately more discussion of THE FLASH, accidentally rooting for the Taliban, a little transgender history, Jake's hot FIFTH ELEMENT take, Ian's very tepid FIFTH ELEMENT take, and more. https://www.podcastyforme.com/ Follow Pod Casty For Me: https://twitter.com/podcastyforme https://www.instagram.com/podcastyforme/ https://www.youtube.com/@podcastyforme Artwork by Jeremy Allison: https://www.instagram.com/jeremyallisonart
This week FANTI is passing the mic to We See Each Other: The Podcast. After you listen to the episode, make sure to check out Kristen Lovell's The Stroll which premiered on Max the evening before this episode dropped.Hosts Tre'vell Anderson and Shar Jossell welcome producer and co - director of the documentary, The Stroll, Kristen Lovell as they discuss the documentary's portrayal of trans sex workers who worked in the Meatpacking District of New York City during the 90s. Lovell also speaks on finally having the control of the Black trans narrative behind the camera, and not just as the subject. Then, our hosts speak with the producer and director of the documentary, Kokomo City, D. Smith. She discusses the audience's reception to the film and the legacy of Koko Da Doll, the star of the film who was tragically murdered earlier this year. But first, Tre'vell and Shar discuss sex work representation in media as it pertains to Black Trans women and while it being a necessary piece of trans history, it is not the end all be all of trans representation. And later we hear what every day trans folks have to say about trans visibility in another segment of Pass The Mic.Episode Notes:Hosts Tre'vell Anderson and Shar Jossell welcome producer and co - director of the documentary, The Stroll, Kristen Lovell as they discuss the documentary's portrayal of trans sex workers who worked in the Meatpacking District of New York City during the 90s. Lovell also speaks on finally having the control of the Black trans narrative behind the camera, and not just as the subject. Then, our hosts speak with the producer and director of the documentary, Kokomo City, D. Smith. She discusses the audience's reception to the film and the legacy of Koko Da Doll, the star of the film who was tragically murdered earlier this year. But first, Tre'vell and Shar discuss sex work representation in media as it pertains to Black Trans women and while it being a necessary piece of trans history to learn, it is not the end all be all of trans representation. And later we hear what every day trans folks have to say about trans visibility in another segment of Pass The Mic.Over the course of this series, Tre'vell and Shar will be including the personal experiences of ‘everyday' trans people. To that end, anyone in community who wishes to comment on or speak to issues brought up on the show, please share your thoughts with them. We've made it easy to record a message. Just click SpeakPipe.com/WeSeeEachOther and follow the very simple instructions. If you'd like to email Shar and Tre'vell, you can send any message to FANTI@maximumfun.org and put WSEO in the subject line.Find us on IG: @SlayzhonWe made it easy to share your thoughts. Go to SpeakPipe.com/WeSeeEachOtherYou can buy We See Each Other: A Black Trans Journey Through TV & Film the book wherever books are soldMentioned in the ShowD. Smith on Kokomo CityKokomo CityPose (Hulu)StrollGood Trouble (Freeform)Sylvia Rivera's PlaceMidnight in the Garden of Good and EvilPlugs Kokomo City will be in select theaters on July 28th The Stroll drops June 21 on HBO IG:@Rayzhon @sharsaysso @slayzhon (WSEO IG) Twitter@trevellanderson @sharssaysso @slayzhon @vivalapalma (Producer, Palmira Muniz)@swishswish (Senior Producer, Laura Swisher) Music: Neverending Nina (IG @neverendingninanotes)Producer: Palmira MunizSenior Producer: Laura SwisherLaura Swisher is senior producer Music: Never Ending NinaWe See Each Other: The Podcast is produced and distributed by MaximumFun.org
A atriz transgénero morreu faz hoje 8 anos.
Our summer break is over and we are back it with one of our favorite subjects, murder. This week we take a slow stroll through the squares in Savannah with Midnight In the Garden Of Good And Evil. We discuss nazis, the eerieness of casting Kevin Spacy, and the most important part of both the book and the movie, The Lady Chablis. Want more? Follow us on Instagram (@pagetoscreenpod) and twitter (@page2screenpod) Don't forget to rate, review and subscribe!
Dennis connects via Zoom with author and sex columnist Alexander Cheves to discuss his book My Love Is a Beast: Confessions, a collection of autobiographical essays about everything from his brutal coming out to going to bathhouses instead of dance clubs in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting to seeing the legendary Lady Chablis perform the first time he ever set foot in a gay club. Alex also talks about his unique writing process and how he has to speak something out loud before he can commit it to paper. Other topics include: nearly giving up writing as a career just before he got the book deal, the blog that launched his career, his belief that there's no such thing as “good shame,” what he's learned working as an escort for over ten years, struggling with body dysmorphia and why dance floors are his favorite places in earth. Alex also reads his favorite passage from the book, which imagines various friends he's lost, all coming together on a pulsating dance floor. www.alexcheves.com
We discuss the adventures we had during our time off and the life and times of Lady Chablis. Resources: Hiding My Candy, Autobiography of Lady Chablis Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, both the book and movie
In collaboration with LGBTQ+ Programs and Womxn's History Month, this special episode features guest host Gray Strain, Assistant Director for Diversity and Belonging at BGSU, and Dr. Lady J, who was keynote speaker of the 2021 Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Research Symposium at BGSU. The pair discuss drag scholarship, community activism, the untold history of the artform, and the integral role transgender and cisgender women have played as performers since drag's inception. Announcer :From Bowling Green State University and the Institute for the Study of Culture and Society, this is BG ideas.Musical Intro:I'm going to show you this with a wonderful experiment. Gray:Welcome to the BG Ideas podcast, a collaboration between the Institute for the Study of Culture and Society and the School of Media and Communication at Bowling Green State University. My name is Gray Strain, Assistant Director for Diversity and Belonging at BGSU. And I'm happy to be guest hosting a special episode today in collaboration with LGBTQ+ programs and Women's History Month. Thank you to Dr. Jolie Sheffer of ICS for allowing us to guest host this episode. We appreciate the opportunity for collaboration. This special episode of the BG Ideas podcast is being recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. That means we're not in studio, but instead are talking via Zoom and phone. Our sound quality will be different as a result, but we want to continue to share with our listeners some of the amazing work being done on and around our campus. We at ICS and LGBTQ+ programs think it's important to celebrate great ideas. As always the opinions expressed on this podcast are those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of BGSU or its employees.Gray :Today, I am thrilled to be speaking with Dr. Lady J the Director of Programming, Education and Outreach for Studio West 117 in Cleveland, Ohio. The official drag historian for the Austin International Drag Festival, the creator and host of the podcast Untucking the Past and the keynote speaker for the 2021 Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies Research Symposium here at BGSU. A pillar of the Cleveland LGBTQIA+ community, she represents the city on the national drag scene and leads locally through activism, entertainment, and education. Her dissertation from RuPaul to the Love Ball: The Mainstreaming of Drag in the 1990s, has been downloaded over 3,800 times. And her work as a historian has been featured everywhere from vice.com to the journal of the American Musicological Society.Gray: Dr. Lady J joins me today to discuss their work in the field of drag history, the politics and inclusion of women, both transgender and cisgender in drag communities and how she serves diverse LGBTQ+ populations today in the Cleveland area. So thank you so much for joining me, Lady J. Before we dive into the fascinating topic of drag history, I do want to touch on the work that you're doing with Studio West 117. Could you tell me a little bit about your role and the vision for Studio West?Dr. Lady J:So thank you first of all, so much for having me, Gray. I'm really excited to be here, and I'm really excited about the upcoming events that we're going to be doing together for Bowling Green. So Studio West 117 is an LGBTQ hub for the Northeast Ohio area and specifically Cleveland and Lakewood, especially. We're going to be doing everything from supporting LGBTQ+ local businesses, especially starting with BIPOC businesses first. We're working with our business tenants to provide ways of entry that are low barrier of entry. Everything from working on subsidies for businesses to working on a podcast and broadcast studio. We're going to have a makers space, an artist's co-op, a coffee co-op. So there'll be a lot of different opportunities for people to break into kind of gig based jobs that may require a lot of equipment on the front end and to use high end equipment for a really reasonable price that is affordable to the average trans person.Dr. Lady J:And that's really important to me because one of the ways that I was able to survive for a while after grad school was doing landscaping and handyman work for people that would lend me their tools. I knew these trades, but I didn't really know any way that I could afford a chainsaw and like 20 different pieces of equipment for landscaping. And a thousand different things for sanding stairs and painting and dah, dah, dah, dah. So this is a way we can start with that. On top of that, we're going to have five different venues, everything from the chamber and the symposium, which are smaller kind of bar sized venues up through the 1200 seat theater, somewhere between 800 and 1200 seat theater in the fantasy theater.Dr. Lady J:We're going to have the field house, which is going to have a gymnasium. It's going to have an LGBTQ youth sports league. We're going to have a restaurant run by Juan Vergara. That is a Colombian restaurant. That's going to be managed by two different LGBTQ folks. We're going to have the first rooftop patio in Lakewood. It's going to be 2,500 square feet. We're going to have an outdoor area between the two buildings so we can do... You could start with a brunch in the field house, go through a queer flea market in the alley into a children's theater show on Sunday afternoon, into a drag show that evening or a burlesque show that night. Really a place where you can spend all day and a place for everybody to feel safe and welcome. And it's primarily a place that is first and foremost for the LGBTQ+ community, and also very welcoming to allies. But this is really the queer's community's space first.Dr. Lady J:And I really love that we're working to really make sure that Cleveland is a majority black city, and in most of the businesses and organizations I've been a part of in my time here, whether it's been activism or education, or just working like an hourly job you don't often see Black management, you don't often see Black leadership. And it's because those opportunities have been denied. This is one of the most red lined cities in the country, racism is tremendous here. And I grew up going to Atlanta, going to a place where you saw Black artists, you saw lack managers, you saw Black leadership. And I'm really excited that like with this job, I've been able to form a 5% hiring committee that is 60% trans and non-binary, I think it's 80% people of color, especially heavy right now, it's 80% Black.Dr. Lady J:And I think that's really important because most young Black folks who are a huge portion of the population here are interviewing with people who do not look like them, who do not understand what they're going through. And we're thinking really about the multi-layered issues that affect people to make sure that the hiring doesn't look inclusive just at the level of baristas and bartenders, but at the level of management, leadership, all of those things. And that's one of the things that honestly is the reason I signed on with this project. Because my first questions were things like this that are huge often tend to just go with the easiest thing, which is to pick the oldest, whitest, people who have the most typical resume to create a very standard thing. And that's what I love about every time we bring in more people is for once I'm able to say, "Let's take this perspective or this problem that you are having as community member. And let's fold this into the structure. Let's think about this on the front end." Dr. Lady J:And during COVID, we've had a lot of extra time to really think about those things, to really make sure that everyone feels like they are included. And that also comes down to people with disabilities. We're going to be one of the only places around, if not the only place in this area that has a fully accessible stages, fully accessible dressing rooms. And this was something that when I started to book one of my drag kids, who's a queer puppeteer, a young guy who uses a wheelchair it was impossible just getting him in a ground floor bar, because a lot of them have a lip that goes up or a step that goes down. We tried getting in the back door of this one place. We realized the backdoor has a step down.Dr. Lady J:And even if he came into the kitchen, which we were going to try, the galley entry from behind the bar is not big enough for a wide chair like his. So luckily Nate is able to walk some. So we were able to get him into the bar, but once I started booking him, it was a real eye-opener as far as like, we need to make sure that these things are taken care of in this venue. And the exciting thing is we've been in contact with a festival that's specifically for performers with disabilities. And we are one of the first places or the first place that they've been able to bring this to Cleveland, which they wanted to do for a long time, that we'll be able to actually accommodate not just on the audience level, but on the stage level. And that'll be everywhere from the chamber and the symposium and the fantasy dance club up through the fantasy theater, the field house, all of it.Dr. Lady J:So like that's a big part of what I think is really important. And there's about nine million other things I could talk about, but what we really want when you look at the programming for this whole place is I want it to look like it's a nightly takeover of space by different queer folks. So when you look at the schedule, it looks like nobody owns the club. That's one of my most important things is trying to make it feel like there's not a centralized thing there. So yeah, I think that's a pretty good, short, brief overview of Studio West.Gray :I mean, that's fantastic. It's this way that you're creating this LGBTQ+ hub. It's so much more than just the hub itself, right? It's all of the people behind it. And I really appreciate the way that you talked about centering BIPOC communities, so Black, Indigenous and people of color in the process. So you've talked a little bit about this, but we of course know that due to COVID, face to face interaction and truly all interaction has been limited the majority of last year into this year. And of course, a lot of drag and LGBTQ+ community building is about having those physical spaces that you've talked about. So how has this shifted the way that Studio West does their work and how you build and maintain community?Dr. Lady J:Yeah, I think that's a great question. It was really interesting because when I came onto the project, initially just as a temporary thing to see like how is this going to work and all that, we were totally thinking about like doing big events in June. We were starting to plan out our Pride events and book that out. And I'd already started booking people. And then all of a sudden everything gets locked down, COVID comes along. And the plus side of it is, it's given us a lot of time to really do those inclusivity elements, to really have those conversations. To have a five-hour long conversation between me and community members. And the other thing that's really interesting is because we have this space we're able to do like virtual events. So we just did our very first virtual event in December. It was called Aqueerium. Dr. Lady J:And so we wanted to account for COVID. So what we were originally going to do was we were going to have some in-person, about four tables, maybe 16 people of four each with dividers. And we built the stage so the whole entire front of the stage is covered by plexiglass now. So I wanted to basically create an aquarium that we could perform in kind of bringing in the idea of like, how do we incorporate what's happening in a fun way? And so our whole first show was all underwater theme, sea themed. We had a giant clamshell that our creative and technical director, Dan Housman built along with all of these kinds of set props. We had stalactites that looked like coral that he had made out of insulation foam. We really had an amazing cast. And that's what we're going to be planning to do for the rest of this year right now. We may have some in-person events that don't look like a show that involve a lot of distance, and that are actually to-go events that we'll be releasing maybe later in the year.Dr. Lady J:What we're planning on right now, basically every show we do for the rest of this year right now is planning to be all digital. So we're going to be prerecording the performers one by one so we can edit. And like, that's the great thing is it also allows us that yes, performers can come in and just use the space to record that. But also if people want to, we can do things where we edit more stuff, we can make things more like a music video. And that's kind of what we're working towards in the second show that we're going to be announcing that I'm calling Icebox. So this time we're using the front of the plexiglass again as an ice theme. And that's kind of what we're going to be doing as we go forward, is kind of keep trying to reinvent this until we find a way towards live stuff. And we're hoping that we might be able to do live socially distance stuff maybe in January of next year and maybe some this year. But, it's really going to vary on what we find out in the next few months.Gray: Yeah. I think one thing that's really great about our community, especially as I think there's an instinct to pivot. So really to just adapt. And not to quote Tim Gunn, but, "To make it work," right in the moment and do what needs to be done. So I'm going to take a quick break right now, and then we'll come back and chat a little bit more about your research and the work you do with drag history. Thanks so much for listening to BG Ideas podcast. We'll be right back.Announcer :If you are passionate about BiG Ideas consider sponsoring this program. To have your name or organization mentioned here, please contact us at ics@bgsu.edu.Gray :Hello and welcome back to the BG ideas podcast. Today we're talking to Dr. Lady J about her work as a drag historian and educator. So Lady J, as a scholar of drag and gender myself, I honestly can't hold us back any longer. Let's jump into some drag. So first could you provide, and I appreciate this is a difficult question, a working definition of drag, as you understand it for our listeners?Dr. Lady J: Okay. So yeah, this is a question that I get a lot and it is one that I find really difficult. It's one that I was asked a lot by my advisor and my whole team on my dissertation to really try to define more. Really what I think drag boils down to is its historical narrative, because there's a lot of cross dressing and crossing the gender binary that doesn't really fit in with the timeline of drag, that stands on its own as another part of another tradition. And I think that's one of the things that gets collapsed a lot in the histories is things that are theatrical cross dressing that aren't actually like drag. They're not informed by queerness. Like movies like Some Like It Hot where people have to get into drag for a reason that is motivated by the plot of the story, rather than, "I like drag. This is part of my personhood and my artistry."Dr. Lady J:But really, I would say drag is number one, an art form in the same way that sculpting or painting or any of those things are, or theater or music. It is its own artistic discipline that deserves its own space in that way. But it has to do with playing with gender and characters more importantly. But I think for me, straight people can do drag and that can be part of the tradition. But straight people, cross dressing in movies and things like that often comes from a really different place. And I think that drag at its core is inherently queer. I think that it really comes from a place of transness before there was a word for transness. The history reflects that. With cases like Boulton and Park which you can Google very easily.Dr. Lady J:That's a case of two people that both lived as women on the stage and off the stage who were assigned male at birth. They were carted in front of a judge. They were stripped nude as part of this. And one of them actually ended up performing later on with another person who lived their life as a man who was assigned female at birth, who had also had a career on the stage as a man. And who was married to a woman. And for me, that looks, even though we can't use the word trans because that wasn't indicative of the times. But what I see in that moment is two trans people, seeing themselves in each other and seeing a way to work together. And most of the people that you see in early drag are people who are gender non-conforming on and off the stage. And I think that there is also a lot of room for discussion about the wibbly wobbly-ness of the term drag and like female impersonation.Dr. Lady J:And there's so much respectability politics that goes into those things. There are many people, if you look at the 90s, especially who would say, especially trans women who would say, "I am not a drag queen, I'm a female impersonator." Because drag queen in their head was a man in a dress. But again, that's because men in dresses were the ones who were controlling that conversation. But yeah, I would say drag is really about queer people creating character personas on stage. And playing with gender is part of that. But the one thing I do want to say that I always think is really important is saying that drag is about crossing the gender binary is like saying that architecture is about making a brick. It's absolutely part of what is necessary to do the other thing. But most of the people I know who are performing drag are not thinking about the gender element the most. They're thinking about character creation. They're thinking about storytelling. They're thinking about a song that they're doing, the narrative dance styles. That's really what drag is, it's a queer performance genre.Gray :Well I really hope that we have some architecture majors tuning in to appreciate that metaphor. So, you talked already a little bit about this, but thinking of drag as a performance of gender, but also character. So what does drag have to say about identity as a whole or thinking about gender in relationship to other categories of identity?Dr. Lady J:Oh, that's a really, really tough one. What does drag have to say about identity as a whole? For me, I think it's about how different people experience it. Like I have a very hard time saying drag does things or drag is things because drag is so individual and it changes a lot.Like even when we think about female impersonation is what most people think of when they think of drag. And we think of like alternative drag that's bearded drag, or cis women doing drag as something that's brand new. All those things have been present at a minimum. And I guarantee you they're there before. I just haven't or can't think of them off the top of my head, but at a minimum, like cis women been doing drag since the 60s, bearded queens have existed since the 60s, like all of those things have existed since the 1960s, we had a counter-cultural movement that happened in drag in the same way that it happened in the rest of the world, in every other art form.Dr. Lady J:And it fully changed our art form. And so I think what drag has to say about identity very much has to do with the individual. So like for some trans women, for instance, some trans women get in drag and they feel more fully themselves. They feel confirmed by the drag and they want to be a heightened version of themselves on stage. For me as a non-binary trans woman, I did like pretty girl drag for like the first five years. I think a lot of people might question the first two or three years. Not what I'd call pretty. But like I was doing a femme face. And what I found was that once I saw myself as a trans woman in that face, I was like, "Well, this isn't what I wanted. I came here to do something that was about building a creation. That's an insane over the top heroic version of myself." Dr. Lady J:And so, that's why like Lady J the character my eyes are as big as my forehead. My mouth is huge because it's about... My character for me, drag is about becoming intimidating or becoming a big, giant ball of light that people can see themselves in. So I think it just really varies based on person to person and what you're trying to... It's the same thing as art it's like saying, what does art have to do with identity? Well, it's going to have a lot to do with the genre and the person and the aesthetic that they're going for and what their goals are.Gray :Absolutely. And I really encourage folks if they haven't already seen Lady J's character to look you up on Instagram. It's the only Lady J, correct?Dr. Lady J:Yeah.Gray :Yes. Because your makeup, your persona is absolutely fantastic. So when folks hear drag, and you've already started to break this down, many people might only make the connection to RuPaul or RuPaul's drag race or other dominant representations of "drag." so as a drag historian, what do you think gets missed in our popular understanding of the timeline of drag we have in the US? Dr. Lady J:The timeline is, I think number one, the first thing would be that the timeline generally says, "The history is about people who crossed from male to female, female to male." And that's not really been the case for a lot of history. And I think the timeline also makes it seem like trans women are something new to drag when that's not been the case. A lot of drag history's timeline has unfortunately been about respectability politics. And it's been about cis men's perspectives. Even the book that I cite in my dissertation as being foundational to my understanding of drag history, which was Laurence Senelick's The Changing Room, is virulently transphobic. It was really hard reading where alot of people would say, when they talk about the metaphorical magic of drag, many people try to say that being a trans woman and having any kind of hormonal adjustment or any kind of surgery, somehow alters what you're doing.Dr. Lady J:And I just don't really ever understand how that makes any sense. Also, because as long as there've been trans women getting pump in their face, there've been cis men in the same industry getting pump in their face. And frankly, I've had some very intense toe-to-toe screaming matches with some of my very closest friends who have had this fight with me about the place of trans women in drag. Where I had to say to this person, and it was really a hateful moment on my part, but it came out of this whole discussion about trans women's place in drag, and this person saying that trans women deserve have a different place. They're a totally separate thing. And I was like, "You can't sit here and tell me that you think that trans women and drag is somehow juicing." And I poked this person's face. And I said, "When are your lip looks like that, don't sit here and act like it's not acceptable for us to get work done when you get work done. When the same pageants who disallow trans women allow silicone injections above the neck line." Dr. Lady J:So there's a lot of these weird things that have come up. And the other thing I would say is people talk about drag as if it's always transgressive. I think that's one of the biggest, biggest lies out there. Drag absolutely often, often, often reifies and stands up the gender binary. It says it is about, "I'm a man who can also be a woman." And then the version of womanhood that's presented is absolutely like a stereotype. Now that doesn't mean that I think that high glamour drag is inherently misogynist. I don't, but I do think... And I don't think men doing drag is inherently misogynist but I do think that many people think "I am portraying a woman, so I'm paying homage."Dr. Lady J:When in fact, if you're creating a sarcastic kind of hateful version of this person, are you paying homage or are you actually just creating a misogynist tirade against what you think women are? I think there is much space for all of that. And that's kind of the thing that I want people to understand about drag is that our discussion should be the same as art. We don't call art misogynist because there's misogynist art. We don't say that all art is not misogynist because there's non-misogynist art. We take it on a case by case aesthetic by aesthetic, genre by genre basis. And that's what drag deserves.Gray :Thank you. So thinking about the role of women in drag that you touched on a bit going back to the 60s, what does it mean for you to be a woman and taking that category broadly to include transgender and cisgender women who performs in drag? Dr. Lady J:For me, it's what has helped me find my community. It's what helped me find my sisters, my partner, my best friends, the people who understand me most understand that I am most me not now, but when I'm fully Lady J.Like it was astonishing to me how different it was for the developers and the other people I work with at Studio West, who had met me in drag once when we went to New York. But it was 5:00 AM when I was getting ready that day, I was super nervous. I didn't know them very well. When we did our first show, they were like, "Oh my God, you're a totally different person." And I was like, "Yeah, because you know what happens when I get in drag? Even with all this crazy look on my dysphoria goes away. I'm not looking at a 35 year old person who has not gone on a hormone therapy yet, and who wishes they'd done it a lot sooner."Dr. Lady J:I see what I want to be. I see this heroic trans goddess of rock and roll. This KISS-like Wendy O Williams, not to be confused with Wendy Williams, like character. I always wanted to be covered in armor with a sword or something. I want to see myself as a protector because I grew up in a house where my mother was abused violently by my father. And I'm positive that's why Lady J exists. That's why I do what I do is because most of my career has been about creating someone that someone like that could never touch. And creating someone that could have saved my mom in that situation. That could have saved all of us little kids from having to deal with all of that.Dr. Lady J:That's a lot of what Lady J is, is me trying to provide people with some semblance of, "There's a future, there's hope there's promise." And also if you feel angry, like I'm going to get angry for you here on stage. I'm going to smash things. I did a number of last year where I was Lorena Bobbitt, and I was chopping an eggplant with a freshly purchased sharp butcher knife into the audience. If you want to see some stuff that is anti-misogynist, I'll give it to you because a lot of my drag is about my anger about those things. It's about processing out the pain and nonsense that I have seen and had inflicted upon me. I'm a three time sexual assault survivor. A lot of that anger goes into Lady J and that's how I get it out. And that's what's fun. And that's the hard part about COVID is like, I'm not on a stage in front of an audience, like doing all of that all the time. And maintaining sanity is harder without that.Gray :I really appreciate that. I think when we have that conversation about what drag is, we started initially in thinking that some people believe only cis men doing this kind of across gender performance, I think we miss out on all the, all the personality, all of our experiences that get put into our art form. So I really appreciate you being open about that. So I'm going to end with what I know is another difficult question. I know I've been full of them today, but who is, if you could just pick out one woman in drag's history that you think everybody should know about should go learn about right now?Dr. Lady J:That's really tough. I would say there's like maybe three that I think of a lot. One of them I would say is the person that like, if you don't know a lot about drag history, go look up Crystal LaBeija. Crystal LaBeija is the person who... Look up the movie, The Queen, and look at the argument that she has with Mother Flawless Sabrina. What you will see there is a world in which Black queens had been denied real advancement, had been denied bigger money, had been denied bigger opportunities. And this queen took this moment on film and took an enormous risk that could have made her look terrible. That could have ruined everything for her by saying, "You know what? I don't care that this documentary is here. And in fact, I think it's probably good that this documentary is here and I'm going to confront this pageant system about its racist practices and about the fact that I should have been the winner. And I was the rightful winner."Dr. Lady J:And sadly what a lot of people will see in that is just an angry Black woman. All they'll see is that. And they'll just be like, "Well, I don't understand why she's like that. What is she so mad about? Why does she think she deserved to win?" The reality is this was the only Black queen who had ever won Queen of Manhattan, which was like one of the biggest things in the world back then, at that time, for her. And so she was winning pageants that only white pageant girls were winning. And that's one of the things that we, in addition to saying, drag is not misogynist is a mythology. The other mythology is that drag is not racist. The drag world has been very racist in the past, but what you saw back in the day was that Black queens just did not... You were expected to lighten up and whiten up your skin and perform as white celebrities for the most part or light-skinned celebrities.Dr. Lady J:And then you were still going to lose no matter how well you did. Because they wanted your audience, they wanted you to participate. They wanted you to bring your people who would pay the tab, but they didn't want to allow you anything real. They didn't want to allow any of that. And so when you watch her confront Mother Flawless and tell her, "Yeah, I am showing my color, and I have a right to show my color." The entirety of this separate world of Black competition comes about because of this moment of just complete, "I'm done with this, I'm frustrated with this. And I will not do this anymore. I will not be this for you." And so being able to move on with that, I think she's one of the most important people.Dr. Lady J:And aside from her, I would say if you know a lot about drag history, you already know about her, look up Lady Chablis, you'll find out a ton of things. She was a trans woman. She never used the word drag queen and didn't like it. But I would still say she's part of the history because that's the culture she was a part of. And she did own like 12 pageant titles.Gray :Awesome. And you said there was a third as well, in your top three?Dr. Lady J:Oh, I forgot what the other one was now. The other one, I know one of the other ones I was going to say was to look up the women who were part of The Cockettes. Just look up The Cockettes and see that there was a troop of cis women, trans people, Black people, white people, babies, adults, the whole gamut.Dr. Lady J:And that was the 60s. And again, everybody thinks they're reinventing the wheel now. And it's because we have no awareness of our own history. It's like, as if we were trying to create art and all artists were trying to create art without having any idea that Cubism existed before, or that Impressionism existed before or any of these things. That's kind of the world we exist in. And that's a lot of why I try to do so much drag education, not just because we deserve to know our own history, but because it helps us get better as artists to not just keep repeating the same stuff.Gray :Awesome. Thank you. Yeah. I really think that Crystal LaBeija is a wonderful figure to highlight. And The Queen is a very interesting documentary. If a little dated, still, I think, worth a watch if only for Crystal's scene at the end.Dr. Lady J:I think it's important for people to see how bland some of the white drag scene was. Like, that's important. It's important for you to see the people that were getting somewhere despite not really doing much. Because that speaks volumes about the history itself.Gray :I think we definitely all have a lot of work to do in kind of uncovering the real, or perhaps the realer history of drag. So Dr. Lady J, I want to thank you so much for taking the time to chat about the work that you do. This has been a fantastic conversation that I think could be twice or three times the length. You have so many wonderful things to say. And I'm so glad that we were able to bring you to campus to share your keynote with us for the Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies Research Symposium. So I do want to give credit to our wonderful producers for this podcast. Chris Cavera and Marco Mendoza. Marco deserves extra thanks for sound editing in these very challenging conditions. We really appreciate you, Marco. Want to give a special thank you to the Institute for the Study of Culture and Society, and to Dr. Jolie Sheffer for allowing us to host this episode.Gray :Be sure to like, and subscribe to the BG ideas podcast, wherever you listen. And of course, follow LGBTQ+ programs on Facebook, /BGSULGBTQRC, and on Instagram @BGSU_LGBTQ. And there you can stay up to date and all of our programming and our events. But above all else, stay safe. And thanks for listening.
Happy Pride Month! This week the ladies discuss LGBT icons. Lori shares the story of Leonard Matlovich, Hannah covers Jane Addams and Sheena discusses the Lady Chablis.
Today is the 64th birthday of the performer The Lady Chablis. Savanah seems to have no shortage of characters that are loved and protected. She was larger than life. The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left. This episode is also available as a blog post. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/waldina/message
Hot D*mn! Lena Lust, a 69 year old Atlanta drag queen legend is in the house. She is here to instill some wisdom on keeping the mind and body right, why she still loves to perform, doing drag in the 70’s, and amazing stories about Lady Chablis, Eartha Kitt, and more! On this episode, Brigitte and Ella/Saurus/Rex also discuss a wide array of hot topics and political scandals like getting in the zone and not on the phone, Brigitte’s new gigarella, Mayor Bottoms but-does-she-top, Ted Cruz, AOC, and more! Good Judy is a podcast about queer art, news and pop culture hosted by two Atlanta queens, Ellasaurus Rex (@queen_ellarex) and Brigitte Bidet (@brigittebidet). Tune in every Tuesday with Brigitte and Ella as they discuss the latest news, chat with very special guests, and crown a Good Judy and Bad Judy of the week. Good Judy is part of the WUSSY Podcast Network, hosted by WUSSY Mag (@wussymag) Produced by Jon Dean @jondeanphoto Podcast Art created by Nick Sheridan @glass.knuckles Podcast Music by DJ Helix @1djhelix Donate to our Patreon Page! Follow Good Judy Podcast on Instagram Follow Good Judy Podcast on Facebook
I had an opportunity to sit down with Victor, who is the primary greeter at Savannah's only gay bar, Club One. I asked Victor to sit with me a chat about various topics from his life growing up in Savannah, to his various jobs, to his perspective on the historical restoration efforts of Savannah, to his work at Club One. We also spent a lot of time talking about topics that directly impact the gay community such as the dating apps, HIV and AIDS. Victor and I were able to wax on about the 80's, music, and MTV.
SOMEBODY, STOP ME!And the Oscar for Tightest Red Dress goes to…Cameron Diaz (a.k.a. the human Jessica Rabbit in The Mask)! Don't be fooled, gang. Jason pretends to hate this amazing movie while TOTALLY appreciating all of Cameron's ASSets. The lesson to be taken from this is that you, too, can fall in mutual VD if you wait long enough for the hot girl to settle for you.Welcome back to 1994, the year that Jim Carrey revealed himself as the mischievous god of comedy who would come to rule Darth's imagination and heart. Oddly enough, this was the same year that Jason was still catering to (not FOR) all the johns of the city. It's honestly the only reason why he's able to smoothly incorporate prostitute humor into his Dad Jokes.The Mask shows us that Stanely Ipkiss was the inspiration for Ted Buckland on Scrubs. Also, Nathan Lane now performs at the Coco Bongo club; he's basically the Lady Chablis of South Beach.We normally don't do what we're about to do, so pay attention, listeners, and get excited, for we have some historic news. #HindsightIsHorrifying is officially hosting our first male guest! He will be joining us on our next episode to discuss Death Race 2000 as well as our upcoming show in Alpharetta, Much Ado About Nothing. This Shakespearean production is directed by Jason Mitchell, in spite of some promotional misunderstanding.Now, we understand that some of you simply don't love us enough to cross oceans for this free show that we're putting on next week for our parents. That being said, stay tuned to find out where we will be live streaming our Shakespearean production. Aussies, we're counting on you. Show us that love from Down Under.Did you know that The Mask and Archer only implement sodomy in the strictest legal definition? Welcome back to the movie description. We felt you guys were getting a little off topic with that Shakespeare nonsense.Anyway! Working backwards, Artie from Kimmy Schmidt = Lt. Kellaway from The Mask = Boone from Animal House. We knew that would blow your mind up just like a circus balloon shaped by a carnie in a dark alley!Don't think we're letting you get away without the important lessons learned from this movie:Monogamy is NOT a type of wood.If you ever hear Darth don a British accent, don't believe a word she says.All henchman should have fabulous hair and all FBI agents should hold hands.Hootie & the Blowfish should never try to rob a bank.White Fanging is ONLY okay with girlfriends and bosses, not dogs. Who else is going to find your keys OR your cheese?Lastly, we realize that there was an actual lesson in this movie. Stanley Ipkiss had the courage he needed all along, even without the mask. So if he ever goes looking for his heart's desire again … oh wait, he already found it with Tina Carlyle, so he's all set. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
C POWERS (CGI, Proper Trax, House of Gunt / Savannah, GA) Hailing from the great musical city of Atlanta, @cpowers has absorbed a multitude of musical idioms throughout his life. Born into a psychedelic family of deadheads, Cici heard a lot of synthscapes as a child which might explain his love for electronically made rhythmic music of all kinds. Starting his DJ career in the bedroom at the age of 11, C has since held down gigs in Chicago, London, Atlanta, and now in the moss covered and sun drenched Savannah, GA where he has been absorbed into the House of Gunt family as their DJ. Powers also holds his own monthly, MIX, at the end of every month in Savannah's Club One where Lady Chablis once graced the stage. This mix is a gift to you the listener! It came to fruition after a few trips around the lower southeast's thrift and record shops and is thus full of crackles. Recorded in one live take on a 2x1200 and 2xXDJ set up this mix is gas for the ass! The mix is an investigation of the acid and breakbeat driven music that Cici would hear on late night college radio stations, or at the Sparkles roller rink back in the late 90s and early 2000s. Artwork by Chris Cole Stream / download all Deep Club Podcasts here: soundcloud.com/deepclubdenver/sets/deep-club-podcasts 01. Karizma - The Breaks 02. David - Just A Drummer 03. Da Juice - C'mon C'mon 04. Metro L.A - Hold Your Wig (Peter Tall Remix) 05. Funky Robots - TB 303 06. Single Cell Orchestra - I Want To Fall 07. Beatrice Dillon & Call Super - Inkjet 08. Space Girl - Inside (Da Suga Funk Mix) 09. Sharaz - Feel Me (Edit) 10. Grand Theft Auto - Lemon Pop 11. Madd Scientist - Liquid Headstach 12. DJ EFX - J.A.M 13. DJ Di'jital - Resurrected Beats 14. DJ Decent - Ode To Omar 15. Fred - Do It From The Back 16. C Powers - Bad Station 17. Armand Van Helden - The Key 18. Pump Media Unlimited - RU Shy? 19. Clay D - Give Me A Bottle (Instrumental) 20. Willie Max - Can't Get Enough
A conversation with Raquel Willis about unsung black trans heroines in American history and the present day. Rodecka & Sam are joined by writer and activitst Raquel Willis to discuss: Bae(s) of The Week: Mae Jemison, Peggy Whitson & Mae Reeves Hoe(s) of the Week: Sarah Shalene Photography and Flash Magazine Self Care Tips**:** Coffee Naps (I guess?) Fuck It (Topic of the Day): A conversation with activist & writer Raquel Willis about unsung black trans women in American History. Points of discussion include: Transgender Law Center, racial and socioeconomic disparities that impact Black Transgender women, Mary Jones, Sex work, The Monyihan Report, Hoteps, Frances Thompson, Lucky Hicks Anderson, the fight for marriage equality, Carlett Brown, Trans women may have been the original drag queens, trans antagonism by cis gay men, RuPaul transmisogynistic comments, Marsha P Johnson, Slyvia Rivera, STAR, Stonewall, Happy Birthday Marsha, The Death and Life of Marsha P Johnson, Sir Lady Java, Miss Major, Deedee Chamblee, Cecilia Chun, Ruby Corado, Felicia Flames, Cheryl Courtney Evans, Andrea Jenkins, People who are doing the work of documenting trans history today, Reina Gosset & much more. HASHTAGS Use #InnerHoeUprising and #Podin to keep up with this conversation on social media and let others know that you are listening. RELEVANT LINKS AND NOTES http://www.raquelwillis.com/ Black on Both Sides By C. Riley Snorton (book) The Queen (film) Hiding My Candy by Lady Chablis (book) Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (film) Andrea Jenkins’ Trans Oral History Project: https://www.lib.umn.edu/tretter/transgender-oral-history-project WEBSITE https://innerhoeuprising.com/ PAY A BITCH https://www.paypal.me/innerhoe https://www.patreon.com/InnerHoeUprising WRITE IN EMAIL ihupodcast@gmail.com SPEAKING GIGS Wanna pay us to speak at your school or conference about sex positivity, black feminism, or the other kinds of topics we discuss on this show? We’d love to! To book us, send us a line to ihupodcast@gmail.com MUSIC Opening: “Queen S%!T” SheReal https://soundcloud.com/shereal/04-queen-s-t-produced-by Fuck It: "Party on the Weekend" King Kam X DVRKAMBR End: “Yeah Yeah” Abstract Fish Co ENGINEERING BY https://www.castsoundlab.com/ SOCIAL MEDIA Show | IG: @InnerHoeUprising | Twitter: @InnerHoeUprisin Rebecca| IG &Twitter: @rebbyornot Sam | IG & Twitter: @slamridd Raquel | Twitter: @RaquelWillis_ IG: @raquel_willis #black #woman #sex #feminist #womanist #Comedy #raunchy #queer #history #transgender
We get into the Last Guardian Delay, Gaga's Perfect Illusion, Vixen's Season 2, the new Josie and the Pussycats and more. Then, we recreate the X-men films from cast to storyline. Also R.I.P. the great Lady Chablis
In Episode 25 of Black Girl Squee, Inda Lauryn and Didi Jenning squee over FLOTUS, Sheryl Swoopes in the HOF, Queen Sugar, and mourn Lady Chablis. They cuss out several groups of people in Catch the Fade and wonder where are the safe spaces for Black women and girls? They revisit their top 5 DWIDP's and end with a timely Womanist Vocab term. Intro/Outro is Noname's "Freedom Interlude". New Zine from Inda Lauryn, "Soaked in Cinnamon: A City Witch Finds Healing" - http://cornerstorepress.wordpress.com/soaked-in-cinnamon Conjure Woman Teespring Campaign from @dopegirlfresh. Open Until Sept. 15th.- https://teespring.com/conjurewoman#pid=95&cid=2260&sid=front We discuss Tiarah Poyah in Catch the Fade - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tiarah-poyaus-murder-exposes-the-black-male-fragility-we-dont-talk-about_us_57d1751be4b00642712bd58a Contact us at @blackgirlsquee on Twitter, Tumblr: blackgirlsquee.tumblr.com, Email: blackgirlsquee at gmail dot com. iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/black-girl-squees-podcast/id1029727623?mt=2 Simplecast: blackgirlsquee.simplecast.fm/
in memorium of The Doll, Lady Chablis, who passed into the heavens this week, an encore presentation. Travis returns to discuss Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Along the way he, Brother J, and Eric discuss Fernando Llamas, Kevin Spacey allegedly being a jerk, Geoffrey Lewis and Celestial Navigations, Voodoo vs Hoodoo, the importance of defense attorneys, the death penalty and methods of execution, and the Tsarnaev trial. File length 1:45:32 File Size 96.9 MB Subscribe to us on iTunes Listen to us on Stitcher Like us on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Send your comments to show@notinacreepyway.com Visit the show website at www.notinacreepyway.com Follow us on Twitter Send your comments to show@notinacreepyway.com Visit the show website at www.notinacreepyway.com
Episode 41! We ask: Are You in the Mile High Club? Plus Lady Chablis, 911, Dani Mathers, Gretchen Carlson, Odell v Dunham, Star Trek, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Prince Charming. With guest Amanda Lauren