Liberating laughs

Everett Marroon (Photo courtesy the author)

By MALI KRANTZ

Everett Maroon, keynote speaker for Saturday’s Capital TransPride event, feels he has lived a colorful existence so far.

After an appearance on “Geraldo” in 1993, Maroon landed a radio gig in Upstate New York where he talked about “funny gay stuff on the radio,” once a month for five years.

“My life has always been a little unorthodox,” he says.

Now he has written a comedic memoir titled, “Bumbling Into Body Hair: A Transsexual’s Memoir,” which chronicles his transition through a series of humorous anecdotes.

Maroon is in town this weekend — look for him at Capital TransPride at Westminster Presbyterian Church (400 I Street, SW) from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event will have workshops, presentations and one-on-one opportunities to discuss safety and legal issues. Several non-profits and government groups will be on hand to answer questions. Admission is a suggested $10 donation. Capital TransPride is an official Capital Pride event so more information is at capitalpride.org. He’s also scheduled to give a reading and book signing at the MLK Library (901 G Street, NW) Friday at 4 p.m.

“My understanding is people’s eyes will glaze over around minute 45, so I’ll keep it to 44 minutes, something like that.”

Maroon is returning to D.C., his home for 11 years, after four years in Walla Walla, Wash.

“I actually lived [in D.C.] from Halloween 1997 until Aug. 13, 2008, and I can’t even explain why I know those dates, but I do.”

He went on his first date with his wife at Ella’s Wood Fired Pizza and lived near Eastern Market where he was a regular on Saturday mornings.

“So there are little pieces here and there that I’m sure will spark fond memories and heart pangs and all that,” he says.

Since the book came out in mid-March, Maroon has added touring and interviews to his already busy schedule as executive director of Blue Mountain Heart To Heart, an HIV advocacy and prevention non-profit. He is also working on a second book.

“And I have a 7-month-old,” he says. “So that’s also a job.”

When writing his book, he took a comedic approach to a subject that is often written about in a heavier tone.

“I like to laugh my way through my anxiety,” he says. “I had some trouble for a while finding a publisher … the publishing industry folks were expecting it to be angsty, or depressing … I wrote it as a humor book because I kept seeing so many ludicrous things happening as I was thinking about, and then as I was transitioning. The way they market products to trans people, the way that people would come up with names for body parts because they weren’t comfortable with their own bodies.”

Maroon says the best experience he’s had since publishing the book was a reading he did for a high school gay-straight alliance in Washington State.

“That was really an amazing experience, because viscerally I had those kids in mind when I was writing,” he says.