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Caitlyn Jenner: American hero or ‘arrogant’ dilettante?
Former Olympian’s prominence a mixed bag for trans community
Transgender visibility in mainstream culture is at an all-time high thanks to Caitlyn Jenner’s media exposure this summer. (Photo courtesy NBC Media Village)
Few would argue that Caitlyn Jenner is the most prominent transgender person in the country right now.
The Olympic champion, who found a second wind of fame as patriarch on reality show “Keeping Up with the Kardashians, is now in the national spotlight after coming out in a Diane Sawyer interview on ABC’s “20/20” that aired in April, a Vanity Fair cover story and huge fashion spread in its July edition and a new reality show. She’s halfway through the eight-episode initial run of her own show “I Am Cait,” which airs Sunday nights at 8 p.m. on E!
For Jenner, who has publicly admitted to shortcomings as a parent to the four children she had with her first two wives — Burt, Cassandra, Brandon and Brody, all of whom have declined to participate on “I Am Cait” — there is early evidence that she hopes to be a worthy unofficial spokesperson for the transgender community. On the two-part Aug. 2 and Aug. 9 episodes, Jenner takes a road trip with newfound LGBT allies and discusses whether she’s a suitable person for the cause considering her new fame as a transgender icon.
Some transgender activists have approached the situation with a raised eyebrow. Posing in high-end fashion gowns and corsets in Vanity Fair, for some, highlights the huge gulf that exists between Jenner and the kinds of homeless transgender women of color Washington-based activists such as Earline Budd at HIPS (a resource agency for sex workers) and Ruby Corado (of Casa Rudy, a local LGBT resource center) have worked with for years, as well as everyday transgender people who struggle with health disparities, income inequality, access to health care for various gender-related procedures and a wide spate of other well-documented issues. Many agree Jenner’s prominence is a good thing but could it send the message to the straight, middle-America heartland that Jenner is anything close to representative of the trans experience?
Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, says it’s important to remember two major factors: both the unsung heroes of transgender rights who’ve been working on these issues for decades — she mentions names such as attorney Shannon Minter, activist Marsha C. Botzer, author/artist Kate Bornstein and several others — as well as recent transgender celebrities such as writer/activist Janet Mock and actress Laverne Cox (Sophia on “Orange is the New Black”).
While nobody’s calling it a contest, Keisling says it’s important to keep Jenner in perspective.
“I think Laverne and to a much lesser extent Caitlyn has done us all a really big favor by coming out,” Keisling, a trans woman, says. “I’m probably not in a majority position on that, but I think what Laverne and even Janet Mock have done is in a lot of ways bigger than the Jenner thing, which is burning really brightly right now, whereas Laverne has had this really fiery glow for a couple years now and it doesn’t show any signs of subsiding. I just cannot say enough about what Laverne has done. Being a model of possibility for trans women of color at a time when we really needed that and in a way that could really change some things, she’s done that really smartly and graciously and amazingly.”
Executive Director of the National Center for Transgender Equality Mara Keisling (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Dr. Marci Bowers, a California-based trans gynecologist who performs gender reassignment surgeries and has been an outspoken advocate for trans rights for many years, says she “has a tremendous amount of respect” for Jenner, but says she also has concerns.
“Stepping on the stage and kind of self anointing as the spokesperson for the trans community — and I really don’t think she does this intentionally — but it smacks of being a little bit arrogant and a little naive to the community,” Bowers says. “She must not forget the real pioneers, people like (tennis player) Renee Richards who came out in the 1970s — now that was difficult. … I’ve done hundreds of series and documentaries and these are things that have paved the way for Caitlyn Jenner. … She is literally standing on our shoulders and it would be nice if that was acknowledged. It seems painfully obvious to me. I haven’t watched all of her programming but from what I’ve seen, she doesn’t seem to get it.”
Bowers agrees, though, that Jenner deserves a grace period for being new to LGBT matters.
“I hope acknowledgement will come in time,” Bowers says.
Long-time activist Dana Beyer of Gender Rights Maryland, a trans woman and former eye surgeon who has blogged extensively on Jenner for the Huffington Post, says, “I don’t think there’s any question” that Jenner is now “the most prominent trans person in the world and in history,” an occurrence she calls “a good thing.”
“I just hope the point is made that she is not everyone and we all have different stories,” Beyer says. “That is true of any movement but given the fact that there are so few trans people in the public eye, it becomes even more potent. I have no problem with it. I just hope she speaks properly and gets her facts right and learns a little history, a little about the law and medicine and biology and activism and legislation and all of that stuff. I hope she gets that right. She’s really obligated to do it and I think she will. She seems very humble.”
Possibly further securing Jenner’s spot in an ivory tower, Beyer says, may be her status as an “older, white-collar, Christian Republican.”
“Even if this is mired in identity politics, I think (she) could make a positive difference as long as she knows what she’s talking about.”
Is there a chance Jenner could blow it and set the transgender movement back? Beyer and Bowers both point to Zoey Tur, an Emmy-winning reporter noted for her use of helicopters for live news reporting, who drew heat in March for statements on “Dr. Drew On Call” about trans women in locker rooms, the legitimacy of trans men and more (Tur is trans herself).
“Here you have somebody who was a bit of a celebrity 20 years ago get on CNN and talking about stuff of which she knew nothing,” Beyer says. “The law, legislation — she was wrong about virtually everything she said. Somebody like that is dangerous. … She’s a good example of a recently transitioned person who is not a good spokesperson. … We tend to put the recently transitioned in the spotlight, and that’s not always good.”
Dr. Marci Bowers and Dr. Dana Beyer (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Shannon Minter, a trans man and legal director at the National Center for Lesbian Rights, says so far he’s been impressed with Jenner’s poise.
“Of course no one person can represent the diversity of any community, but Caitlin’s visibility has been hugely positive and has helped millions of people become more aware and supportive of transgender people,” Minter wrote in an e-mail to the Blade. “I know from my own experience as an advocate that she has helped many parents be more accepting of their transgender children. Her experience is different in some ways than that of trans people who are not as wealthy, but she seems to be keenly aware of that and to take her responsibility as a spokesperson and role model very seriously. I have been impressed by her thoughtfulness and especially by her concern for transgender children.”
Transgender author and teacher Alex Myers says it’s been amazing how much dialogue Jenner has generated among his trans friends and colleagues.
“My perspective on it is that she’s giving the movement and the identity better publicity than we’ve gotten in a long time, not even just coming from her and her own presentation but from the questions people are having,” Myers says. “We don’t want her to be the only voice, but I think she’s been well received and I think it’s a much more positive representation than anything else I can think of in recent history.”
Aside from Jenner’s reality show fame and status as an Olympic icon, Myers says stories of trans women tend to play well to middle America.
“I think the media in general is much more fascinated by trans women,” he says. “It’s much more perplexing for a guy who has all this privilege and status — why would they want to give that up? It makes for a much more sensational tale. When trans women transition, they often present in this very glamorous, very cisgender and dramatic way and that’s just not the case with trans men. We look like these short, dumpy guys and we don’t make such a sensational story for Joe Q. Public.”
Earline Budd says there’s a big difference between Jenner and many of the trans women she’s worked with over many years on Washington’s streets.
“I strongly support her but at the end of the day, I do feel it would serve her best if she did reach out to individuals such as myself who are leaders in the African-American transgender community who understand the struggles and the hardship and to engage folks,” Budd says. “She will never be the model for the African-American transgender experience. She doesn’t come from the same plight as many of us. Even my own personal experience of being openly HIV-positive, having been homeless before, having been an addict, having been incarcerated. I understand she is doing some work with some African-American trans women, helping one woman go through nursing school and that is really great, but … at the end of the day, we can’t put all our hopes and needs on one person. … We need to come together and figure out how we can put revenue behind where the real needs are.”
Earline Budd(Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)
Further adding diversity to the wide umbrella that encompasses the trans experience, author and academic Genny Beemyn, who identifies as gender nonconforming, says Jenner is “an anachronism in a lot of ways.”
“It’s amazing how much visibility this has brought,” Beemyn says. “I have gotten more media inquiries in the last few months than I’ve gotten in the last few years combined. It’s unreal the number of people who are doing stories, not necessarily on Caitlyn going public, but trans issues. … I think there is some danger in her becoming the face of transgender people. Even with some of the other narratives that are out there, such as Laverne Cox and Janet Mock, they are all conventional, very feminine, trans women so we’re still seeing some erasure for people who don’t have the ability to look so glamorous or like cis women.”
Even with the concerns, Beyer says the visibility Jenner brings to the national dialogue far outweighs any concerns. She, too, has been barraged with requests for comment.
“A lot of these newspapers really never gave a damn about transgender people until a few months ago,” Beyer says. “This is a huge deal. People are calling to be educated. Nobody cared enough before Caitlyn to want to be educated. We are going to look back at this as being a post-Jenner moment and we’ll talk about things pre-Jenner and post-Jenner. Everything has changed as a result of this because all of a sudden now when these issues come up, people will have somebody to relate all this to. They don’t really know her, but it will be a lot easier to make the sale. ‘Oh really, you’re going to tell Caitlyn Jenner she can’t use the women’s restroom?’”
Beyer says it’s a new era of visibility and progress.
“Who were our options before? (Convicted murderer) Michelle Kosilek? Chelsea Manning? Somebody whom half the population thinks is a traitor? It’s a big difference to go from, ‘Hi, I’m a trans woman,’ ‘Oh, like Chelsea Manning,’ to ‘Oh, like Caitlyn Jenner.’ That changes everything. She’s a great athlete and an American hero and we’re basking in the reflections of that hero status. In today’s America, that’s about as good as it gets.”
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Your guide to D.C.’s queer New Year’s Eve parties
Ring in 2026 with drag, leather, Champagne, and more
With Christmas in the rear view mirror, we can turn our attention to ringing in a much-anticipated New Year with a slew of local LGBTQ parties. Here’s what’s on tap.
Pitchers
This spacious Adams Morgan bar is hosting the “Pitchers’ Perfect New Year’s Eve.” There will be a midnight Champagne toast, the ball drop on the big screens, and no cover, all night long. The bar doesn’t close until 4 a.m., and the kitchen will be open late (though not until close). All five floors will be open for the party, and party favors are promised.
Trade
D.C.’s hottest bar/club combo is leaning into the Shark motif with its NYE party, “Feeding Frenzy.” The party is a “glitterati-infused Naughty-cal New Year’s Even in the Shark Tank, where the boats are churning and the sharks are circling.” Trade also boasts no cover charge, with doors opening at 5 p.m. and the aforementioned Shark Tank opening at 9 p.m.. Four DJs will be spread across the two spaces; midnight hostess is played by Vagenesis and the two sea sirens sensuously calling are Anathema and Justin Williams.
Number Nine
While Trade will have two DJs as part of one party, Number Nine will host two separate parties, one on each floor. The first floor is classic Number Nine, a more casual-style event with the countdown on TVs and a Champagne midnight toast. There will be no cover and doors open at 5 p.m. Upstairs will be hosted by Capital Sapphics for its second annual NYE gathering. Tickets (about $50) include a midnight Champagne toast, curated drink menu, sapphic DJ set by Rijak, and tarot readings by Yooji.
Crush
Crush will kick off NYE with a free drag bingo at 8 p.m. for the early birds. Post-bingo, there will be a cover for the rest of the evening, featuring two DJs. The cover ($20 limited pre-sale that includes line skip until 11 p.m.; $25 at the door after 9 p.m.) includes one free N/A or Crush, a Champagne toast, and party favors (“the legal kind”). More details on Eventbrite.
Bunker
This subterranean lair is hosting a NYE party entitled “Frosted & Fur: Aspen After Dark New Year’s Eve Celebration.” Arriety from Rupaul Season 15 is set to host, with International DJ Alex Lo. Doors open at 9 p.m. and close at 3 p.m.; there is a midnight Champagne toast. Cover is $25, plus an optional $99 all-you-can-drink package.
District Eagle
This leather-focused bar is hosting “Bulge” for its NYE party. Each District Eagle floor will have its own music and vibe. Doors run from 7 p.m.-3 a.m. and cover is $15. There will be a Champagne toast at midnight, as well as drink specials during the event.
Kiki, Shakiki
Kiki and its new sister bar program Shakiki (in the old Shakers space) will have the same type of party on New Year’s Eve. Both bars open their doors at 5 p.m. and stay open until closing time. Both will offer a Champagne toast at midnight. At Kiki, DJ Vodkatrina will play; at Shakiki, it’ll be DJ Alex Love. Kiki keeps the party going on New Year’s Day, opening at 2 p.m., to celebrate Kiki’s fourth anniversary. There will be a drag show at 6 p.m. and an early 2000s dance party 4-8 p.m.
Spark
This bar and its new menu of alcoholic and twin N/A drinks will host a NYE party with music by DJ Emerald Fox. Given this menu, there will be a complimentary toast at midnight, guests can choose either sparkling wine with or without alcohol. No cover, but Spark is also offering optional wristbands at the door for $35 open bar 11 p.m.-1 a.m. (mid-shelf liquor & all NA drinks).
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Local, last-minute holiday gift ideas
Celebrate the season while supporting area businesses
The DowntownDC Holiday Market is bustling. Union Station is decked out with its annual Christmas tree. Washingtonians have wrapped their houses and apartment balconies with festive lights and holiday decorations. The holiday season is here. And with stockings to fill and empty space under the tree, Washington’s local shops and artists have plenty to offer.
Show your LGBTQ and D.C. pride with the Washington Blade’s annual holiday gift guide.
To embrace the holiday buzz: The Blanco Nwèl cocktail from Alchy Cocktails. This Caribbean eggnog is one of Alchy Cocktail’s seasonal holiday cocktails. The flavor profile is similar to coquito, a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas drink with a coconut base. As a queer and Caribbean-owned business, Alchy Cocktails has been based out of Washington since 2021. Blanco Nwèl is available in both cocktail ($24) and mocktail ($12) online and at a variety of holiday markets, including the Tingey Plaza Holiday Market, the Flea Market at Eastern Market, Union Station’s Main Hall Holiday Market, and more. ($24)
A spicy bite: Gordy’s Cajun Okra from Salt and Sundry. These spicy, tangy pickles pull on Southern Cajun-style flavors, packing a punch with paprika, cayenne, and more. Gordy’s is an LGBTQ-owned and Washington-based brand, making this gift an opportunity to support a local LGBTQ business straight from the jar. This pantry staple is available on Salt & Sundry’s website and at its locations in Union Market, Logan Circle, and its Georgetown holiday pop-up store. ($14)
To celebrate Washington pride: The DC Landmark Tote Bag from The Neighborgoods. Native Washingtonians, visitors, friends and family alike will find something to love about this Washington-themed tote bag. Food trucks, the 9:30 Club, the Metro logo and pandas from the National Zoo are just some of the city’s landmarks depicted across the tote in a red, white, and blue color palette. The tote is a part of the DC Landmarks collection, which donates 10 percent of its sales to the American Civil Liberties Union. The Neighborgoods itself is a local, woman-owned business built out of a passion for screen-printing in 2013. The 100 percent cotton canvas tote is for sale online or at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($22)
To give friends and family their flowers: The Flowers Bandana from All Very Goods. This 100 percent cotton bandana was designed in Washington and hand printed in India. Its uniqueness comes in being covered with the faces of Black women, representing a “love letter to all women but especially Black women,” according to All Very Goods. The Black woman-owned and operated business, based out of Northwest Washington, has a mission to celebrate diversity and representation through its products. The bandana intends to give Black women their “flowers.” The Flowers bandana is available for purchase online. ($24)
To unlock culinary creativity: The Curious Chef Gift Collection from Each Peach Market. This customizable collection of kitchen oddities — ranging from tinned fish to chili oil — is a quirky gift for the most inventive chefs. The collection is available in a Standard Santa, Extra Goodies and Super Holiday Size for up to $165. The Washington-based market, founded in 2013, permits customers to make the collection special by specifying what unique ingredients are packaged, including products made by local or LGBTQ brands. Each Peach Market offers assembly and pick up in-person at its Mount Pleasant shop and also offers local delivery and nationwide shipping via its website. ($85)
To give a touch of sweetness: The DC Landmark Chocolate Covered Oreo Holiday Cookies from Capital Candy Jar. Wrapped in a festive red bow, this box of nine cookies embraces love for Washington and the holiday season in one. Among the dark and milk chocolate covered cookies are images of the U.S. Capitol, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial and festive hollies. The treat, packaged in a Hill East facility just a few blocks from the Capitol, is available for purchase online and at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($23.95)
To celebrate queer gaming: Thirsty Sword Lesbians from Labyrinth Games & Puzzles. This roleplaying game embraces lesbian culture by unlocking a world of swords, romance, and battle. Ideal for group settings, the book presents a system of world building and character identities that are best brought to life by creative minds. Labyrinth, which has been a local Washington business for more than 15 years, celebrates non-digital fun through games and puzzles that connect the community. This gift is offered online and at Labyrinth’s Capitol Hill location. ($29.99)
To make a bold statement: The “Resist” T-shirt from Propper Topper. This locally screen-printed black tee features the Washington flag designed within a raised fist, symbolizing both Washington pride, and political resistance. The shirt is made exclusively by Propper Topper, a local Washington business that evolved from a hat shop to a gift store since opening in 1990. The tri-blend unisex shirt is available both for pickup at Propper Topper’s Cathedral Heights location and shipping via the online site. ($32)
To keep it c(g)lassy: The Glass Ball earrings from Blue Moon Aquarius. Gifting can rarely go wrong when it comes to a new pair of earrings. The unique statement earrings — made of polymer clay, glass, and 18k gold plating over surgical steel — are hand cut, sanded and assembled in Washington, meaning each set is unique. Blue Moon Aquarius, a local brand, is known for its small batch jewelry and home decor designed with clay materials. Available in oxblood, hunter green, lavender, and bluestone color palettes, these earrings are available for purchase on Blue Moon Aquarius’ website and at the DowntownDC Holiday Market. ($48)
To elevate a holiday tea or charcuterie party: The Honey Flight: Tea Lover’s Selection from BannerBee. This local honey company presents the ideal gift to make cozying up with a cup of tea slightly more special. The Honey Flight contains three types of raw wildflower honey infused with fair trade Ugandan vanilla bean, chai spices, and locally sourced lemon thyme herb. The gift is also an opportunity to uplift a family company based in the Mid-Atlantic that offers all-natural, sustainable products. The flight is available online, at the DowntownDC Holiday Market or at the Arlington Courthouse and Dupont Farmers’ Markets. ($36)
For Baltimore shoppers: If you’re in Charm City, don’t miss Balston Mercantile, opened by a gay couple in June. Their gorgeous shop in the Hampden neighborhood offers an array of unique, upscale finds, from barware and artwork to cookbooks and home decor and more. (849 W. 36th St.)
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Have yourself a merry John Waters Christmas
Annual holiday show returns to Alexandria and Baltimore
When it comes to iconic Christmas scenes in movies, none can top the tree-toppling tantrum thrown by cha-cha heels-deprived Dawn Davenport in John Waters’s fifth full-length feature “Female Trouble” from 1974. Therefore, it’s not surprising that Waters continues to make art out of Christmas, performing his spoken word Christmas tour in cities across the country. Waters has even more reason to celebrate with the release of his new red vinyl 7” single, a cover of Little Cindy’s “Happy Birthday Jesus (A Child’s Prayer)” on the A-side, and “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas” on the B-side. If you’re still looking for unique Christmas gifts, consider this record. As always, John was kind enough to make time for an interview in advance of his tour dates.
BLADE: John, in preparation for this interview with you, I went back and listened to Little Cindy’s original rendition of “Happy Birthday Jesus (A Child’s Prayer)” on your “A John Waters Christmas” CD.
JOHN WATERS: One thing I did, if you notice, I make the same stumble in my recording that she did in the original.
BLADE: It sounded to me like she got choked up.
WATERS: No, I think she just stumbles over a word, so I stumbled over the same word. It’s appropriation, insanely.
BLADE: Is this a song you first became aware of in your youth or when you were an adult?
WATERS: When I was doing the Christmas album, I had this friend named Larry Benicewicz. He was kind of my idea man with music. He knew every single old record. I would say to him, “Weird Christmas songs,” when we were doing a soundtrack, or a song about bears, or a song about this, and he would give me all these tapes. It was one of the ones he played for me. A lot of the songs I put in my movies and on my records, I did know as a kid. I did not know this one, but I immediately embraced it. I don’t think it’s campy. I think it really is spiritual in a weird way. My doing it makes it a novelty record. I am really for novelty records, and there aren’t any anymore. Why was there not a COVID novelty record? That’s insane. The dance “The Bug” that’s on the “Hairspray” soundtrack would be perfect for COVID.
BLADE: The thing that struck me was that for a Christmas song in the voice of a child, a kind of death pall hangs over it, with lines like, “If I was good you’d let me live with you” and “they nailed you to the cross, they wanted you to die.”
WATERS: All of it! When I see children at midnight mass kneeling in front of a nude man nailed to a cross, I feel like I’m at The Eagle! It is S&M, it’s creepy. I took the same cover (photo) from her record to parody and put my face on it. The same thing I did with The Singing Dogs last year when I covered (their version of) “Jingle Bells.” I’m really into novelty records. I love them and I’m trying to bring them back. I don’t expect anybody to ever play these records. Even The Singing Dogs one said on it, “Please do not play this record” [laughs]. And the flipside, the Pig Latin version, is almost impossible to listen to.
BLADE: I’m so glad you mentioned that. “A Pig Latin Visit From St. Nicholas” reminded me of the lost art of speaking in Pig Latin. I also recall watching the PBS series “Zoom” as an adolescent and learning to speak “ubbi dubbi,” a distant relative of Pig Latin. Do you think that the time is right for a Pig Latin or ubbi dubbi revival?
WATERS: Here’s the thing, I never could pick up any language, except Pig Latin. I’ve been in every foreign country. Foreign countries have given me money to learn to speak the language. I can never do it! But Pig Latin…my parents and other parents in the ‘50s spoke Pig Latin so kids couldn’t understand what they were saying. Then my mother taught it to me, and I used it. The hardest take to shoot in “Pink Flamingos” was not eating the dog shit. It was when the cast skipped, in one take, saying “E-way, are-yay e-they ilthiest-fay eople-pay in-hay e-they ole-hay ide-way orld-way.” We’re the filthiest people in the whole wide world in Pig Latin. We had to do so many takes so they could do it once without screwing it up. In “Polyester,” Edith (Massey) answers the phone, “ello-hay.” I did a photo piece where it was all subtitled in Pig Latin. Like “osebud-Ray” (from “Citizen Kane”) or in “Streetcar,” “ella-Stay!” [Laughs] All the iconic dialogue translated into Pig Latin. My assistant who helped me do it, had never heard of Pig Latin. She really got good at it because she lived in many foreign countries and can pick up languages. But it’s not that easy to do it correctly and read it. Your computer will translate into Pig Latin.
BLADE: AI understands Pig Latin?
WATERS: I guess that’s AI. It wasn’t 100% right, but it was close. I can speak it if I look at it, but just do a bit at a time. It was a challenge that no one would possibly care about or want to do.
BLADE: I think you pulled it off very well.
WATERS: If you want people to leave on Christmas morning, you put it on. That’s how you get your guests to leave. It’s time to go.
BLADE: Ood-gay i-bay! How did your relationship with record label Sub Pop, which released 2021, 2022, 2024, and new 2025 holiday singles, come about?
WATERS: I believe the first thing I did for them was “Prayer to Pasolini.” They came to me through Ian Brennan. He’s won a couple Grammys for World Music, but he is also is one of my agents who does the Christmas tour and a lot of my shows, anything with music. He helped me arrange each one of the songs. He had a relationship with Sub Pop. It was perfect. My friends in Baltimore, (the band) Beach House, have had huge success.
BLADE: That’s right, they’re on Sub Pop!
WATERS: Yes! I’m happy to be on it. I’ve even been to the warehouse and posed for pictures like Jackie Suzanne used to do.
BLADE: Is there any chance that “A John Waters Christmas” might be reissued on vinyl by Sub Pop?
WATERS: No. It’s such a nightmare to get the rights and to renew them. You have to find the publisher and the writer, and they usually hate each other. It doesn’t matter if it’s obscure or famous, it’s hard to get. You have to make the deal. The singer doesn’t get anything unless they play it on the radio. It would be so complicated legally, and there would be such a [laughs] tiny audience for it. I hope it will come out again. The same thing with the one for Valentine’s Day. I had two of them that did quite well when they came out; “A Date With John Waters and “A John Waters Christmas.” The “John Waters Christmas” album is still the soundtrack that plays whenever I’m doing my spoken word Christmas show as people are entering the theater.
BLADE: Aside from your annual Christmas show tour, what else do you do for the holidays now, and are there any traditions that you’ve carried over from your family?
WATERS: Certainly! I have two sisters, my brother’s widow, and me, so there are four and we take turns each year to have the Christmas dinner. Mine was last year. An entire sit-down dinner. Mom’s China, the silverware, the entire full dinner. It’s pretty traditional. I don’t have a Christmas tree, but I do decorate the electric chair from “Female Trouble.” That is a tradition in my family. We do have Christmas decorations, but they’re usually weird ones that fans sent me. I have one with Divine knocking over the Christmas tree, and the Christmas tree lights up, all sorts of amazing things. There is definitely a tradition here that might be a little altered, but it is definitely a tradition. I used to have a giant party every year, but COVID ended that. I still wouldn’t want 200 people in my house breathing right now.
BLADE: I was looking at your tour schedule and wondered if there are any new cities in which you’ve never performed the John Waters Christmas show that have been added to this year’s schedule?
WATERS: I don’t think there’s a city in America in which I haven’t done one show! The only places I haven’t been to are Hawaii and Alaska. I could do it there, but it’s too long on a tour. I can’t think of a city I haven’t played in in America over the last 50 years. The Christmas show is completely different every year. It doesn’t matter if you saw it last year.
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