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Festering frustration

Activists say police abuse is common link to gay, black riots

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Baltimore riot, gay news, Washington Blade
Baltimore riot, gay news, Washington Blade

Some in the LGBT community questioned why Baltimore black youth would riot in their own neighborhoods, ignoring their own community’s history of rioting against police injustice. (Photo by Victoria Macchi/VOA News public domain)

The Stonewall riots triggered by a police raid on a New York City gay bar in 1969 and three other lesser known gay riots in San Francisco were reactions to police abuse and perceived societal oppression, according to LGBT activists familiar with those incidents.

San Francisco gay and AIDS activist Cleve Jones, who witnessed two of the gay riots in his city in 1979 and 1991, is among those who say there are similarities between the police abuse experienced by young gay men back in the 1960s and 1970s and young black men today.

Jones and other LGBT activists point to the incident involving 25-year-old African American Freddie Gray, whose death on April 19 from a severe spinal cord injury he sustained while in custody of Baltimore police triggered riots and looting.

Officials with several national LGBT rights groups, including the National Black Justice Coalition, have joined African-American civil rights leaders in denouncing the action by six Baltimore police officers who detained and arrested Gray on a charge of possessing a small knife that was later found to be legal to carry.

The groups said Grayā€™s death in a police-related incident, after officers reportedly ignored his pleas for medical treatment while being transported in a police wagon, highlighted similar instances of reported abuse by police against young black men in Baltimore and other parts of the country, including Ferguson, Mo.

ā€œWhere you can draw a parallel is with police relations,ā€ Jones says. ā€œI think to be a young gay person in San Francisco in the late 1970s, you would have many of the same kinds of feelings as young African Americans feel toward the police today.ā€

ā€œWhen I got to San Francisco, the cops hated us. And they made it very, very clear every day,ā€ Jones says. ā€œIā€™m an old white man and unlikely to be singled out for my appearance for abuse by the police. But my memories of it from my youth are fresh.ā€

Jones was a student intern working for San Francisco Board of Supervisors member and gay rights advocate Harvey Milk in November 1978. It was at that time when Dan White, a disgruntled former police officer who had just resigned from his position as one of Milkā€™s fellow supervisors, shot Milk to death in Milkā€™s office at City Hall.

White killed Milk minutes after assassinating pro-gay San Francisco Mayor George Moscone in the mayorā€™s office in a fit of rage over Mosconeā€™s refusal to reappoint White to his supervisorā€™s seat. White had announced he changed his mind and wanted to remain in office. Milk was among his fellow supervisors who urged Moscone not to reappoint White, who was part of a conservative faction on the Board of Supervisors that opposed Milk on many policy matters.

In May 1979, gays and other San Franciscans became outraged when a jury ignored prosecutorsā€™ calls for convicting White on a first-degree murder charge and instead found him guilty of voluntary manslaughter, the most lenient possible charge for shooting two people to death.

Similar to the turn of events in Baltimore 36 years later, gays responded by holding a protest rally in the gay Castro neighborhood, which was Milkā€™s home base. They marched peacefully through the streets as the crowd swelled from about 500 to more than 1,500 people, according to news media accounts.

When the gathering of mostly LGBT people reached City Hall its ranks had increased to about 5,000, and violence broke out.

Police cars were set on fire, windows of nearby buildings were smashed and overhead wires for the cityā€™s street cars were pulled down. Some of the rioters took tear gas canisters from damaged police cars and threw them at police, who initially stood on the sidelines at the direction of the police chief, again similar to the Baltimore disturbances this year, before the chief directed them to confront the rioters and force them away from the City Hall area.

About two-dozen arrests were made and more than 140 protesters and as many as 60 police officers were injured, news media reports said. The rioting caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in property damage to the City Hall building and nearby buildings and vehicles.

Jones, who was present when the rioting unfolded, said the longtime police hostility toward the gay community combined with the shock of a lenient jury verdict for the man who murdered Milk, a gay icon, prompted normally peaceful gays to embrace violence.

ā€œI saw people who were known to be very well mannered who were completely consumed with rage and hatred of the police department,ā€ he said. ā€œIt was a real desire to fight back, a sense that we had taken this kind of crap for far too long. ā€¦ I think the LGBT people who were there that night ā€” within all of us ā€” the memories of prior abuses, the reality that we had been beaten up and called names and put down for so long ā€” and then it was the last straw ā€” that this all white, straight jury basically gave him a slap on the wrist.ā€

Comptonā€™s Cafeteria Riot pre-dates Stonewall

New Yorkā€™s Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village in 1969, where gays and transgender people fought back against a police raid, is considered the historic development that started the modern LGBT rights movement.

But three years earlier, in August 1966, a confrontation between a police officer and a person witnesses described as a drag queen inside Comptonā€™s Cafeteria in San Franciscoā€™s Tenderloin section erupted into what has become known as Comptonā€™s Cafeteria Riot.

Transgender historian Susan Stryker, who co-wrote and co-directed a documentary film about the incident in 2005 called ā€œScreaming Queens: The Riot at Comptonā€™s Cafeteria,ā€ is credited with helping piece together a comprehensive report on what happened.

LGBT activists are now calling the incident one of the first known transgender riots in U.S. history based on reports that Comptonā€™s was a hangout for people who today would be considered transgender women.

Also patronizing Comptonā€™s Cafeteria in the Tenderloin were the trans womenā€™s gay male and lesbian friends. Nearly all of them, the documentary film says, were struggling to survive at a time when they were considered outcasts. Most lived in nearby cheap rooming houses and many engaged in prostitution. Most were also often harassed by the police at a time when cross dressing was against the law, Stryker reports in the documentary film.

According to the film, the riot started when a police officer threatened to arrest one of the male-to-female cross dressers inside Comptonā€™s and she threw her coffee in his face. People interviewed in the film, which can be viewed on YouTube, said a melee then broke out among police and as many as 50 people inside the establishment, with windows shattered and dishes and furniture tossed around the room.

The fighting soon moved outside the restaurant, people in the film reported, creating a disturbance considered a full-fledged riot on the street.

ā€œThe violent oppression (and riot) of transgender people at Comptonā€™s Cafeteria did not solve the problems that transgender people in the Tenderloin faced daily,ā€ said transgender activist Autumn Sandeen in a 2010 article about the incident in gaylesbiantimes.com. ā€œIt did, however, create a space in which it became possible for the city of San Francisco to begin relating differently to its transgender citizens ā€” to begin treating them, in fact, as citizens with legitimate needs instead of simply as a problem to get rid of.ā€

AB 1 Riots triggered by veto of gay rights bill

The fourth known gay riot in the United States took place in San Francisco on Sept. 30, 1991, after then-Republican Gov. Pete Wilson vetoed Assembly Bill 1, a gay rights measure that called for banning discrimination in employment, housing and public accommodations based on sexual orientation.

The bill had been stalled in committee for years before both houses of the legislature finally passed it in September 1991. Gay activists and their supporters in the legislature were outraged over Wilsonā€™s veto, saying he acquiesced to the anti-gay faction of the stateā€™s Republican Party.

ā€œAs was the case in the White Night riots, a large crowd assembled in the Castro and stormed the civic center,ā€ says Jones, who was present as the crowd grew and became increasingly angry. ā€œBut instead of stopping at City Hall they went to the state building and did their best to set it on fire.ā€

A short documentary film on the AB 1 Riot, which included TV news footage of the incident, says about 2,000 protesters marched to the state building, where Wilson had an office. Protesters can be seen in the film using sections of metal barricade fences as battering rams to smash through the buildingā€™s glass doors.

The film also shows a protester using a large pole with a rainbow flag attached to it to smash through the glass doors on the building. It says the rioting caused over $250,000 in damage to the building, but no arrests were made and no serious injuries were reported.

ā€˜Intersectionā€™ between Baltimore and LGBT rights movement

Officials with some of the national LGBT groups talked about what they called the intersection between the Baltimore riots in late April of this year and the LGBT civil rights movement.

ā€œThe recent events in Baltimore and throughout the nation have been emotional, hurtful and even traumatic for so many in the black community,ā€ says Sharon Lettman-Hicks, executive director and CEO of the National Black Justice Coalition, an LGBT civil rights organization.

ā€œAt the National Black Justice Coalition, we are dedicated to changing the mainstream narrative around socially marginalized black people, especially young people, because issues like police brutality and economic injustice are also LGBT issues that disproportionately impact LGBT people of color.ā€

ā€œBlack LGBT people cannot separate their blackness from their sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity,ā€ she says. ā€œIssues that confront black people ā€” like structural oppression, classism and racism in America ā€” impact black LGBT people twofold.ā€

Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, says transgender people often face ā€œbrutal victimization, mistreatment and violence at the hands of law enforcement.ā€

She says NCTE works to address police abuse not only for transgender people but for everyone in its quest for ā€œa more just society.ā€

According to Keisling, at least one transgender woman who was arrested during the Baltimore disturbances was placed in a menā€™s jail after police learned she was transgender. She was ā€œforced to remove her undergarments and made to reveal her body to officers,ā€ Keisling says.

ā€œOur hearts go out to the family of Freddie Gray and to those people whose hearts are broken with grief,ā€ says Rea Carey, executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force. ā€œPolice-related killings of young black men have become a regular occurrence across our nation. So in a very real way what is happening in Baltimore is a predictable reaction to appalling injustice, deep mistrust of police and a real sense that nothing will be done about it.ā€

ā€œThe beauty and responsibility of the LGBT community is that weā€™re at the intersection of everything,ā€ says Human Rights Campaign Vice President Fred Sainz. ā€œWeā€™re black, Asian, Latino and everything in between.

ā€œBecause of the stigma we face and the lack of legal protections, LGBT people are also more likely to face economic disenfranchisement,ā€ he says. ā€œWhat all of this means is that this must be a shared struggle and we also have a responsibility to make life better for all Americans.ā€

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Rehoboth authorā€™s new book tackles love, loss, and the allure of P-town

Will Freshwaterā€™s series concludes with ā€˜The Dark Horseā€™

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Author Will Freshwaterā€™s new book ā€˜The Dark Horseā€™ is out now.

For those of us who have experienced the allure of Provincetown, thereā€™s no mystery about why author Will Freshwater set his series of three books there. 

Itā€™s not just about the scenic, remote location, or the many fine restaurants and spirited bars and nightclubs and theme weekends. Not just the picturesque harbor and its famed magical light. Itā€™s about a shared sense of community unique among LGBTQ destinations.

Freshwater, whose latest book ā€œThe Dark Horseā€ is out now, lives in Rehoboth Beach, Del., with his husband Stephen Cremen. And although Rehoboth became home after Freshwater retired from a career as a corporate attorney at Verizon in 2021, P-town always beckons. He first visited during the height of the AIDS crisis.

ā€œI donā€™t think weā€™ll ever experience anything like that again,ā€ he said. ā€œThe community welcomed anyone who showed up on the ferry looking for love and support; it was a transformative experience.ā€

Freshwaterā€™s parents worried that heā€™d never find a ā€œnormal,ā€ happy life as a gay man, but P-town put those fears to rest.

ā€œI saw people who were plenty happy and living lives that were what they wanted to be,ā€ he recalls. ā€œI had never been able to hold my boyfriendā€™s hand and walk down the street; young people canā€™t conceptualize that. It felt like home for me ā€¦ it felt welcoming, a warm place where I could be myself.ā€ 

So, naturally, the protagonist in his series of books, John Wells, travels to P-town from D.C. to find himself. 

The first book in the Provincetown series, ā€œFavorite Son,ā€ is a familiar read to any gay man of a certain age who worked on the Hill in the 1990s ā€” the sting of the closet, the need to be the best at work, and the chance meetings of romantic partners while riding the Metro. The story of John Wells, a senior Hill staffer, takes a turn after tragedy sends him reeling to P-town to heal. 

The second book in the series, a prequel titled ā€œThe Light Reflected,ā€ takes readers back in time when the main characters ā€” all gay men ā€” are in their 20s. Freshwater says it wasnā€™t a conscious decision to write a prequel, but that it evolved out of wanting to show younger readers what life was like for gays at that time.

ā€œWe did stupid stuff and made stupid mistakes and ran away,ā€ he said. ā€œAs a reader I often want to know what made a character a certain way. I was aware of my audience and in my generation I had the older mentors that shared our history and they died; I wanted readers to see what itā€™s like for these characters to be in their 20s not just their 30s. I wanted to give that perspective to younger readers because I donā€™t know how theyā€™re going to experience that if not through books.ā€ 

The new book, ā€œThe Dark Horse,ā€ finds the characters Danny and Peter/John in domestic life in Boston where Danny runs the family business. Everyone is feeling restless and a bit miserable. 

ā€œItā€™s about what happens after the fairy tale,ā€ Freshwater said. 

The book also confronts the issue of unresolved feelings for past boyfriends, which takes the characters back to Provincetown. Thereā€™s a shocking plot twist at the end of the second book, an unexpected ending for the romance genre, that is resolved to satisfaction in the final book. 

ā€œYou wonā€™t know until the final four pages of the book how it resolves,ā€ he notes.

This is the shortest book in the series and Freshwater says it took just 11 months to complete, compared to six years for the first book and eight years for the second book.

ā€œThereā€™s a great sense of closure and I can always visit these characters but Iā€™m excited to move on and do new things.ā€ 

Indeed, Freshwater is working on several new projects, including a book set in Rehoboth that heā€™s co-writing with a friend, the gay romance author B.J. Irons. Freshwater is writing one character, a Rehoboth local who manages an inn on Baltimore Avenue and wants to ā€œbreak out of his shell.ā€ Irons is writing the other main character, a developer from Los Angeles who moves to Rehoboth to open a large resort across the street from the inn. The book explores their friendship and business rivalry. 

Rehoboth became home for Freshwater and Cremen thanks largely to the pandemic.

ā€œIā€™d been coming here since age 3 because it was the closest beach to Pittsburgh,ā€ he said. ā€œWhen I was in law school I got introduced to a guy who had a house on the beach between Rehoboth and Dewey so I used to come down a lot in the mid-1990s and became hooked.ā€ 

The couple bought a house in Rehoboth in 2018 and split their time between there and a home in New Jersey. 

ā€œWhen the pandemic started, we went to Rehoboth for two weeks thinking it would all blow over quickly and then never went back.ā€

 The couple began questioning their stressful lifestyle of maintaining two homes and corporate jobs. So they sold the New Jersey house and moved full time to Rehoboth in 2021. 

In addition to the new book, Freshwater is writing a childrenā€™s book using the classic ā€œVelvet Rageā€ as inspiration. It features a puppy with a pink spot on his cheek while all the others in the litter have a black spot. The dog wears a mask to conceal his difference, but when it comes out everyone accepts him.

ā€œIt thematically speaks to not hiding who you are,ā€ he said.

Freshwater offers sound advice to aspiring writers struggling to find their voice and overcome writerā€™s block.

ā€œIt always starts with an idea or character or theme and then you develop a broad outline and then work your butt off,ā€ he said. ā€œDecide when youā€™re going to write and make a commitment that youā€™re going to do it, like an athlete who commits to practice every day from 3:30-5:30. Donā€™t wait for inspiration, just commit to writing every day, and then edit, edit, edit until it feels like whatā€™s inside your head.ā€

 The new book is self published because Freshwater craved creative freedom. 

ā€œIā€™m not sure what traditional publishers have to offer anymore,ā€ he said, ā€œlike YouTube for musicians, if youā€™ve got what you think is a high quality manuscript, put it out there and it will generate a following.ā€ 

Freshwater will read from ā€œThe Dark Horseā€ at an event on Saturday, March 23, 5-7 p.m. at Top of the Pines (56 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach). His books are available at Amazon and anywhere books are sold. 

(Amazon screenshot)
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ā€˜Tigerā€™ burning bright: an interview with Mary Timony

Todayā€™s female-driven music scene wouldnā€™t be the same without her

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Mary Timony is back with a new album. (Photo by Chris Grady)

Itā€™s hard to imagine what the current female-driven music scene would be like without Mary Timony. From Sleater-Kinney to Haim, from Angel Olsen to Mitski, the influence of Mary Timony is in every note being played, every word being sung. On her new solo album, ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ (Merge), with its sly nod to Joni Mitchell, Timony has brought her many years of musical experience to the fore, resulting in what is easily her most accessible release. Beginning with the incredible six-plus minute opener ā€œNo Thirdsā€ and continuing through the first single, ā€œDominoes,ā€ and gorgeous numbers including ā€œThe Guest,ā€ ā€œThe Dream,ā€ and ā€œNot The Only One,ā€ Timony is assured to keep listeners purring along. Timony made time for an interview shortly before the album was released.

BLADE: Mary, Iā€™d like to begin by talking to you about your musical lives in D.C. and Boston. I went to college in Boston in the early 1980s and was constantly amazed by the bands of the era such as Mission of Burma, Human Sexual Response, and ā€˜Til Tuesday. I moved to D.C. in the mid-1980s to go to grad school, and at the time, the music scene there was dominated by go-go music, and a smaller indie music featuring BETTY and the late Tommy Keene, among others. What do you remember about the music in D.C. as someone who grew up there?

MARY TIMONY: Thatā€™s interesting. We kind of did a switcheroo. Iā€™m from D.C. and I moved to Boston. (In D.C.) I learned, as a teenager, about rock shows and rock music from being involved in the punk scene, the post-hardcore scene of kids here. Those are the shows I went to in high school. Basically, the Dischord (Records) bands and stuff. I saw every single Fugazi show from when they started in ā€™87. Before that, whatever was happening in 1985, hardcore shows by Swiz and Soulside and Kingface and I loved Ignition. Other than that, I would go see bluegrass out in Virginia and I loved go-go. I would go to see (go-go bands) Rare Essence and Trouble Funk. I was very into that stuff; that was really exciting. I think I liked go-go the most out of all of it, actually [laughs]. I would go to DC Space and 9:30 (Club), mostly for local (acts). I don’t think I ever saw BETTY, but I was a teenager then.

BLADE: Was the active music scene in Boston in the early 1990s part of the appeal for you when it came to relocating to Boston to attend Boston University?

TIMONY: The reason why I went there was because I wanted to go to a music program that was in a big university, in case I didn’t wanna study music the whole time, which is exactly what happened. I studied classical guitar for a year and then I didn’t really like the program much, so I transferred to study English. I found out about the (Boston) music scene from friends. We went to The Middle East (nightclub) and TTā€™s (T.T. The Bearā€™s nightclub). Then after college, I ended up living right down the street from The Middle East and I was there constantly.

BLADE: Good old Central Square! As a performer playing in bands including Autoclave, Helium, and Ex Hex, and as a solo artist with her own band, itā€™s not unreasonable to say that Mary, you are someone who plays well with others. 

TIMONY: [Big laugh.]

BLADE: What makes you such a good team player?

TIMONY: I didn’t know I was [laughs]. I’ve gone back and forth between doing solo stuff and being in bands. Mostly, I’ve done projects where I’ve written a bunch of songs and I’m trying toā€¦I haven’t done a ton of collaborative stuff really. Ex Hex was fun because it was more collaborative. Wild Flag, the same thing, totally 100% collaborative in every way. But Helium was really my thing, but I got some great people that totally influenced it. I’ve always been doing my own thing but tried to find really good people. Music really is about connection. Itā€™s never as good if it’s only one person’s vision. Usually, if it’s good it’s good because of the connection between the musicians. Music is a social art form, I think.

BLADE: ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ is the title of your new album. In 1999, Joni Mitchell titled her album ā€œTaming The Tiger.ā€ Are you, in any way, making a nod to Joni?

TIMONY: A little bit because I am a huge fan. I have been since I was 18. But, it sort of came to me because I have a song called that on the record and I’m sure that probably came from ripping off Joni Mitchell. Then I just thought thatā€™s a cool name for a record. Then I thought, ā€œOh, shit!ā€ [Laughs] Itā€™s already been taken! Then I thought about it and then I forgot about it. Then I thought about it again and finally, I was like, ā€œItā€™s OK. It’s a little bit different.ā€ And I love her!

BLADE: Iā€™m currently reading Ann Powersā€™ book ā€œTraveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell,ā€ which comes out in June.

TIMONY: Oh, I’m definitely going to have to read.

BLADE: Yes, please add that to your reading list. ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ is your first new solo studio album in 15 years. Are there things you write and sing about on your solo records that might be out of place on an album you would record with another one of your musical outfits?

TIMONY: Yes. That’s why this ended up being a solo record. I guess it was because of the tuning of my guitar. They were more or less finished songs. I wanted the songs to sound kind of acoustic. I also wanted to play with a bunch of musicians who I really love. All those things just made it seem like a solo record. If I’m writing for a band, like Ex Hex, which is basically the other band that I do right now, they’re not finished. I bring them in (to the band members) with that band in mind.

BLADE: I love the lush instrumental section on ā€œThirdsā€ and the psychedelic sounds of ā€œLooking For The Sunā€ and ā€œThe Guest.ā€ Were there things you were listening to while writing the songs for ā€œUntame The Tigerā€ that were inspiring to you?

TIMONY: I was listening to a lot of music, a ton of stuff. I don’t ever try to purposely emulate anything very often, but I can’t help it. I’d rather be influenced by stuff without really thinking about it too consciously. I always have loved listening to The Left Bankeā€™s instrumentation and The Moody Bluesā€™ string parts. Most of the string parts come from trying to emulate The Moody Blues [laughs] or The Left Banke. I’m obsessed with The Left Banke.

BLADE: ā€œWalk Away RenĆ©e,ā€ right?

TIMONY: Yes. This guy, Michael Brown, was such a genius. He wrote so much stuff as a teenager. His dad was a string arranger. Anyway, I love those string parts. I was listening to this prog-rock band The Strawbs and this early (Ronnie) Dio band Elf. (The Flying) Burrito Brothers and The Byrds, too. I love Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span. Richard Thompson and I was really obsessed with Gerry Raffertyā€™s early solo record called ā€œCan I Have My Money Back?ā€ I love that record. I was listening to it a ton when I was arranging the songs.

BLADE: Why was the song ā€œDominoesā€ selected as the first single from ā€œUntame The Tiger?ā€

TIMONY: I don’t know. I let other people tell me [laughs]. I really hate sequencing records and I hate choosing singles. Iā€™m just too close to it. I can’t tell what people are going to like or not. A lot of times, the ones that I like are not the ones that other people like. I asked (the people at) the label and they suggested that. I think it’s more poppy sounding. Dave Fridmann mixed that one and ā€œDonā€™t Disappearā€ and heā€™s a genius mixer. and these mixers are always very pleasing and accessible sounding. I think that has something to do with it, too.

BLADE: Earlier, we talked about your long history of playing music with others, which reminded me of your guest spot singing ā€œAll Dressed Up In Dreams,ā€ written by gay singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt for his band The 6thsā€™ ā€œWaspsā€™ Nestā€ album. 

TIMONY: Heā€™s such a genius!

BLADE: How did that come about?

TIMONY: When I moved to Boston, for a year I lived with Claudia (Gonson of Merrittā€™s band The Magnetic Fields), who is his drummer. I lived in a group house in Cambridge. I was friends with Claudia, and Stephin lived a few blocks away. She told me he was making this record with guest singers they wanted to go over and sing on it. I went over there one day and he taught me the song and I sang on it.  I think he’s one of the best songwriters of the last 50 years or whatever.

BLADE: I completely agree. As someone who has collaborated with Stephin, are you aware of an LGBTQ+ following for your own music?

TIMONY: I don’t know. I think maybe a little bit. Iā€™d love that. I love everybody who can connect with it, because all I’m trying to do is connect with people.

Mary Timony (Photo by Chris Grady)
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Sherry Vine is turning 60 ā€” and sheā€™s not quitting anytime soon

Legendary drag queen coming to D.C. for new show, ā€˜Smoke and Mirrorsā€™

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Sherry Vine performs in D.C. on March 9. (Photo courtesy of Sherry Vine)

There are many things Sherry Vine is proud of. Throughout her 33-year-long career, the drag queen has accomplished so much ā€” sheā€™s released music, launched her own variety show and toured across the United States and Europe. 

But what she loves the most about her career is making people laugh. 

This calling to be a comedy queen started before her formal drag career. In high school, she remembers taking part in the musicals, and Vine would find joy in making people laugh by wittily changing song lyrics. 

ā€œThen it just evolved into doing that as the act,ā€ Vine said in an interview with the Blade. 

From the beginning of her career, sheā€™s made singing live parodies a central part of her performance as a drag queen. And for her 60th birthday, she knew she wanted to put on an extravaganza. 

Vine is coming to the Woolly Mammoth on March 9 while on tour for her new show ā€œSmoke and Mirrors,ā€ performed and written by her. Itā€™ll include new parodies, from Bruce Springsteen to ABBA. The D.C.-based drag queen Tara Hoot will be a special guest at the show.Ā 

Thereā€™s a lot that led up to this milestone year for Vine. It all started with developing her character more than 30 years ago. 

Developing Sherry Vine

Vine describes her persona as a down-on-her-luck showgirl from Las Vegas with a heart of gold. 

She was always obsessed with stars like Joey Heatherton and Stella Stevens. Not to suggest those stars are down-on-their-luck showgirls, Vine said, but she wanted to evoke a sex kitten mentality. Her character eventually morphed into what it is today from these inspirations. 

But at first, Vine said she thought she had to look funny to be funny. 

ā€œI didn’t care about the makeup. I didn’t wear big breasts. I just thought I had to look like a clown,ā€ Vine said. 

When she moved to New York City in 1992, she was surrounded by queens who balanced being funny and gorgeous simultaneously. That was eye-opening for her, she said. 

Now, she relishes surprising people, she said. Sheā€™s been told she looks ā€œtoo prettyā€ to be taken for a comedy queen, but thatā€™s OK with her. 

ā€œI want to walk out on stage, and anyone who’s never seen me, maybe they’re like, ā€˜Oh, she looks good,ā€™ā€ Vine said. ā€œAnd then I started singing about poop and penis and they’re like, ā€˜Oh my gosh, she’s so stupid.ā€™ā€

When she was starting out as a drag queen, Vine reflected that she didnā€™t envision doing drag as a career. She remembers not wanting to commit to it. She wanted to be a movie star, she said. 

ā€œI kind of fought it. I loved it,ā€ Vine said. ā€œBut I was like, I’m not doing this as a career.ā€™ā€

But once she let go of fighting it, her career exploded. She got connected with RuPaul and was on two television specials in the 1990s. That support was crucial, Vine said, and helped her believe in herself more. 

ā€œI was like, ā€˜Oh, OK. If this person thinks that I have something, then maybe I do,ā€™ā€ Vine said. 

Drag has changed ā€” a lot 

(Photo courtesy of Sherry Vine)

The drag scene has changed drastically. Vine credits a lot of this transformation to ā€œRuPaulā€™s Drag Race.ā€ 

ā€œWhen we started doing drag 30 years ago, no one in their right mind would have been like, ā€˜I’m going to do drag so I can make a lot of money and be famous,ā€™ā€ Vine said. 

Before RuPaulā€™s iconic single “Supermodel (You Better Work),ā€ one of the only examples of drag the average consumer saw was ā€œMrs. Doubtfire,ā€ Vine said.  

ā€œYou had to have a passion for it,ā€ Vine said. ā€œYou had to have a calling.ā€

When Vine started, drag was a fringe art form that had an audience of mostly gay men. 

Nowadays, itā€™s mainstream. Drag is enjoyed by a much wider audience, and is more of a way to become famous. When Vine was coming up in the industry, there were few ways to get on TV and in films as a drag queen, short of playing a character that was murdered on ā€œLaw & Order,ā€ she said. 

But even though drag has evolved and grown in popularity, Vineā€™s advice to drag queens has stayed the same over the years. 

ā€œDon’t try to do something because you think someone else is doing it successfully,ā€ Vine said. ā€œFind what you do, and then exploit and explore that.ā€

Looking back, looking ahead 

Out of her multi-decade run as a drag queen, Vine said sheā€™s most proud of the longevity of her career. There are a few people who have been in it as long as she has ā€” Lady Bunny and Miss Coco Peru, for example. Few others have made it as long as Vine, she said.  

She stresses that she canā€™t take credit for creating things, but she takes pride in being one of the first drag queens to go viral on YouTube in the 2000s. Her ā€œBad Romanceā€ parody, released in 2009, racked up more than 6 million views over the years. 

In the next few years, sheā€™s looking into doing more television and film projects. Her latest show, ā€œThe Sherry Vine Variety Show,ā€ just wrapped filming its third season. Creating this show is fulfilling a childhood dream of hers, she said. Itā€™s an homage to ā€œThe Carol Burnett Show,ā€ which Vine grew up watching. 

Whether itā€™s performing on camera or onstage, Vine doesnā€™t see herself quitting anytime soon. 

ā€œI love performing and drag as much now as I did 33 years ago,ā€ Vine said. ā€œSo I don’t see ever stopping.ā€

To get details on how to buy tickets to ā€œSmoke and Mirrors,ā€ visit woollymammoth.net/productions/sherry-vine.

(Image courtesy of Sherry Vine)
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