a&e features
QUEERY: Taylor Lianne Chandler
The D.C.-area trans/intersex activist answers 20 gay questions
Taylor Lianne Chandler arrived in the D.C. area in 2013 newly divorced, seeking a fresh start and ready to find work full time as a sign language interpreter.
Listing her job titles as author/actress/activist/model, Chandler soon got involved with the local trans/intersex community.
Chandler will appear as a celebrity judge at the annual ā#AskRayceen Mini Ball,ā this monthās installment of āThe Ask Rayceen Showā slated for Wednesday, April 3 at HRC Equality Center (1640 Rhode Island Ave., N.W.) at 7 p.m. Itās free and open to the public. Now in its eighth season, āAsk Rayceenā runs the first Wednesday of each month March through November with hostess Rayceen Pendarvis.
āShe always makes me smile,ā Chandler says of Rayceen. āIām happy to support anything she does. We always take a selfie together every time we see each other. Itās our thing.ā
She calls āAsk Rayceenā and the ball competition āan amazing time to see our community come together in a safe space and shine.ā
Chandler is also active with We the People, SaVanna Wanzerās local trans group thatās gearing up for Mayās launch of its second annual May Is? All About Trans series of events.
āUnder this administration that wants to ban and erase us, we need a chance to celebrate and come together in safe spaces,ā the 46-year-old Cape Coral, Fla., native says. āI was the first person she asked two years ago. I didnāt hesitate. When SaVanna asks, you step to the plate and do what is necessary. You just do it.ā
Chandler credits Wanzer with helping her bounce back after an ugly breakup ā more below ā a few years ago. Full details of May Is? at mayistransdc.com.
Chandler is engaged to Matthew Meagher-Walker. They live in Burke, Va. Chandler enjoys reading, travel, coffee and being near the water in her free time.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I was outed on the cover of the National Enquirer, TMZ and Radar Online November 19, 2014. I didnāt choose on my own to be out. My relationship with Michael Phelps put my life in a public forum for all to see and scrutinize and pass judgment. I donāt have the luxury of telling someone. My whole life is public, the good, the bad and the ugly!
Who’s your LGBT hero?
Caroline Cossey, Tula. She was the first person I ever saw myself in. She has been a rock over the last five years as she was outed and went through it all publicly too. She tells me often, āchin up always.ā
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
I love me some Dirty Goose, but I pretty much like them all! I truly miss Town, but now we have Avalon Saturdays. If Iām feeling a little naughty, Secrets is a guilty pleasure!
Describe your dream wedding.
Something small and simple with close friends, but elegant and traditional. I want it to have an outdoor stage with jazz, classical and contemporary music. I want it formal but fun down to every detail. I want to marry my best friend who loves and adores me. A man who will be loyal and cherish me. I want a love that others wish they had. Iām so lucky to have found my fairytale with Matthew.
What non-LGBT issue are you most passionate about?
Being intersex, Iām passionate about laws stopping gender mutilation surgery in infants to fit conveniently into a binary world. Close second is economic justice, health equity and equal pay for women.
What historical outcome would you change?
Trump becoming president. He has taken the intersex and transgender communities back 100 years with no end in sight. Our country has never been so divided!
What’s been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?
For me, it was when I did āThe Howard Stern Showā with Bradley Cooper in January 2015.
On what do you insist?
Not waiting in lines, one small perk of fame.
What was your last Facebook post or Tweet?
My last tweet was a video of me speaking at Trans Day of Remembrance about the state of the world under President Trump last year. My last Facebook post was promoting my friend Rhonda Sheer on HSN.
If your life were a book, what would the title be?
My first book is āThe Making of Going For the Gold.ā My next book is called āBeyond the Gold: The TaylorLianne Chandler Story.ā I hope to finish it by the end of this year. I also wrote a fiction book called āSuper Bowl Surprise.ā
If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?
Not a damn thing, I like being straight and I love my gay friends just the way they are! The world would be boring if we were all the same! Iād rather science discover a way to stop hate.
What do you believe in beyond the physical world?
I believe in God and Iām anxious to meet my mom, who died when I was 3 months old. I think of her as my angel watching over me.
What’s your advice for LGBT movement leaders?
Come together, try to play nice. You get more bees with honey. The people who had to fight hard against the establishment deserve our respect, but we need to welcome a kinder, deliberate strategy to take over the reins for the better good going forward into the future. Coming together as a whole we can accomplish so much more. We need the Caitlyn Jenners as much as the Janet Mocks, Laverne Coxs, Jazz Jennings and Kim Petras of the world.
What would you walk across hot coals for?
To let go of the pain of the past. To be free of the trauma of my childhood that haunts me.
What LGBT stereotype annoys you most?
When people ask, āWhat is Intersexā? Does that mean you are trans?ā No, not the way you think, but I did choose to become one gender different from what I was originally corrected to be so I identify as both.
What’s your favorite LGBT movie?
āGirl With the Dragon Tattooā Swedish versions.
What’s the most overrated social custom?
Valentineās Day
What trophy or prize do you most covet?
I want to live in a world where the greatest Olympian of all time can love somebody like me.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
When people show you who they are believe them right away. Also how precious time is and you donāt get it back.
Why Washington?
Itās a city rich in history and fueled by constant change. I love the political game here. I like feeling like I am at the front line of change for the better.
a&e features
Rehoboth authorās new book tackles love, loss, and the allure of P-town
Will Freshwaterās series concludes with āThe Dark Horseā
For those of us who have experienced the allure of Provincetown, thereās no mystery about why author Will Freshwater set his series of three books there.
Itās 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. Itās about a shared sense of community unique among LGBTQ destinations.
Freshwater, whose latest book āThe 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.
āI donāt think weāll ever experience anything like that again,ā he said. āThe community welcomed anyone who showed up on the ferry looking for love and support; it was a transformative experience.ā
Freshwaterās parents worried that heād never find a ānormal,ā happy life as a gay man, but P-town put those fears to rest.
āI saw people who were plenty happy and living lives that were what they wanted to be,ā he recalls. āI had never been able to hold my boyfriendās hand and walk down the street; young people canāt 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, āFavorite 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 āThe Light Reflected,ā takes readers back in time when the main characters ā all gay men ā are in their 20s. Freshwater says it wasnāt 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.
āWe did stupid stuff and made stupid mistakes and ran away,ā he said. āAs 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 itās like for these characters to be in their 20s not just their 30s. I wanted to give that perspective to younger readers because I donāt know how theyāre going to experience that if not through books.ā
The new book, āThe 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.
āItās 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. Thereās 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.
āYou wonāt 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.
āThereās a great sense of closure and I can always visit these characters but Iām excited to move on and do new things.ā
Indeed, Freshwater is working on several new projects, including a book set in Rehoboth that heās 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 ābreak 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.
āIād been coming here since age 3 because it was the closest beach to Pittsburgh,ā he said. āWhen 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.
āWhen 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 childrenās book using the classic āVelvet 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.
āIt 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 writerās block.
āIt 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. āDecide when youāre going to write and make a commitment that youāre going to do it, like an athlete who commits to practice every day from 3:30-5:30. Donāt wait for inspiration, just commit to writing every day, and then edit, edit, edit until it feels like whatās inside your head.ā
The new book is self published because Freshwater craved creative freedom.
āIām not sure what traditional publishers have to offer anymore,ā he said, ālike YouTube for musicians, if youāve got what you think is a high quality manuscript, put it out there and it will generate a following.ā
Freshwater will read from āThe 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.
a&e features
āTigerā burning bright: an interview with Mary Timony
Todayās female-driven music scene wouldnāt be the same without her
Itās 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, āUntame 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 āNo Thirdsā and continuing through the first single, āDominoes,ā and gorgeous numbers including āThe Guest,ā āThe Dream,ā and āNot 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, Iād 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 āTil 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: Thatās interesting. We kind of did a switcheroo. Iām 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 ā87. 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 TTās (T.T. The Bearās 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, itās 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. Itās 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: āUntame The Tigerā is the title of your new album. In 1999, Joni Mitchell titled her album āTaming 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 thatās a cool name for a record. Then I thought, āOh, shit!ā [Laughs] Itās 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, āItās OK. It’s a little bit different.ā And I love her!
BLADE: Iām currently reading Ann Powersā book āTraveling: 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. āUntame 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 āThirdsā and the psychedelic sounds of āLooking For The Sunā and āThe Guest.ā Were there things you were listening to while writing the songs for āUntame 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 Bankeās 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: āWalk 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 Raffertyās early solo record called āCan 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 āDominoesā selected as the first single from āUntame 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. Iām 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 āDonāt Disappearā and heās 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 āAll Dressed Up In Dreams,ā written by gay singer/songwriter Stephin Merritt for his band The 6thsā āWaspsā Nestā album.
TIMONY: Heās such a genius!
BLADE: How did that come about?
TIMONY: When I moved to Boston, for a year I lived with Claudia (Gonson of Merrittās 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. Iād love that. I love everybody who can connect with it, because all I’m trying to do is connect with people.
a&e features
Sherry Vine is turning 60 ā and sheās not quitting anytime soon
Legendary drag queen coming to D.C. for new show, āSmoke and Mirrorsā
There are many things Sherry Vine is proud of. Throughout her 33-year-long career, the drag queen has accomplished so much ā sheās 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.
āThen it just evolved into doing that as the act,ā Vine said in an interview with the Blade.
From the beginning of her career, sheās 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 āSmoke and Mirrors,ā performed and written by her. Itāll 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
Thereās 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.
āI 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. Sheās been told she looks ātoo prettyā to be taken for a comedy queen, but thatās OK with her.
āI want to walk out on stage, and anyone who’s never seen me, maybe they’re like, āOh, she looks good,āā Vine said. āAnd then I started singing about poop and penis and they’re like, āOh my gosh, she’s so stupid.āā
When she was starting out as a drag queen, Vine reflected that she didnāt envision doing drag as a career. She remembers not wanting to commit to it. She wanted to be a movie star, she said.
āI kind of fought it. I loved it,ā Vine said. āBut I was like, I’m not doing this as a career.āā
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.
āI was like, āOh, OK. If this person thinks that I have something, then maybe I do,āā Vine said.
Drag has changed ā a lot
The drag scene has changed drastically. Vine credits a lot of this transformation to āRuPaulās Drag Race.ā
āWhen we started doing drag 30 years ago, no one in their right mind would have been like, āI’m going to do drag so I can make a lot of money and be famous,āā Vine said.
Before RuPaulās iconic single “Supermodel (You Better Work),ā one of the only examples of drag the average consumer saw was āMrs. Doubtfire,ā Vine said.
āYou had to have a passion for it,ā Vine said. āYou had to have a calling.ā
When Vine started, drag was a fringe art form that had an audience of mostly gay men.
Nowadays, itās 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 āLaw & Order,ā she said.
But even though drag has evolved and grown in popularity, Vineās advice to drag queens has stayed the same over the years.
āDon’t try to do something because you think someone else is doing it successfully,ā Vine said. āFind 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 sheās 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 canāt 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 āBad Romanceā parody, released in 2009, racked up more than 6 million views over the years.
In the next few years, sheās looking into doing more television and film projects. Her latest show, āThe Sherry Vine Variety Show,ā just wrapped filming its third season. Creating this show is fulfilling a childhood dream of hers, she said. Itās an homage to āThe Carol Burnett Show,ā which Vine grew up watching.
Whether itās performing on camera or onstage, Vine doesnāt see herself quitting anytime soon.
āI love performing and drag as much now as I did 33 years ago,ā Vine said. āSo I don’t see ever stopping.ā
To get details on how to buy tickets to āSmoke and Mirrors,ā visit woollymammoth.net/productions/sherry-vine.
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