O&AN | April 2016

Nashville Welcomes A Cappella Sensation

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APRIL 2016

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An Interview With Mitch Grassi, Gay Singer from Pentatonix Tennessee Faces Worst Anti-LGBT Legislation in Years

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04.16

LETTER

It’s conventional wisdom that “the Democrats” are good for LGBT rights and that “the Republicans” are the problem. The Republican majority in the Tennessee General Assembly—a supermajority—is thus the impediment to progress on issues that matter to LGBT citizens, and if we could only shift the balance in favor of the Democrats, we could solve all of our problems.

In Tennessee politics, bringing about isn’t such a simple proposition, however, as recent events in the General Assembly, and local elected bodies, have so clearly illustrated. In 2016, the state legislature has considered, or passed, bills and resolutions targeting same-sex marriage, restricting transgender bathroom access, and or otherwise undermining the rights and liberties of LGBT citizens. City councils, county commissions, and school boards have done the same. In many of these cases, support for antiLGBT measures include at least some “bipartisan” cooperation.

The case of House Joint Resolution 529— Republican Rep. Susan Lynn’s protest resolution criticizing SCOTUS’s Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalizing same-sex marriage—is particularly illustrative. The resolution is simple, at heart. By means of this resolution the Tennessee State House “expresses its disagreement with the constitutional analysis in Obergefell v. Hodges and the judicial imposition of a marriage license law that is contrary to the express will of this body and the vote of the people of Tennessee.”

As far as impotent protests go, it’s relatively straightforward. I expect that state governments across the South disagreed similarly with federal actions limiting and then disbanding slavery, ending segregation, making interracial marriage the law of the land, etc.

from the

EDITOR

It is notable that HJR 529 passed the House with a vote of 73-18. Three Democrats didn’t bother to show up for the vote, Rep. David Shepard (Dickson) was present but did not vote, and most dishearteningly Reps. John DeBerry Jr. (Memphis), Kevin Dunlap (Rock Island), Joe Pitts (Clarksville), and John Mark Windle (Livingston) all voted in favor of the resolution. In the starkest terms: only 70% of Democrats in the Tennessee State House of Representatives voted against a measure that demeans the LGBT citizens of the state.

The fact is, even when the Democrats controlled the state legislature, the likelihood of such a measure passing would have been high. And so whatever the long term political strategy is for securing the place of LGBT people in civil society in Tennessee, “Vote Democrat” in and of itself is not the answer.

Even in Tennessee the matter of LGBT rights isn’t a cut-and-dry, party-line ideological question.

Amongst the Republican throng, there are members of the General Assembly who will reliably hear the concerns of LGBT citizens and work against harmful legislation. Senator Steven Dickerson, for instance, has opposed and spoken out against anti-LGBT legislation, most recently the anti-trans bathroom bill moving through the legislature this session.

When it comes to securing LGBT rights longterm, a much more nuanced approach is called for.

It is better to support Republican legislators who are willing to work with us against legislation harmful to our community than thoughtlessly throw our support behind an opponent simply because there is a (D) next to their name on the ballot. In each race it’s important to research, to ask questions, and ultimately to back the candidate, regardless of party, who will best serve the interests of the oppressed in our state. @jamesallengrady

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ACTIVISTS ACROSS THE STATE STAND THEIR GROUND LGBT RIGHTS WITHSTAND NUMEROUS CHALLENGES

STARR

motivated groups have been involved in pushing elected officials to revoke the rights of LGBT citizens—in this case youth. MassResistance and Liberty Counsel, both designated anti-LGBT groups by the Southern Poverty Law Center, have politicized the school’s new GSA and have tried to successfully rally opposition locally.

Though MassResistance initially said local parents and school board members brought them into the conflict, local Lisa Rung determined that Brian Camenker of MassResistance made first contact and played the role of outside agitator. As of that meeting, however, the school board took no action to change club rules in ways that would limit access to the GSA or otherwise repress its activities, though it said it would continue to study possible rules changes.

The day after the Franklin County School Board meeting, another anti-LGBT

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legislation by Rep. Susan Lynn—a transtargeted designed to further stigmatize trans youth by prohibiting transgender students from accessing restrooms and other sexsegregated facilities that correspond with their gender identity —progressed from subcommittee to the full House Education Administration & Planning Committee.

That committee considered the bill on March 22, 2016 and, in a stunning rebuke to Lynn, sent it to summer study— all but insuring that the bill is dead for this legislative session. According to Sanders, two factors probably weighed heavily against the bill for the Republican, conservative-leaning committee. First is the fiscal note attached to it: studies showed that passing the bill could cost the state over a billion dollars.

Perhaps even more importantly, however, was the serious blow dealt the measure “when ultra-conservative Rep. Rick Womick spoke against it today based

Photos: Cassidy Lamb

JAMES GRADY

March saw a continued onslaught against LGBT rights across the state of Tennessee.

“I’ve never seen it like this since I’ve been doing this work,” said Chris Sanders, executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project. “Every week there’s been something this session—even beginning last fall….”

The month opened with a major, but largely symbolic, blow, when the Tennessee State House passed House Joint Resolution 529, sponsored by Representative Susan Lynn (R-Mount Juliet). That bill, mimicking resolutions considered by city and county governments across the state in previous months, protests what legislators view as judicial overreach by the Supreme Court. The measure passed in the House by a vote of 73-18.

In floor debate, Lynn admitted that the resolution was offered in conjunction and coordination with anti-LGBT hate group— Family Action Council of Tennessee— which had just filed a lawsuit Williamson County seeking to halt the issuing of marriage licenses. Lynn declared during the debate that, “What we’re doing here is very important.”

Meanwhile, attempts to repress the Franklin County High School Gay Straight Alliance continued—and continued to draw national attention.

As the school board was set to meet on March 14, 2016, demonstrators gathered to show their support for the GSA, while outside religious groups protested the evils of homosexuality, bearing signs with messages such as “DANGER: SIN KILLS: TURN OR BURN” and “LGBT: Letting Go of Biblical Truths.”

Again, outside “religiously”

on a friendship with a family who testified,” Sanders said. The family who spoke against the bill on Womick’s invitation, a doctor and his daughter (who would have been impacted by the bill) were family friends of the legislator.

The last major anti-LGBT measure scheduled to be taken up by the General Assembly this session is the counselling discrimination bill, which would have allowed mental health providers to opt out of serving clients of whom the disapprove on moral grounds. Currently, the future of that bill is unclear, as the House and Senate versions no longer match, after the House version was amended—against the will of its sponsor—to include certain protections for LGBT youth. NOTE: After this article wa submitted, Republican legislators revived the anti-trans bathroom bill.

Outcome is pending.

While this year’s legislative session is drawing to a close, we have every reason to expect that the local challenges to LGBT rights will continue for the unforeseeable future, as Family Action Council of Tennessee and other organizations continue to organize and fund the push.

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HOWE APPOINTED TO METRO SPORTS AUTHORITY APPOINTMENT INDICATES NEW FOCUS ON SOCCER JAMES GRADY

Prior to serving as the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s executive director, Lisa Howe was the women’s soccer coach at Belmont University for a number of years before being forced to resign in 2010. Howe and her partner (now wife) Wendy Holleman were preparing for the birth of their first child, and Howe made the decision to talk to her team about her sexuality—which was far from a secret on campus. By the next week, Howe was out, and the story garnered national attention.

Howe spent some time at home with their daughter, Hope, as partner Wendy continued to coach at the University School of Nashville, before moving into her position at the Chamber and leveraging her connections in the community to help build up the organization’s reach. It’s that joint experience—as a coach and a leader in the business community—that led Mayor Megan Barry to tap Howe to serve on the Metro Sports Authority’s Board of Directors.

“I thought Lisa would be a great representative on the Metro Sports Authority because of her leadership skills demonstrated as the former coach of the Belmont Women’s Soccer team, as well as her work with the LGBT Chamber of Commerce,” said Mayor Barry. “I believe that elevating the role of soccer in our city is going to be Nashville’s next lead forward in the area of sports, and Lisa is well positioned to help lead those efforts on the Sports Authority.”

“The mission of the Sports Authority is to acquire, improve, repair, operate and maintain professional sports facilities and their surrounding campuses in Metro Nashville and Davidson County, within the provisions of governing contracts,” according to a statement by Sean Braisted, Mayor Barry’s press secretary.

“The portfolio of the Sports Authority consists of Bridgestone Arena, Nissan Stadium, First Tennessee Park, and the Ford Ice Center. The Sports Authority is composed of a thirteen-member Board of Directors whom the Mayor appoints to serve six-year terms.”

Howe expressed gratitude for the honor, and for the opportunity to serve her Nashville community. “I want to thank Mayor Barry and the Metro Council for this appointment. It is an

honor and a privilege to serve the city of Nashville,” Howe said. “It gives me great pleasure to give back to Nashville, a city that has shown me support and provided me with hope and opportunity when my family and I needed it most. I look forward to working with Executive Director, Monica Fawknotson and

Board Chair, Kim Adkins. I am excited to be able to put my sports background together with my knowledge of the business community for this role.”

Howe’s appointment was approved by the Metro Council on March 15, 2016, and her term will expire on February 17, 2022.

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HRC NASHVILLE’S 2016 GALA DRAWS A CROWD TRANS ACTIVIST SARAH MCBRIDE, KESHA FEATURED protecting trans people in Delaware from discrimination on the basis of gender identity. Stephen Wrabel provided musical entertainment, singing and playing piano for the assembled. In addition to being a talented musician, Wrabel is also a close personal friend of Kesha, whom he introduced as she was awarded HRC Nashvilleís Visibility Award. Kesha was, of course, the most anticipated speaker of the evening, given that her legal troubles with Sony were at a key stage.

In addition to the moving presentations from stage, auctions again raised additional money and proved to be entertaining, to say the least... This year’s silent auction included everything from an apprenticeship day at Porter Road Butcher to a signed Shea Weber Nashville Predators Jersey donated by Bridgestone Tires, while live auction items included dinner cooked at home by a professional chef and private “Nash Trash” tours with the Jugg sisters.

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The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Nashville hosted its annual gala dinner at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel on March 5, 2016, to celebrate the successes of the LGBT community in the past year and to look toward overcoming future challenges.

One common message from the stage was that, “In Tennessee, you can be married on Saturday and fired on Monday. You can be married on Sunday and be evicted from your apartment on Tuesday. The time is now for us to join together, be stronger than ever, and keep fighting until we achieve full equality across the nation.”

Local speakers who joined HRC leaders on stage included Nashville’s Mayor Megan Barry, a longtime supporter of the HRC, and LGBT rights generally, Claudia Huskey and Joey Leslie, who accepted an award presented to Nashville Pride as past president and president.

One of the evenings main speakers was Sarah McBride, a young American LGBT rights activist whose work was instrumental in passing legislation

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Pentatonix: The A Capella Group That Could An Interview with Mitch Grassi ERIC PATTON

Being in Nashville, we all know how tough music industry can be. The lengths one must go to get a recording contract are great, and are even greater still if one wishes to keep it. With so many artists trying to penetrate the market, so many amazing talents get lost in the shuffle.

This is especially true for contestants on reality show singing competitions.

Shows like American Idol and The Voice are all over the place. To make a mark, musicians have to be not only talented, but also incredibly driven, well connected, and very lucky.

Such is the case of rock-star a cappella group, Pentatonix. Most recently, you’ve seen them on film with a cameo in Pitch Perfect 2, singing at this year’s Grammy Awards with Stevie Wonder, and on YouTube with their incredibly successful videos.

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The group came to fame by way of Season 3 of NBC’s The Sing Off. They are now a household name. Recently, I spoke with one of the openly gay members of the group, Mitch Grassi, on the group’s rise to success, which wasn’t as seamless as it looked.

The group was born as a trio out of Arlington, Texas. Having grown up together in a suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth, Kirstie Maldondo, Scott Hoying, and Mitch Grassi were the best of friends. Selfprofessed choir nerds, the three were in the choir at Martin High School in Arlington, Texas. A local radio show held a contest for local talent, and the grand prize was an allexpenses paid trip to Los Angeles to meet the cast of Glee.

The three of them decided to combine their talents and make a go of it. “The competition was for an a cappella group, so Kirstie, Scott, and I were all close at

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APRIL 2016

the time. Obviously we were obsessed with music and singing, so we just put it together at the last minute,” Mitch said in our exclusive interview.

They composed an a cappella version of the song, “Telephone,” a collaboration of Lady Gaga and Beyoncé. Even though they didn’t win the competition, the three stuck together as friends. They kept performing around school and gained some attention locally. The three of them also went on to win local competitions in solo performances and kept honing their musical craft. They knew they had something even then, they just weren’t quite sure what to do with it.

A year later, Kirstie and Scott graduated high school and were at college.

Scott went to the University of Southern California and joined the school’s a cappella group, The SoCal VoCals. One of his friends in the group, Ben Bram,

encouraged Scott to try out for NBC’s The Sing Off. Scott knew then what he had to do. He called up Kirstie, who was in school at the University of Oklahoma, and Mitch, who would end up missing his high school graduation, and talked them into dropping everything to make the audition. The only problem? The show required a minimum of five people to be considered.

Avriel “Avi” Kaplan and Scott Hoying met through mutual friends. Avi’s bass sound was well known throughout the a cappella community, as he had been in numerous groups. When he was a member of Fermata Nowhere, the group became the first community college choir to ever to win the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. When Avi was shown the “Telephone” video on YouTube, he was impressed and knew he had to join in.

Kevin Osoula is a cello-playing,

beat-boxing machine from just up the road in Owensboro, Kentucky. Born to parents from Nigeria and Grenada, Kevin’s musical talents were fostered from a very early age. He attended Yale University, where he majored in East Asian studies, even spending eighteen months in Beijing.

His interests in music won out, though, in the end.

Kevin developed what he called “celloboxing,” a style of music where he would play his cello and beat box along with it. He won several awards and was featured on NPR, CBS, AOL, Huffington Post, and several others. Scott and the gang found him on YouTube and decided to bring him on as well.

The five of them met for the first time the day before the audition. They had no idea whether it would work or not, obviously a scary proposition. “I feel like we all took a really big risk,” Mitch said.

“It was scary enough going into it, since we’d all just met the day before. So we were all ‘Is this going to work?’ But luckily, everything just meshed musically. It made the experience that much sweeter, and then after that, we realized how special it really was. We just put everything on hold and made it happen. And it worked out, thank God!” Made it happen, indeed. Pentatonix dominated Season 3 of The Sing Off. They were noted on the show for their ability to “sing, dance, harmonize, and put together a respectable arrangement in just minutes.”

They covered songs like “E.T.” by Katy Perry, “Piece of My Heart” by Janis Joplin, and “Stuck Like Glue” by Sugarland, as well as many more popular hit singles of the time.

The Sing Off also offered Pentatonix a platform to raise awareness for issues facing LGBT youth—a cause important to all of the group’s members, but of special significance to Mitch Grassi and Scott Hoying, who were both openly members of the LGBT community. During the show, the group visited the offices of The Trevor Project and filmed a public service announcement with the organization.

During the finale, in which Pentatonix went head to head against the Dartmouth Aires and Urban Method, both very talented groups, a segment about The Trevor Project aired on network television.

This generated a great deal of controversy as the network edited the clip, eliminating references to LGBT specific issues and to Grassi’s and Hoying’s sexual orientations.

LGBT controversy aside, Pentatonix prevailed over their competitors and won the competition. The prize was a recording contract with Sony and a check for $200,000.

" ... at the end of the day, we make music that we want people to enjoy. That's really all it's about. "

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religious blogger on bereanresearch.com wrote, “Two of the male members of this group are openly homosexual, and actively promoting LGBTQ initiatives. That breaks my heart, because I know it breaks God’s.”

The religious, anti-gay blogosphere is crawling with exhortations about what “good Christians” should do. Another blogger on Delight in Truth writes, “Dear Christians, if you find the Word of God as inspired and authoritative, please stop buying, promoting, liking, posting, and applauding these Pentatonix videos. Would you listen daily to an openly gay pastor who promotes the LGBTQ lifestyle and preaches ‘really good?’ If no, then why promote Pentatonix?”

How do such criticisms affect the group? “You know, it’s really easy to ignore for me. We have a lot more supporters than we do opposition,” Mitch said, “so it doesn’t really bother me. I think it’s an unfair argument because we’re not marketing ourselves as a Christian group or religious group, we’re marketing ourselves as a family group, and, at the end of the day, we make music that we want people to enjoy. That’s really all it’s about. It’s not about preaching a message or anything like that necessarily. I think that argument is

pretty invalid.”

The argument is not only invalid, it also went unheeded: that Christmas album went on to be certified double platinum, meaning it sold over two-million copies. It was, in fact, the most successful Christmas album for any group since 1962, even surpassing Mannheim Steamroller.

Pentatonix has gone on to win multiple Grammys, tour with Kelly Clarkson, and headline sold out world tours of their own. They have now sold a combined 2.8 million records in the U.S. alone. Now on the RCA record label, they have really become the first a cappella group to achieve mainstream success in the modern market.

“I still feel like a completely nerdy kid who’s just singing in an a cappella group with his friends,” Mitch said. “It’s still so weird, but maybe it’s because I’m just so young.”

They really are living the proverbial dream. In their recent movie, On My Way Home, the group documented their previous national tour. The chemistry they have with one another is visible. They know each move the other is going to make and are synched so well, it becomes obvious how they work so well together: sharing talent and charisma, they’re the

absolute best of friends whom have truly become each other’s family. That family also includes their friend, Ben Bram, who told Scott to try out for The Sing Off: He’s now their producer and a co-arranger.

When Pentatonix comes to town this May, they are going to be bringing a big show. “Omigosh! We’re bringing a lot more new songs,” Mitch promised. “We’re doing almost the entire new album, which is awesome! I’m so excited that we have original music that we can perform all the time and our fans can sing along to. We’re bringing a humongous show, production wise. And… a couple of surprises. And that’s all I’m going to say!”

For a group that is known for what they can come up with in a moment’s notice, it’s surely going to be a show that is full of surprises and fun to watch.

If you would like to learn more about Pentatonix, you can explore their website, amazing YouTube videos, or the full length documentary, Pentatonix: On My Way Home, on Netflix. Their music is available in stores and online download. Tickets to the Nashville Bridgestone Arena show on May 10, 2016 are available through ticketmaster.com and all Ticket Master outlets.

Photos: Courtesy of RCA Records

As with every success story, there are bound to be hiccups. Reality shows are well known for not always supporting their winners after the show ends. It takes a lot of hard work, determination, and immense amounts of creativity to keep going once the show is over. This was the case with Pentatonix, as well. Once Sony had the recording contract, the studio didn’t quite know what to do with them.

They were assigned to a smaller recording label, Madison Gate Records, which is owned by Sony but is normally used for smaller projects. Madison Gate is more known for its work with movie soundtracks and Broadway musical recordings. The label had only produced two artist albums: a joint project of Kevin Costner and Modern West, as well as one

by The Backbeats, also Sing Off alums.

Pentatonix was by far this small label’s most popular production, and it didn’t really make sense for the group to be on this label.

“I think, at the time, there wasn’t really a market for what we do,” Mitch said. “It’s very niche. They weren’t really prepared to put as much work into such a project.

There really was no guarantee that we were going to be able to sell records, or sell tours, or anything like that. They were just like, ‘Yeah, you guys are great, but no thanks.’”

For most people, this would have marked the end of the story. But these five are not most people. Even with such a big blow to the group, it didn’t even come close to putting a stop to their plans. “Honestly, I mean, we were so naïve at this point in time,” Mitch explained. “We were just like, ‘Oh! I mean that’s ok, let’s just do it ourselves.’ And I feel like that was a good thing because we handled everything. We had creative control over what content we put out and when we put it out. So, in a way, it was sort of a blessing. It never really jarred us or upset us too much surprisingly.”

They found their way forward in a medium they’ve used before—YouTube.

“This was at a time when YouTube users were getting a lot of traction, especially musicians. And it was a great way to get your name out there. Scott was just like, ‘Hey, you know things are a little slow right now, but maybe if we do what we do best and put it out there, maybe something good can come from it.’ And, sure enough, it did.” And with their first video, a Daft Punk mashup, Pentatonix was on fire. It has led to a huge career.

Of course, along the way there were other problems. Some Christian groups are upset with Pentatonix for releasing a Christmas album, That’s Christmas to Me. Some in the homophobic Christian right have told their followers to be wary. One

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A CONVERSATION WITH COCO PERU LEGENDARY QUEEN TO HEADLINE H8S A DRAG JAMES GRADY

This year, the Music City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence (MCS) will host their fifth H8s a DRAG fundraiser on Sunday, April 17, 2016. This year Nashville is in for a COMPLETELY different experience. Yes, there will still be plenty of clown-white drag courtesy of the Sisters, but the event is moving off Church Street to Ibiza Night Club and is being hosted by perhaps the most famous queen to yet grace the Nashville Sisters’ stage—Miss Coco Peru.

H8’s a DRAG is a drag extravaganza raising money to allow the MCS to support of organizations such as GLSEN Middle Tennessee, Bully-Free Tennessee, and the Oasis Center/Just Us. Sister Wendy Yugitov, MCS Abbess, explained last year, “we are all meant to be loved equally.” H8’s a DRAG is just one way the MCS have been spreading and reinforcing that message over the last few years.

Ibiza Night Club in Brentioch, which late last year began hosting a weekly LGBT night on Thursdays featuring Veronika Elektronika and, more recently, local Drag Race contestant Jaidynn Diore Fierce, will be the site of this year’s show. A much larger stage, and ample room for seating, will allow audiences to comfortably enjoy the warm-up acts, as well as Coco Peru’s comedic show.

Coco Peru has been a drag mainstay for twenty-five years, appearing in LGBT cult classic films like Trick and Girls Will Be Girls, and the MCS are excited to be bringing her act to Nashville. According to Sister Faegala Tina Pfischzoot, “Over the past year, there has been considerable buzz in our community about bringing Miss Coco Peru to Nashville.” The opportunity to bring her came about when Sister Faegala met her on the Drag Stars at Sea Cruise in January.

“Her full length show brought the house down. Coco entertained us for more than an hour with quips, stories, songs and interactive comedy that had the crowd begging for more! Coco made a whole new generation of fans that afternoon.” The following day at lunch, the groundwork was laid for Coco’s first visit to Nashville.

In advance of that visit, Coco agreed to sit for an interview with us to let Nashville audiences get to know her a little better.

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How did you get started in drag?

I had trained to be an actor in college, and Coco was going to be just a character that I was going to create, with the thought that it was going to be just one of many things that I did... But it was the one thing that took off, so I just stuck with it!

What were your inspirations for developing this character?

I was inspired when I went to see a show and [a man] was playing the female lead, and I thought, ‘My God, he’s having so much fun! I want to do something like this! And everything just all of a sudden came together…. I had this burst of inspiration that I was going to be a drag

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queen that told autobiographical stories, and that’s how I was going to change the world. And then it just took off from there.

I was really responding to the AIDS activism at the time—wanting to somehow find my voice and address things that I was concerned about in the gay community. That was one of my inspirations for how Coco developed.

How did you develop your distinctive comedic voice?

When people tell me they saw my first shows I always get a little embarrassed because I know they weren’t … well they were special for that time, but I’m sure I’ve gotten better

since then! But I knew early on even as a kid that I had a knack for making people laugh, especially when I told stories, just to my roommates and friends.

I grew up in a tight neighborhood in the Bronx, and I happened to grow up around a lot of very funny people who happened to be great storytellers.

My parents would have these parties and I would just sit there in awe of these adults, who were just non-stop telling jokes and great stories! I always felt like my parents’ friends were celebrities.

You know, it’s so weird! I used to love watching celebrity roasts back then, when you had all those greats, like Bob Hope and Lucille Ball, and I always felt like that’s who my parents’ friends were, these sort of glamourous… And they weren’t glamorous at all, really!

They were working class people, but they just had that same sort of style….

I just grew up admiring my parents and their friends. I think I developed a knack for storytelling just by studying them at these crazy parties they had.

Once you got into the entertainment business yourself, who were some important or influential people you developed relationships with?

I feel so lucky that I’ve met so many of my idols. I have to give a shout out of course to Bea Arthur, because—you talked about comic timing earlier—that was another person I studied as a kid.

I was obsessed with Bea Arthur when I was a kid! The fact that I got to meet her was special, and then I got to become friends with her.

Bea was the first celebrity who said yes to me when I asked her to do a “Conversations With Coco” show, and she did not want to do it, because she was very shy. She was embarrassed that so much attention would be focused on her, but she said yes.

When I was getting very nervous as the date approached to interview Bea, her musical director, Billy Goldenberg said, ‘Just remember, Bea said no to Larry King, but she said yes to Coco Peru!’ And then the day afterwards, when I went over to Bea’s house to drop some stuff off, she said, ‘Well, after last night, I guess we can say we really are bosom buddies.’ And I just thought, ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe Bea Arthur just called me her bosom buddy!’ That for me was just amazing.

Of course, Liza Minnelli always had my back when I was in New York City and would bring people to see my show.

So I just feel like I’ve been lucky to meet

APRIL 2016

Photos: Peter Palladino

so many of the people I was obsessed with when I was growing up. And in way the little gifts from the universe that maybe the career I chose—as outrageous as it is—was the right thing to do. That’s kind of the way I look at it.

Can you tell us a little more about the “Conversations with Coco” events you’ve done and the show you’re trying to develop based on those?

Sure. I did these events, but with no budget, so it’s really a shame but they aren’t on tape and no one will ever see them again. They were fundraisers for the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s homeless youth program. Now the producers want to film a Conversations with Coco pilot to see if they can sell so it as a series. Our guest for that show is Lily Tomlin.

If it did go forward as a TV show, part of the proceeds would still go to the LGBT Center. We’re not forgetting friends or from where we came, or that we still need to work for people less fortunate than ourselves. That was always the goal with the “Conversations with Coco” events—Bea Arthur, Jane Fonda… these are all people who gave their time to raise money.

weren’t coming out….

I won’t say it was an important film, but I think it was important to a lot of people. I get a lot of emails from young guys saying what that film meant for them, just to see two gay guys not struggling with being gay and just being happy with who they are. So I was very proud of being a part of that movie.

The other film which I loved being a part of was Girls Will Be Girls because it just has such a gay sensibility. It didn’t do well in the movie theatres at all, but I love that people discovered it on DVD and it became this cult gay movie. That was just by word of mouth, and I think that says a lot for the film—the fact that it could fail so miserably in the movies and go on to have a life of its own. I’m talking globally!

Can you tell us a little about the show you’ll do in Nashville? Is it your new material?

It’s my first time in Nashville: I’ve never ever been, even as a tourist. I’m so excited to visit! Whenever I go to a new town I always give the audience a ‘Best Of’ show so they get a really good idea about what it is I do. I tell people, “It’s like a group therapy session, only it’s my turn to talk!”

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What projects, besides your own shows, are highlights for you in your career?

Two films really kind of changed my life. Trick definitely was the thing that put me on the map in a much larger way. When that movie came out in 1999, that was one of the first gay movies that dealt with just two gay guys—it wasn’t a tragedy, it wasn’t sad, it wasn’t about suicide or AIDS. It was just about two cute boys looking to hook up, and they

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For VIP admission, doors will open on April 17, 2016 at 6:30 p.m., and general admission begins at 7:00 p.m. VIP admission includes guaranteed access to a meet-and-greet after the show. For more information about H8s a DRAG, visit the event’s page on Facebook, and tickets to the show may be purchased at Eventbrite. com. To learn more about Coco Peru, visit www.misscocoperu.com/

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METRO COUNCIL RECOGNIZES GLSEN DAY OF SILENCE MIDDLE TENNESSEE CHAPTER GEARS UP FOR EVENT GLSEN—the Gay Lesbian & Straight Education Network—is the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe and affirming schools for all students.

Each year, one of the group’s most iconic events is its Day of Silence (DOS).

The DOS is a student-powered initiative where youth take a vow of silence to represent the silencing effect of antiLGBT bullying and harassment. Last year, more than 12,000 students participated nationwide, and celebrities like Laverne Cox, Jim Parsons and RuPaul sent them messages of solidarity.

Nashville’s Metro Council recently passed a resolution officially recognizing the DOS and encouraging residents of Davidson County to share in the vision of a world in which every child learns to respect and accept all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression.

The resolution was proposed by Council Member Mina Johnson and drafted in partnership with GLSEN Middle Tennessee.

Council Members Nancy VanReece, Brett Withers, Burkley Allen, Colby Sledge joined as additional sponsors for the resolution which passed on March 15th.

“GLSEN Middle Tennessee is extraordinary grateful to Council Member Mina Johnson who proposed the DOS resolution and to all those members who sponsored and support it,” said Justin Sweatman-Weaver, GLSEN Middle Tennessee co-chair. “Support from our elected leaders sends a loud and clear message to our LGBT young people that their identities are valid, their experiences and needs are being heard and, most importantly, that they matter … and we hope that other community and civic leaders in Tennessee will follow the example they have set forth.”

The Tennessee State Snapshot of the latest edition of GLSEN’s National School Climate Survey found that 9 out of 10 LGBT students in Tennessee heard homophobic or transphobic remarks on a daily basis and faced harsher experiences of bullying, isolation, and violence in schools.

According to Sydney Peay, a junior at Summit High School in Spring Hill, Tennessee and a member of GLSEN’s JumpStart Student Leadership Team, student action on DOS is one way in which schools can begin to take action to improve those experiences: “Silence can actually be quite loud—it sparks conversations on topics that otherwise may go ignored. It unites students in solidarity for one day on one specific issue

but lends to a dialogue that must take place all year long. When we reflect, on DOS each year, on those voices that we are not hearing, it can initiate changes that will ultimately shift the overall culture of the school.”

This year’s DOS will be observed on April 15 and promises to offer many opportunities for students and community members to engage in activities and programs designed to reduce name-calling and bullying faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students.

Leading up to the DOS, GLSEN Middle Tennessee will offer a half-day workshop to brief students participating in day on possible activities they can implement in their schools, discuss their rights to participate in DOS, and, of course, equip each student with stickers, buttons, posters, and t-shirts to help them make the most of the DOS. The workshop will be held at Oasis Center on April 10, 2016, from 11:00 am to 3:00 p.m. and is free for any student who wishes to attend.

In conjunction with its DOS programming, GLSEN will also be working with the Music City Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence on two events.

“Sparkle and Shine” is the fourth annual Stomp H8 queer youth prom presented by the Sisters in partnership with GLSEN and the Oasis Center’s JustUs program. The dance party will be held on April 16 and is open to all area LGBT youth.

For the adult crowd, the Sisters will once again present ”H8’s a Drag!” This drag show fundraiser, held at Ibiza Night Club on April 17, 2016, will support another season of anti-bullying support, awareness, and education for at-risk LGBTQI youth.

More information about each event, as well as other information and resources for DOS and creating supportive schools can be found at glsen.org/chapters/middletn/events or on the group’s Facebook page.

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THE BEAUTY OF THE CHAOS KAKI KING COMES TO OZ ERIC PATTON

A couple weeks ago, a video started taking Facebook by storm. Posted by UPROXX and promoted by Honda, the video is one of a new series called Uncharted. The video begins with a quote from Dave Grohl saying, “There are some guitar players that are good. There are some guitar players that are really good. And then there is Kaki King.”

The words fade away. The music is already playing. It’s this spellbinding guitar sound that makes you feel like you’re falling in to a trance. It starts off mid-tempo, then gradually gets faster and faster. It then switches screens to someone sitting on a stage, playing what looks to be a guitar with images being flashed across it and scenes behind the person—appearing to be some sort of rainstorm. It’s completely dark other than the images being shown on the guitar and behind the person playing. This dark figure, wearing sunglasses, has obvious talent.

The video has been seen nearly 4 million times by the time of this writing. It tells the story of Kaki King, an incredibly gifted guitar player who has found a way to pair the sound of guitar music with lights and color. She has entitled this new project, “The Neck Is a Bridge to The Body.”

In her new show, she uses projectors that are controlled by her guitar and the way it sounds. She uses a computer program that was created for this purpose. It flashes all sorts of images all over the place in a very chaotically beautiful way. It’s being performed all around the world, and Nashville is lucky enough to be hosting two performances at Oz, the local contemporary performance venue.

Kaki told Out and About Nashville that she developed her technique as a teenager, growing up in a suburb of Atlanta. “I was a teenager when I started this. I played drums, and was combining things about playing guitar and playing drums that made sense to me. So the technique kind of grew from that.”

She wasn’t in Atlanta very long, though.

She moved to Manhattan to study at NYU in 1998 and now currently resides in Brooklyn.

When I asked her if the creativity in Brooklyn inspired her, she said, surprisingly, “Well, you know, Brooklyn is about hustle. I think that maybe a long time ago it was about creativity, but now I think that New York is more about hustle. I don’t meet people who

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have time to daydream. People come here to work, to make their mark, to develop whatever they’re developing. I think that leads to a lot of incredibly dynamic people who are go-getters. So, while yes, a lot of people are very creative, I think today’s economy, especially the musical economy and the way we operate is a lot more about, ya know, just getting it done.”

Asked what does inspire her musically, she replied, “My music tends to be very busy. I think a lot of people like music that tends to be a bit more pastoral and pretty, and I guess I just don’t have time for that.

I think a lot of the music that I write tends to be written at the pace of New York. Even tempo wise, walking down the street I find a beat. So yeah, I guess New York is really inspirational. It’s a giant f---ing melting pot full of wild, crazy people. How can you not be inspired?”

Kaki’s sound is so unique that I was wondered how she felt audiences were reacting to her new sound and visual combination. She thinks reception has been pretty positive. “This show is very different.

I’ve been doing guitar music for a really long time, but this show has literally changed the type of audience that’s coming to my show,”

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APRIL 2016

she explained. “People who are interested in art and technology and something that’s just really cool and trippy looking, I think a lot of people are attracted to this new work that I’m doing. And I’m playing it in different types of places. More galleries and museums. Places that are not traditionally used for a hard rock kind of deal.”

We kept talking, about Nashville, about OZ, the venue where she’s performing, about her wife and new baby— Kaki is married to Jessica and has an eighteen-month old daughter—and the more I thought about it, the more it became obvious that now she was explaining to me where her music comes from. She lives in a fast paced city, where everyone is hustling. No one has time to be a day dreamer. New York is busy. It’s very up tempo. You have to fit so much into the smallest space. She sounded jaded while she was trying to talk about it—like a typical

New Yorker. Only when she was telling me these last things did it all start making sense.

Her music is very up tempo and very busy. So much happens in such a small space. Yet her music seems like a daydream.

It’s picking up on the small nuances of her day. The sounds she hears. The colors she sees. Kaki King has translated that into guitar music and light. She has found the beauty in her chaos and made an arrangement around it.

She may not see day dreamers, but she is one. She’s found her corner in this market where she fits and flourishes. She is patently herself, is not subtle at all, and is incredibly talented. If our conversation is any indicator, this show is going to be poignant, thought provoking, and meaningful. I have a feeling that the show is destined to be very different from anything Nashville has ever seen before. Just like Kaki King.

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A FIRST LOOK AT MAMMA MIA

WITH CAST MEMBER ANDREW TEBO

You grew up in Missouri. How did you originally get into theatre?

Yes, I grew up in a small town named Wentzville, Missouri, about 50 minutes west of St. Louis. I was fortunate enough that my high school had a thriving music and theatre program. My first production was my freshman year of high school.

I was in the chorus of State Fair. That’s when the theatre bug bit me, and I’ve been performing ever since. I attended college at Southeast Missouri State University and graduated with a BFA in Acting/Directing.

Since graduation I’ve traveled all over the country. I just knocked off my 50th state touring with “Mamma Mia!” Not too bad for a small town boy.

For those readers who haven’t seen this show, tell us a little about your character.

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I have the great pleasure of playing Harry the English banker formerly known as “head banger.” He’s one of three suspected fathers to the bride-to-be, Sophie.

Harry’s become this uptight banker, and now he’s back to relive his wild side and has a secret that he needs to get “out” in the open!

You’ve been with this production of Mamma Mia for a while now. Do you feel like your portrayal of Harry has evolved?

This is my second leg of tour playing Harry. He’s different in some ways from when I started back in March. In my first months with the tour, it was a completely different cast. With a different cast comes different dynamics. Different ways of playing off each other. But all in all, his essence is the same. He’s a better guitar player now, for sure! When I started, it was my first time playing guitar, and I really had to practice to get “Thank You for The Music” right. Thankfully Harry hasn’t touched a guitar in 21 years so it was okay if he was a little rough around the edges. Ha! But I’ve really locked it in since, and I feel like I could add playing guitar to my list of special skills.

This is a show with some incredibly awesome women in the leads. If you had the chance, what female role would you perform and why?

Donna! I think it’s one of the toughest musical theatre leading roles of all time: Extreme vocal parts filled with comedy/ drama, and add in basically carrying a show you’ve got a performer’s dream role. Our Donna, Erin Fish, is a powerhouse and a joy to share the stage with, every single performance, but I’d love the challenge to slip into her disco boots for a night.

What do you think made “Mamma Mia” the success it has been?

Mamma Mia opened in the wake of 9/11, and I think it was a bright, positive beam of light in what was a dark time in our country. The show has a way of putting a smile on every audience members’ face.

Mamma Mia has something for everyone.

No matter who you are you’re going to have a connection with one character or another and leave happy.

The life of a traveling actor is very taxing. You’re never in the same city for

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APRIL 2016

Photos: Matthew Murphy

ERIC PATTON & CARA RICHARDSON

Here we go again, Nashville! Mamma Mia is the next big musical coming to TPAC, opening April 26. If you’re familiar with ABBA, you’re going to love this show. The book was written by Catherine Johnson, and the score was arranged by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, who are original members of the group. Nominated for several Tony awards its premiere year, it became an incredibly successful show, with the ninth-longest run in Broadway history at nearly 5,800 performances.

Mamma Mia is a jukebox musical set on a beautiful island in Greece as the wedding of Sophie and Sky is about to commence. Sophie she wants her father to walk her down the aisle, but she doesn’t know who he is. You see, Sophie’s mother Donna was in a girl group back in the day and enjoyed the company of a few men.

Sophie narrows it down to three gentlemen, based on her mother’s diary entries, and invites them to the wedding, hoping she can figure it out in time for the wedding. Of course, hilarity ensues.

Harry Bright is one of those potential padres—now a very successful banker with a big secret. It’s a role that is a lot of fun to follow throughout the show. In the production coming to TPAC, the role of Harry Bright is played by New York-based actor Andrew Tebo. Tebo was gracious enough to take the time for a Q&A with O&AN about his life, his time with this production of Mamma Mia, and what we should expect from the show.

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nha Microchip clinic long amounts of time, keeping you away from family and the people that you like to see. What keeps you motivated?

I’m living the dream. That’s all I can say. I currently make my living traveling the world performing and making people laugh. What more could I want? Yeah, sometimes the migrant life is hard, but I look around at my tour family and friends and think about how fortunate I am to be doing what I love.

What has been your favorite part about traveling with Mamma Mia? The audiences! People love this show and it is my joy to perform it each and every day. I also love exploring new cities and I’m really looking forward to spending the week in Nashville!

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What’s the one thing that Nashville audiences in particular should pay most attention to about this specific production?

The high energy of this cast! It’s one of the hardest working groups of people I’ve had the pleasure of working with. We bring it every night and have a blast performing this show. Come ready to sing and dance Nashville!

Mamma Mia is a show that definitely should not be missed! Tickets are available at the box office, by phone at 615-782-4040, or online at www.tpac.org.

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29

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DoctorMay.net (615) 220-0777

SNARKOLOGY: GIRLS YOU DATE, AND GIRLS YOU...

DISCLAIMER: Amy Sulam is a comic, and not everyone thinks she’s as funny as she does. We condone nothing she says, particularly not if you decide to take the following seriously. It should not be taken as such.

AMY SULAM | @Amysulam

There are girls you date and girls you marry. You date me. I’m not meant for fairytales. This is just the reality I’ve come to accept. Like Elphaba said in Wicked, “I’m not that girl!” I don’t have the blythe smile or gentle curls.

I’m not the girl next door, unless you live next door to a meth lab. I’m tatted up, my hair has been every color of the rainbow (and some that don’t appear in nature), my nose is pierced, I’m a recovering addict ... I could go on and on.

I’m like a stray dog under your porch, skittish. If you want me, you’re gonna have to work. It’s a weeding out process that is likely why I’m alone.

If you get too close and do something suspect, I bolt. I don’t ask, I just ghost.

I’m very guarded and with good reason. This keeps me single. Underneath all of that, I’m actually a nice person... but a lot of shit has happened to me.

Opening up terrifies me. I built a fence around the wall around the moat around my heart. And I’m okay with this.

I don’t confuse sex or lust for affection or love. I connect with people easily: I’m easy to talk to and hang out with. It’s just my personality, so it doesn’t mean much to me to feel a connection with someone. We can be friends, but I likely won’t let you in.

I have no issue having to be earned.

If you saw half of the lame asses who try to talk to me, you’d get it. I’m a little long in the tooth for an internet famous attitude on a broke ass. You don’t have to be rich but you have to be driven. I know the type of love I’m capable of, and I know it’s rarely returned.

I’m not the marrying sort. Like a wildfire, I burn fast and hot, then out completely. My ex said people would love me, but they’d never want to be with me, and maybe that’s right.... OR maybe I’ve picked the wrong people. Maybe if I was basic, lame and completely vapid I’d be blissfully engaged. But I’m not.

I’m too smart for my own good and not ashamed of it.

I’m a realist. If you’d take the dumpster fire of a human being that is me home to meet your mom, you’re an awful child. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that I will likely end up single, in my 60’s, living with my gay best friend Sully, and being a crazy cat lady-only with small breed dogs. Sounds like heaven! I’ll be getting all that sweet retirement home bootéy without having to answer to anyone, while drowning in teacup Chihuahuas.

I need to step back, “balance my chi, and decide if I like you or just like the fact that you like me,” to keep from making that mistake of settling again.

When I settle, I only hurt the other

secretary!” I attract some weirdos that’s for sure.

I’m that irritating person who wants to know I have your attention but doesn’t want your affection. Yes, I’ll admit it, I want to know you stalked my Facebook and read my column, but I don’t want you all over me in public. I’m prolly not gonna do the same for you. I know how that sounds and I own it. Again, reasons I’ll die alone.

Society puts pressure on us to partner up and therefore we put pressure on ourselves. But, what if your love story isn’t basic as hell? What if your love story is just as good, if not better, by being more like The Hangover and less like The Notebook? Because I think mine is.

person, and while crushing someone else’s soul is fun for a tick it starts to take a toll on the conscience.

Sully once said, “Keeping up with whose heart you broke this week is a full time job. If you want me to keep track you’re gonna have to hire me a

Follow me on this. Easily one of the greatest loves of my life is my best friend, Sully. Our relationship functions much like a marriage, complete with the no sex part. We meet each other’s emotional needs, finish each other’s sentences, do everything together, and

are there for each other no matter what.

Literally no one could take my place in his life, and vice versa. No one really could compete. Which makes dating either of us seriously kind of impossible.

Our emotional needs are met and we’re fulfilled. There’s no competing so if we’re gonna not be single, you’re gonna have to be amazing. And you’re gonna have to fit into to our little club.

I’m actually pretty lucky. It’s like we’re a weird type of poly. Sully is my primary relationship where I am emotionally fulfilled and then I date other people here and there for a few months at a time. It’s a pretty sweet gig.

I’ve even got some long term emotional side chicks, like our editor and his partner. Our editor, James, by the way, is a fantastic, loving, and supportive friend - no matter what kind of hateful queen facade he puts on (doubt that’ll make it to print).

Look, there are girls (or boys) you date and girls (or boys) you marry. I’m the dating sort, because I live where the wild things are. And there’s nothing wrong with that. I am a storm: you write break-up songs about me, not your magnum opus. When we stop trying to be the DeBeers diamond commercial advertisers want us to be and start being the whoever we are on the inside, that’s where real happiness is found.

When you stop looking for a partner you become very liberated. I say what I want, wear what I want, and do what I want, because I answer to me and live for my happiness. I have no concerns about masquerading or pretending to adult so I can attract someone. I have someone to be silly with and go on dates with, I just don’t sleep with them.

I won’t let corporate America pick my music, they sure aren’t picking my lifestyle. I may be unmarriageable, but I’m not undatable or unfriendable. Do you and be happy. And to Sully, James and Cody, thanks for being the best reverse Mormon husbands a girl could have. @O U T A N D A B O U T N A S H

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A KIKI WITH PAIGE TURNER | @PaigeTurner01

Holy untucked! This is going to be a great kiki! This month we had the pleasure of interviewing Nashville’s Barbie Doll herself, Deception! We asked her all the deets on her life and background, and she didn’t hold back a thing. She got really intimate discussing her recent battle with cancer, as well as how she felt growing up trans. We hope that you all enjoy reading this kiki as much as we enjoyed it. So sit on back and get to know this wonderful lady.

Did you face many hardships coming out? How old were you?

I came out to just close friends while I was in high school, but I came out to my family when I turned eighteen. That is when I started my transition. When I came out the world was much different than it is now, so yes I certainly faced hardships. Discrimination against gay and transgender people was everywhere. Gosh, back then most people didn’t even know the term transgender….

What advice would you give someone facing struggles with becoming their true self?

This lifetime is too short to live your life for other people. You have to live your true life. Don’t waste a minute of it hiding or not being you…. Michelle Holiday told me when I first started my transition at age eighteen, “Just ride the waves.” It took me years to fully understand what she meant.

Transitioning has many highs and many, many lows. You have to just ride the waves of the ups and downs, but I am so grateful for the journey!

When did you start doing drag?

I started doing drag when I was eighteen.

It was only going to be a one-time thing, of course, but back then you had to compete in a talent night. I won the talent night and was offered a full time cast position that same night. So I started entertaining five nights a week right from the very beginning.

What sparked your interest in it?

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I really didn’t have an interest in it honestly.

When I was eighteen, I started going out to the local gay bars just to socialize, and everyone thought I was this little lipstick lesbian. When people started finding out I was a “baby tranny,” everyone kept telling me I needed to do drag. So I finally said I would do a talent night just one time to shut everyone up. Being eighteen and in college, I took the cast position just so I could have extra money to help pay for my transition.

You’ve participated in, and won, a lot of pageants: What makes them so difficult?

I think the most difficult part in pageant preparation is managing the team you assemble for your pageant package….

Typically, you hire different people to create talent or presentation costumes, music mixes, design and sew a custom evening gown, and style hair and choreograph your talent, as well as a team of backup dancers.

Preparing for a pageant essentially becomes a business, and you are the CEO of it. So that is the most challenging.

Who would you say has been the greatest supporter of your drag career?

The biggest supports of my drag career have always been my wonderful friends. Friends pushed me into doing it. Friends have given me advice or supported different decisions I made in my entertaining career. My mentors, Michelle Holiday, Danielle Hunter, Carmella Marcella Garcia, Sable Chanel and so many others taught me different tricks of the trade in the art form of female illusion, as well as the business aspects of it. And for the last 7 years, the owners of PLAY, Joey Brown, Todd Roman, Keith Blaydes and David Taylor have been so supportive, encouraging and pushing me to go above and beyond what I thought my abilities were. I am forever grateful to them for elevating my skill sets both on and off stage.

You have been successful as a drag performer for many years. What would you say has been a factor in that longevity?

There are several things that have played

OUTANDABOUTNASHVILLE.COM

APRIL 2016

a factor in my career’s longevity. As I mentioned earlier, my career really was the result of a snowball effect of things. But once I started doing drag, I listened to more seasoned entertainers that came before me. I created a character and marketed myself as that. I put myself out there and competed in pageants, which lead to my being known all across the country. I invested back into my craft with professional costumes.

I have always stayed true to myself and never did performances that were not true to who I am as an entertainer. I highlighted my strengths, and I minimized my weaknesses.

And more importantly, I have always handled my drag career as a real business. I have never gone a day without being a full time working cast member on a show cast, since the first time I did my first show.

We all know about you battle with cancer: how has the recovery process been?

The recovery from cancer has been a wonderful journey. It taught me so much about myself. I always thought of myself as a weak person, but it really showed me what I was made of. I am full of determination,

and I never give up on anything: that is important to me. determination, and I never give up on anything: that is important to me.

You would think I would have already known that about myself through all the years of my transition, but it took cancer to really make me understand that. I come from a long line of strong southern women, we are breed to be tough and endure! Cancer taught me that an optimistic attitude about everything in life is key to making the best of any situation, and that is a lesson so valuable.

It also taught me that people are inherently good. My wonderful parents and wonderful friends gathered around me and never left my side. I can’t thank my Momma and Daddy, and especially Joey Brown and Todd Roman, for never leaving my side.

I am still humbled and thankful to the Nashville community for coming together to support me and encourage me. I will always be indebted to the Nashville Community and so thankful to you all. I am in full remission, so being a cancer survivor is something I am so very proud of and just another plot twist in my storyline.

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Residents of the RV parks get your sites ready for the season!

Get some work done and meet your neighbors. On Saturday, there will be a Spaghetti Supper and Steve’s secret recipe Sangria at the Lodge (our treat). Saturday evening we will have a mixer at The Tavern. Spring RV Show on site as well!

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33

THIS TRANSGENDER LIFE Photos: Julius Greene

MEGAN SHEARS: ‘ARRIVING’ IN NASHVILLE

BOBBI WILLIAMS

“The speed limit here is forty-five miles per hour,” said an unexpected, disembodied voice. I looked around for a third person, but there were only two of us in the car.

Megan laughed. “She keeps me from getting a ticket,” she said, then pointed to the screen on the dashboard.

“She works for the GPS.” There was a trace of a Canadian accent when Megan talked, but what struck me the most was her sense of humor. Considering what she has been through, it was nice to see she has kept it intact. Maybe it’s because of where she grew up, north of Toronto, in a country that has been ahead of the U.S. on a lot of social issues.

A graduate of the Toronto College of Business, Megan studied computer science, focusing on network design and working for large corporations. She had been aware of her transgender nature from a very early age, but hadn’t had a word for it. As she grew up she heard the words “crossdresser” and “drag queen,” but knew they didn’t apply to her. What she did “know” is that if she didn’t hide whatever this thing was that always gnawed at her, she’d be thoroughly embarrassed.

“A strong handshake is very

important,” she said. “I made a point of having one. And when someone said something once that suggested I walked like a girl, I practiced my boy-walk for days. As for identity—all I knew was that I was a son, and a brother, and later, that I would be a husband. ” The husband part was the most difficult. Her strong religious background kept her from seeing the signs of an abusive relationship, and drove her to keep the marriage going long after it should have been resolved and long after the birth of twins. She would later face a real fight to maintain a relationship with the twins. Despite the more accepting Canadian legal system, there were a number of legal battles over visitation rights.

All the while the voice inside her continued: “No one knows who I really am,” it said, and she made sure no one would ever know. That was her truth for the first thirty years of her life, until her work with computer networks led her into the world of online gaming.

“In the gaming world,” she explained, “you can be whoever you want to be. So I became me.” And then she saw the word “transgender” and knew right away what had been going on. “That’s me,” she thought.

That’s when things began to change for the better. “I met her in the gaming world,” she said, referring to the woman who is now her wife. She and Megan fell in love. “And I also realized then that releasing my self, my true self, from the trap I’d been in for so long, was no longer a choice,” she says. “It was like I found the key to a door that I had locked

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long ago and opened it and now I was free to go.”

Being free to go meant she and her new wife could pursue new opportunities. One of those involved moving to the U.S. and eventually to Nashville, where she became involved with the transgender community for the first time, serving on the board of T-Vals, the local transgender support group, as well as, the support group for parents, families, and friends of LGBTQ people.

She has obtained her permanent resident status and started her own real estate development business. Oddly enough, it has been the not-so-liberal environment of Nashville that has played such a part in Megan’s liberation, and not the more liberal Canadian environment.

As we pulled up into the parking space behind Suzie Wong’s House of Yum, the voice of the GPS interrupted our conversation. “You have arrived at your destination,” she said.

I smiled and nodded toward Megan.

“I guess you have,” I said, smiling as we stepped from the car.

“... I also realized then that releasing my self, my true self, from the trap I’d been in for so long, was no longer a choice ... it was like I found the key to a door that I had locked long ago and opened it and now I was free to go.”

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OUT & ABOUT NASHVILLE Special May 2016 Issue

NOW BINGHAM CUP 2016 OFFICIAL PROGRAM & GUIDE PLACE YOUR O&AN AD

Out & About Nashville, Inc. has teamed up with the Nashville Grizzlies RFC to produce the Bingham Cup 2016 Official Program & Guide to welcome more than 50 international gay rugby teams to Nashville in May. Readership of the issue is expected to surpass 50,000, with more than 15,000 copies printed and distributed at more than 200 locations, including select Kroger stores in Davidson, Wilson and Rutherford Counties.

The special issue of O&AN will include team and player profiles, venue maps, schedule of events, and other original content to welcome the international participants to Music City.

“Nashville Grizzlies RFC is honored to partner with O&AN to create this very visible welcome mat to our international guests,” said Jon Glassmeyer, chair of the BIngham Cup organizing committee for the Nashville Grizzlies RFC. “We’re looking forward to showcasing our great city and partners.”

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