Queer Voices
Queer Voices
August 28th Queer Voices - Sherry Vine, Taylor Mabrie of Kindred Spirits, and Terry Fuller-Waymire of Galveston Pride
Get ready to immerse yourself in a celebration!
Taylor Mabrie from the Montrose Center joins Deborah Moncrief-Bell to share the thrilling details of the upcoming Kindred Spirits Dance. This beloved event in Houston is more than just a dance; it’s a joyous gathering that revives the spirit of the original Kindred Spirits nightclub with fabulous table decorations, a silent auction, and the nostalgic beats of DJ Lotus Inferno, who plays the best of the 80s and 90s.
Brett shares the September calendar full of dancing, Puppies, community action, and celebration!
Terry Fuller-Waymire provides a captivating look into Galveston’s Pride festivities, including glow parties and beach days, aimed at fostering a tighter-knit local community.
We saved the best for last! Sherry Vine joins Brett Cullum to talk about her whole career! She shares her fascinating journey in drag and her aspirations to conquer TV, film, and theater. From her college days up to her groundbreaking third season of THE SHERRY VINE VARIETY SHOW on OUT TV, there is no showgirl who could thrill you more. Sherry breaks down her drag art, the legends around her, and how she sees the world of female illusion through a Joey Heatherton lens. This is one you don't want to miss!
News Wrap rounds everything out as we talk about the stories that impact the community on a global scale.
Queer Voices airs in Houston Texas on 90.1FM KPFT and is heard as a podcast here. Queer Voices hopes to entertain as well as illuminate LGBTQ issues in Houston and beyond. Check out our socials at:
https://www.facebook.com/QueerVoicesKPFT/ and
https://www.instagram.com/queervoices90.1kpft/
Hello everybody, this is Queer Voices, a podcast version of a broadcast radio show that's been on the air in Houston, Texas for several decades. This week, Debra Moncrief-Bell has a conversation with Taylor Mabry about the annual Kindred Spirits Dance coming up next Saturday.
Speaker 2:Actually it was kind of overwhelming and beautiful at the same time. It was so much community going on, so many women. They were so happy. They were like enjoying each other's company, fellowship and the fun and the music and the lights. It was just such a great experience.
Speaker 1:Then Debra talks with Terry Fuller Waymire, the organizer of Galveston Pride which is happening this weekend. We have Brett's community calendar for September and Brett talks with New York drag artist Sherry Vine.
Speaker 3:I could not sustain doing that voice for 34 years. But in the beginning I was always in character in the voice. And then the Vine came from from. There's a building on vine street just above hollywood boulevard called the sherry, and it literally looked like a whorehouse and I was like, oh my god, it's perfect, sherry, fine and we have news.
Speaker 4:Wrap from this way out queer voices starts now this is deborah moncrief bell and i'm'm talking with Taylor Mabry of the Montrose Center. Taylor is going to share some information about what is considered by some to be the social event of the year for lesbians and other women and their friends in Houston. Taylor, welcome to Queer Voices Hi so glad to be here. Voices. Hi, so glad to be here. I understand that Kindred Spirits reunion dance actually played part of you becoming involved in community. You want to share what your journey has been.
Speaker 2:When I was doing the interview process, malia had invited me. She is one of the directors of development. She had invited me to the dance and I hadn't started my journey yet with Mantra Center, so I wanted to see what it was all about, and Kindred Spirits was the first opportunity for that.
Speaker 4:And what did you think?
Speaker 2:Actually it was kind of overwhelming and beautiful at the same time. It was so much community going on, so many women. They were so happy. They were like enjoying each other's company, fellowship and the fun and the music and the lights. It was just such a great experience.
Speaker 4:Let's explain a little bit what we mean by Kindred Spirits, reunion Dance.
Speaker 2:Kindred Spirits was initially a nightclub here houston, um, catered to lesbian women. Back in 1980 marion coleman had overseen all of that and then I believe, they closed down. But they wanted to continue the fun, so they had a party and then we, the party, ended up transferring over to the Montrose Center. We take over a lot of events that maybe the original organization decided that they were didn't have the ability to do so anymore. So we kind of like usher it into our programming and we kind of wanted to honor that legacy and we created the kindred spirits dance, which is also the kindred spirits reunion party. So that's how it initially already started and it's been going on for quite a while now tell me how this event is set up.
Speaker 2:It's going to be at the um, yes, ballroom at by your place downtown. Um, it's going to be in their ballroom. The way we have it set up is like their tables, and but the fun thing about that is that the people that buy the tables we do like a table decorating kind of contest, and the person that wins ends up getting a ticket to the event next year, which is nice, not a ticket, a table. So that's nice to get to come back and basically it's just creating more community and more events.
Speaker 4:What kind of decorations have people used in the past?
Speaker 2:This is my first year with the center so I wouldn't necessarily know. I saw a lot of decorations last year. They go all out. The only thing that I know that we can't do is like glitter or confetti because of obvious reasons. But they pretty much go. They don't hold back, they really put their all into it and it's really kind of beautiful that they're although it's a little competitive just to see where their mind goes off with the creativity is really beautiful.
Speaker 4:And people can take home the decorations. In fact, they're encouraged to take home the decorations at the end of the night. Is there a dress code?
Speaker 2:Not necessarily a strict dress code. We just ask that you come in and be festive and be who you are. If you want to come in drag, by all means please come, Be festive as you are.
Speaker 4:The announcement says snappy business schedule and I have no idea what that means.
Speaker 2:At all times. We want people to come in and be themselves and be how they feel comfortable. Since it is a big, a nice event it's in a ballroom we would like you to put just the extra oomph into the look. The main concern is that you come and you feel comfortable and you dress in celebration of the event and basically just celebrate yourself. So if that reads to you snappy business means that you come in a full ball gown, well, we would love to see it. If that means you're going to wear a 70s tuxedo with the ruffle trim, do that as well. We just want you to have a great time you beating the public. Have a great time. Dress to the nines, whatever that means for you.
Speaker 4:And a lot of local businesses donate prizes that are given away in a raffle.
Speaker 2:This year we're doing something different. We're going to have a silent auction as well as a raffle. This year we're doing something different. We're going to have a silent auction as well as a raffle, and I have asked some of my drag queen friends. They're going to dress up in 70s and 80s garb and they're going to go around and sell some of the raffle tickets to try to promote more involvement in the raffle itself. So it's going to be really fun.
Speaker 4:And DJ Lotus Inferno will be playing tunes from the 70s and 80s, so it will invoke some of that original spirit at first.
Speaker 2:When I went the first time, I felt like, oh, I don't know if I'm gonna like this because I'm so far removed from that time period, but when I went I was, I was dancing so much and it was just so enjoyable and it's not. Sometimes, people, when you say that it's like a period dance period, meaning like the time period at that time you think I'm not going to really connect with that. But it's really a universal time period because the music's so fun.
Speaker 4:That's right, we have the best music.
Speaker 2:Yes, yes, yes, yes, and you just can't help but get involved and tap your foot and want to be involved in the dancing and stuff. So, yeah, this is, it's really fun.
Speaker 4:And there was a lot of energy here in Houston. It was shortly after things like the caucus and the beginning of the Montrose Center, which was originally the Montrose Counseling Center legacy, which actually started out of the STD clinic. And now look at it, it was really about community, it was about connections, it was about fun and that coming together I hear people talk about it all year People seeing people they haven't seen in a long time really is a reunion that way.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we have like. Oddly enough, I mean, the dance is coming up, It'll be September the 7th, and so tables are running out, which is great. We want people to come, we want people to get involved and we want them to enjoy themselves.
Speaker 4:I'm talking with Taylor Mabry of the Montrose Center and you're with Community Events and Engagement. What is the title?
Speaker 2:My job has kind of like switched and moved around, but mostly I am over community events and special events that the Montrose Center puts on. So the title doesn't necessarily denote what I do, but I'm over community events and the special events that we do.
Speaker 4:What a fun job to have.
Speaker 2:It is. It's a lot of work, but I love it, especially since I know that all the hard work is put towards something good and for the community. But yes, it is fun.
Speaker 4:Let's talk a little bit about what these funds are raised for. We're talking about the Kindred Spirits Reunion Dance, which will be September the 7th at Ballroom at Bayou Place, starting at 7 and going to 11. So people have time to go over to Pearl Bar afterwards or the establishment of their choice. I know a lot of people they're going to be anxious to get home and get to bed because if they were like me and had ever been to the original Kindred Spirits, then they're of an age where 11 o'clock is looking pretty good. The programs that this helps fund are programs that are target to the women's community in Houston. So talk about what those are.
Speaker 2:They benefit Assisters, lhi and SPRI. All of these are groups that are focused to the community that the event was made for. It's basically going back to their community. Whether you're buying a table, whether you're bidding on the silent auction, all of those funds go right back into the community. So that's a good thing.
Speaker 4:Well, I've been involved in all those programs. Lhi is the Lesbian Health Initiative. That was created because they realized there were gaps in services especially for lesbians, things like not getting mammograms, having culturally competent providers. That's how that program got created and eventually was incorporated into Montrose Center. And then Assisters is one of the organizations that Tori Williams helped found, and it is a group of people who form care teams and they provide services and companionship. And then SPRI Seniors Preparing for their Rainbow Years. It is a program that serves everyone in the community that is of an age I think over 60 is what they target, and I think it's wonderful that there's an event where people can gather, have a good time and then know that what they're doing like you say, a party with a purpose. How do people find out more?
Speaker 2:The easiest way to do it is to go to the Montrose Center community calendar and go to September 7th. It'll lead to like a launching pad that goes towards the actual Give Lively page where you can purchase your tickets or your tables. It's very easy to use, but the easiest way is to go to the MontroseCenterorg website and go to the community calendar.
Speaker 4:Is there anything that I didn't ask you about that you think would be important for people to know?
Speaker 2:The main thing is that we want people to come and enjoy themselves, be very welcome. Come and enjoy themselves, be very welcome. Although the focus is lesbian women, everyone is invited to come, Young, old. We want everyone in the community to get together, get behind the idea of benefiting our lesbian community and women. This is mostly just a celebration of women, but anyone can come. It's for lesbians, but everybody can join in on the celebration of our sisters.
Speaker 4:And men are welcome. Trans people are welcome. People are welcome. You identify in the alphabet. You can come and party and have a really fun time. So, taylor Mabry, thank you so much for being with us on Queer Voices.
Speaker 2:I'm so glad to be here and thank you for letting me come in and tell about the Kindred Spirits. It was really. I had a great time. It's going to be September 7th, that's a Saturday. That's the first Saturday in September, from 7 to 11 at the Ballroom at Bayou Place from 7 to 11 at the Ballroom at Bayou Place.
Speaker 6:Hi, this is Brett Cullum and I have got your community calendar for September of 2024. Don't forget, on September 7th, 7 pm to 11 pm, we are having the Kindred Spirits Dance. This is a huge one. It celebrates the old club that Marion Coleman used to own Kindred Spirits, and it's always the biggest. It celebrates the old club that Marion Coleman used to own Kindred Spirits, and it's always the biggest lesbian women party and all of their friends and supporters. Yes, that's right. The entire LGBTQIA plus community is invited, because Kindred Spirits really was for everyone, and you can dance the night away to your favorite songs from the 70s and the 80s. And there's these huge, elegant chandeliers and balconies overlooking downtown. This year it is going to be at the Ballroom at Bayou Place, which is right across from the Wortham Theater. So this one's going to be great. Dj Lotus Inferno is going to be spinning, and it's always one of the best dance parties of the year. So don't miss Kindred Spirits Dance September 7th.
Speaker 6:If you're looking for something a little bit different than that, we have the Houston Pup Weekend, which is going to be starting on September 13th at the Ripcord. The opening reception will start on that Friday at 630. There they are going to have events, including lunches, various events, culminating with the pup up montrose contest, which will be held saturday, september 14th, 7 pm at the ripcord. And of course they're going to have a huge after party which follows sunday the 15th. They are going to have a brunch and a drag show that starts at noon that day and that is all going to be part of pup weekend Weekend. So you don't want to miss that one. All the tail wagging and all of the cool leather outfits at the Ripcord.
Speaker 6:The weekend of September 13th there is also a Harris County LGBTQIA plus commission listening session that is going to be at Trini Mendenhall Community Center on 1414 Work Road. This is going to be on Wednesday, september 18th at 7 pm. This is going to be a chance for you to talk to an advisory group about what local government can do for our community. So definitely head to that the Harris County LGBTQIA Plus Commission listening session at the Trinney Mendenhall Community Center. And also don't forget coming up really fast on October 5th, out for Good. This is LGBTQIA+ Houston's premier annual gala. It's going to start at 6pm with a VIP reception, 7pm. The general doors will open 7.30,. Dinner and a program. It's going to be held at the Marriott Marquis Houston on Walker Street, so plan for that, and this year the theme is black and white. Have a great month. I will be talking to you very soon.
Speaker 4:This is Deborah Moncrief-Bell and I'm talking with Terry Fuller Weinmeier. Terry, along with his husband, jamie, are two of the organizers of Galveston Pride. Galveston Pride is something that's taken place for a bit and it's a bit different than what we do in Houston. There's no parade, but Terry, tell us what is on the agenda for Pride in Galveston later this month.
Speaker 7:Our Friday we are doing our opening night at the oldest gay bar in Texas, robert Lafitte's. Our newly crowned Mr and Mrs Pride Galveston will be there that night opening for our glow party. So we'll be having that. And then the next day, on Saturday, we do a beach day instead of a parade. We just kind of wanted to set ourselves apart and do something different and something that was very child-friendly or kid-friendly for those people who have children and stuff and they want to come down and hang out for the day and experience pride. So we do a beach day on East Beach and then that night we do another glow party at Robert Lafitte's. We have vendors at all of our events, all during the week or all during the weekend, and then Friday we do a pool party. We have live DJs, we have mini drag shows, we have vendors, we have all this type of stuff. So it's a very low-key, beach-type, coastal-type pride, but we have a lot of fun.
Speaker 4:And that starts on August 30th and goes through September 1. What is a glow party?
Speaker 7:A glow party is basically like you wear anything that under black lights will glow and shine, or just even like even just plain white clothing will glow immensely underneath these lights. It's just a really fun party. We have lots of light up items that people are going to get as freebies there, a lot of fun music, drag show, djs. It's going to be a good time.
Speaker 4:Is there something new this year that hasn't been done in previous years?
Speaker 7:So what we have done is we tested it out last year where we did our Pride pageant a week before our Pride weekend and it took a little bit of pressure off of us. So that way our Friday was a little bit more free to have another different type of theme party. So that's what we were able to do this year was to take our Friday and kind of throw another theme party in there. So that way it's not the pageant setting that people have to sit there and watch this big long people getting crowned and doing numbers and scoring and all that type of stuff. So we just kind of wanted to free up the weekend just to have little themed parties, so that way people can have a little bit more fun, let their hair down and have a good time.
Speaker 4:How has Galveston embraced Pride?
Speaker 7:It has taken a little bit because people in the past have tried to have Pride events down here and they didn't go over so well. So we really had to work very, very hard and made sure that everything we did showed that we were really putting Galveston first and putting our community and not just the gay community but everybody around us in the same light, that we were here to do something positive and to be a part of the community and just to do it the right way this time. So it took a little bit, but I feel like we're finally getting to a good point where people are understanding our mission and what we're trying to do, and it's a good point where people are understanding our mission and what we're trying to do, and it's a good feeling.
Speaker 4:Since those early days there has been kind of an expansion and you do events throughout the year. What advice do you give to people that are coming out, and especially for the beach bash?
Speaker 7:Especially for the beach bash. We just tell people, really get your knowledge up on going to the beach and what wildlife is there during those times. Sometimes there's jellyfish or sharks or all that type of stuff in the water. So you have to be very aware of your surroundings and just kind of do your research to make sure you know what's going on around that time. Also, bring lots of water. Water is always very important to stay hydrated, especially when it gets hot outside and you're out in the sun all day long. We do supply free water all day long for everybody and food, just making sure that you're packing up for the day and making sure that you have everything you possibly need and that you're just being very aware of your surroundings. And that's why we picked East Beach because there's a lot of security. There's a lot of people who work there that also take part in making sure that all of us are safe people who work there that also take part in making sure that all of us are safe.
Speaker 4:And, of course, the logical thing is to also make sure you have your sun protection a hat, sunscreen, shades.
Speaker 7:Animals are welcome at the beach. Galveston is very animal friendly. People do bring their animals. I would say if your animal is not used to being out that long, I would probably leave them at home. But if you have a pet that you usually take out and are used to being out during those days, if not, we're very close to the pavilion that has showers and stuff, so there is a place to take your animals so they can cool down, get a nice drink of water and, again, our Galveston setup for Pride Galveston we have ice water. We have everything that we would possibly need just in case those situations do arise, just to make sure that our people and their pets are taken care of.
Speaker 4:Tell me a little bit more about the pageant. I think most of us are familiar with drag shows, but a pageant is a little different, so explain what takes place in that process.
Speaker 7:A pageant is every year and it's not just for drag entertainers. Anybody is allowed to enter our Mr and Mrs Pride Galveston pageant, whether they are have contestants that enter vying for the title of Mr or Mrs Pride, and we have categories that they have to abide by. We have presentation, which is usually pride theme, so they come out in whatever they're choosing of what pride is to them and their outfit, and so they get to be very creative with that. They have a talent category where they come out and they do a talent and that can be anything. They do a question and answer on stage where the judges. We ask them questions very randomly so they have to think on their toes, and that's basically what the pageant is. And at the end we do our scoring. All the categories are scored and at the end of the night, whoever has scored the highest are the ones that win.
Speaker 4:And who judges?
Speaker 7:We have different judges every year. We usually pick people who are very familiar in the pageantry world, but we also like to throw in some curveballs just to kind of mix it up. Anybody can be a judge, as long as they get in contact with us ahead of time and we get that all together.
Speaker 4:And there is merch. There's a wonderful logo that is a rainbow with different colored palm trees, really invoking that Galveston vibe. What are you most excited about for this year?
Speaker 7:Not that I'm looking forward to something specific. I love the interaction with either people that have come over the years or just the new people that come or that didn't even know about Pride Galveston. And they come down and I just get to see them be freely in a space where they don't have to worry about being themselves and, I think, being able to sit back and watch that and it's you know, it's not just the gay community. I see other people come down and they just get so enveloped in the atmosphere and just have such a good time and it's so heartwarming to see people just thrive in a safe place where they don't have to worry about anything and you can just see them be their authentic self. And for me, that's what I look forward to every year. I know my husband does as well. That's something that was one of our missions with creating Pride is to create a safe place for anybody to come and be themselves.
Speaker 4:What type of vendors will be?
Speaker 7:there. We have all types of vendors. We have leather making vendors, we have food vendors, we have people that do like their own type of merch that they bring. We do have Pride vendors that come and bring down Pride swag. It's always every year. It's a different kind of mix of different people.
Speaker 4:Are there organizations that work on behalf of the community that are there representing?
Speaker 7:Yes, we do get lots of the local churches involved. They are even all the way from Katy. We do get a lot of the local businesses that are starting to get on board with us, which is really, really nice, like coffee shops, clothing stores, as the years are progressing and people are seeing our mission and everything like that. We're starting to get a lot more of our community involved.
Speaker 4:So it's really nice to see the organizers for Pride Galveston for 2024. That's August 30th, 31st and September 1, with a variety of events.
Speaker 7:How can people find out more information? People can go on our website, wwwpridegalvestonorg, or they can go to our Facebook page, pride Galveston as well. Those are the two main sources to really just see where we post all the time and they can see our mission. If they would want to be a sponsor, we have a whole sponsor section. We have a listing of all of our events past events, past Mr and Mrs Prides. We have everything on there that they could possibly want to see, and just everything that's going to be coming up this year I found it through pridegalvestoncom.
Speaker 7:You can do either or pridegalvestonorg.
Speaker 4:So is there anything that I didn't ask you about that you want people to know?
Speaker 7:I just really want, especially just local businesses we are always looking for businesses or people to become sponsors get more involved in our community, especially with all the events that we do throughout the year. We do a lot of stuff for the Humane Society breast cancer, all that type of stuff. We're always looking for new ways and outlets to improve and be better and get more involved in the community ourselves or to have more people get involved with us and just really just following us and making sure that everybody is hearing our message and that we're not singling anybody out. Everybody is welcome and that we embrace everybody, we accept that everybody is different and we really just highlight that all the time. So those are the things that we really just want to highlight getting more people involved businesses, sponsors, and then just so people know to come down and just have a good time with them, and then just so people know to come down and just have a good time with them.
Speaker 1:This is Queer Voices.
Speaker 6:This is Brett Cullum, and today I am joined by a superstar, a legend and an icon, the one we are all living for Sherry Vine. She's got a new season of her variety show on OutTV. She has two new music videos called Showgirl and Pink, and we're going to catch up with her and find out more. So welcome to Queer Voices, sherry Vine.
Speaker 6:Hi thank you, how are you? I am good. I'm better now that I'm with you, of course, always. Oh, I wanted to start kind of at the beginning here. I know that you started drag just a little bit before RuPaul's Drag Race became a thing, back when drag was actually punk. It was rebellious, it was like something that you did underground and you kept it a secret. We never told anybody. So what made you want to start this art form?
Speaker 3:Gosh, I mean, I don't know. I mean there's so many. When I look back now I can be like, oh, like on Halloween dressing up, I was always the lady, but it wasn't until I was in college and I had to do this project. I was working with Anna Deavere Smith, who's an amazing actress and director, and she was our guest professor and we had to do this project and I picked spending time with this real drag queen in LA named Erica and then kind of presented her on stage and I was felt this connection. I was like, oh, this is really cool and fun and it was really about the costume and the mask, the makeup being like a mask and just kind of allowing a freedom. And Anna actually pulled me aside and she's like you know, you should explore that. And I told a friend of mine who was living in New York about this and he's like I'm writing a play and you need to come here and play the mother. And I'm like, okay, and that's just.
Speaker 6:It snowballed from there how did sherry vine come about, like the name, the actual moniker that you use?
Speaker 3:well, I have no idea where sherry came from. I just remember my roommate at the time was doing my I was just starting performing in drag and he did the wig, he did the makeup, he styled me, he did everything. I did nothing. And I just looked in the mirror. I was like, oh, she looks like a Sherry. I don't know why, I don't know where it came from. I had this little voice. I was like Sherry, she's the broken down showgirl which I could not sustain doing that voice for 34 years, which I could not sustain doing that voice for 34 years. But in the beginning I was always in character in the voice. And then the Vine came from. There's a building on Vine Street just above Hollywood Boulevard called the Sherry and it literally looked like a whorehouse and I was like, oh my God, that's perfect, sherry Vine.
Speaker 6:Oh, completely. Now. You come from this seminal group. It includes you, jackie Beat, joey Arias, lady Bunny Taboo, I mean Lee Bowery. How did that scene emerge? How did you all hook up in New York?
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny. I mean I love every single name you mentioned, but when I moved to New York and started in 92, joey, bunny, Taboo, they were already established. They were the queens and I really looked up to them, especially Joey. I had seen Mondo New York and I was obsessed with Joey before I even met her. I knew who Bunny was, of course, and then Taboo and Sister Dimension, billy, beyond, you know all these queens that were already super established of the scene when I moved there. And I think, like 92 was kind of like the birth of me Shaquita, sweetie Petalettis, jackie was a little bit earlier, varla Jean Merman, so Mistress Vermica, so all these queens were kind of like this new renaissance, like the early 90s in New York. I remember it vividly so.
Speaker 6:when you talk about this character and you kind of alluded to broken-down showgirl Sherry Vine and all of that what informs her Like, what is the DNA that you hope to capture when I come to a Sherry Vine show, what are you hoping that I see? And also I love that you have a Joey Heatherton quote on your site.
Speaker 3:I mean, all my references are so dated that it was like anyone young would be like who's Joey Heatherton? Yeah, I would hope. What I want now more than ever, with everything going on in the world, is for people to come see my show, whether they know me or not, and leave saying, oh my, I laughed so hard for an hour I forgot about what is going on in the world and in my life and I always put a disclaimer on that, saying I'm not trying to suggest that we should not be aware of what's going on in the world. I am very aware the first thing I do in the morning is read the paper. I know what's going on in the world. I'm very aware the first thing I do in the morning is read the paper. I know what's going on all over the world. I'm very involved. But I don't put that on stage in my show because I want my show to be escapism, silly, stupid. You're allowed to laugh in spite of everything that's going on.
Speaker 6:I think one of the things that you're known for, too, is doing parodies. I mean one of the things that you're known for, too, is doing parodies. I mean you've, yes, developed this whole thing around it. I mean your youtube channel blew up. There's like over 20 million views of these songs that you've done by like madonna and lady gaga and one of my personal favorites, whole clean instead of jolene. When did you realize that you were good at making a gag and making a funny lyric? I know you and jack Jackie both kind of created that in a weird way and funny.
Speaker 3:That comes from high school, like I certainly would never take credit for it. I mean obviously weird Al Yankovic and all. But at the time I don't know any other drag queens that were doing parodies. But I started in high school so way before the concept of drag getting into my mind, I would write parodies of all the musicals that we were doing in high school and share it with my friends. And they were just like you are so dumb. So I've been doing that since high school so it was just kind of like the logical path I would take. When I started performing in drag, and even before drag, I had this little group. It was a duo, me and Robbie Daniels, and we were called Skinny Boys because we were both so tall and skinny and we did parodies. So before we were even doing real drag, sometimes we would throw on a wig or not whatever, but we had parodies of all the hit songs of 1990. And then when I started Cherry Vine, it was just kind of like oh, this is what I will do.
Speaker 6:They're amazing. I mean, I really love them. And you've kind of transitioned out of bars and spaces like that. Now you've had a couple of TV shows. It started with the she's Living for this that came on every episode of that. Now you've got a variety show on OutTV, literally called the Sherry Fine Show. How could you get less descriptive than that? How did you make that leap? How did you become the TV mogul that you are?
Speaker 3:Mogul. I love it. Well, she's living for. This happened because Josh Rosenzweig, who literally directed the very first thing I ever did on stage and drag, and then he was the director of our theater company, theater couture, in New York in the nineties. He was working for here TV and he is the one who got that. So all of that happened because of Josh and it was a great opportunity. We had so much fun doing that. And then I really was trying to push the Sherry Vine Variety Show through PEG, which the talent represent company that represent a lot of the queens, and I was on the phone with Jacob one day and he was like, oh, this would be so much easier to sell if you were in LA. And I was like, okay, click, I'm moving to LA. And everyone's like, yeah, right, and I did, and it here, and he made that show happen. And so now the Sherry Vine Variety Show, season 3, out TV. It's literally my dream project come to life.
Speaker 6:It's so funny. I mean it really kind of takes off a lot of skits and commercial parodies. I recognize a lot of faces on every episode. I'm always like, oh my gosh, how did you get them to get on this show?
Speaker 3:I say that too. How did I get them?
Speaker 6:It's a great concept. What kind of inspired you to create this variety show?
Speaker 3:Well, I mean I grew up watching the variety shows of the 70s and Carol Burnett was my biggest inspiration and it encapsulates everything that I love. I get to do musical numbers, commercial parodies, sketches being so stupid with people that I love and we just have so much fun. And we just had so much fun. I mean I can tell by the people that work on the show behind the cameras when we finish they're just like I've never had that much fun filming anything or working on anything and I'm like, oh my God, that's the best compliment ever.
Speaker 6:It really is funny. I mean I really enjoy it. But it's interesting that now drag just seems to be everywhere. I mean it's kind of surrounded us and there's almost this overload of like you know, we've got this one, and we've got that one, and we've got this and we've got this pageant. You go to a brunch and all these men in dresses pop up and, you know, bring you your omelet. Do you feel like some of the teeth have been filed down? Can drag be dangerous anymore?
Speaker 3:Yes, jackie and I talk about this all the time. I reference Jackie. I mention Jackie a lot because we work together so much and we're literally probably the closest in terms of what we do than anyone else that I know. We say all the time we're like okay, if people feel like drag has been homogenized or watered down or it's everywhere, it's so mainstream, well, my job is to keep it cutting edge.
Speaker 3:I don't know if it's cutting edge anymore, like you said, but I've been doing this parodies for 34 years in drag and it hasn't changed. I'm not going to all of a sudden start singing about the beautiful smell of jasmine in the air. I mean, that's not what I do. My song's about poop and penis and that hasn't changed and that's not going to change. And and luckily OutTV is like go with it whatever you want. And, like you just said, like Whole Clean, my parody of Jolene, which is brand new, it's so stupid. When I was writing it I was like this might be a flop because it's just so dumb. But people like I just did a tour opening for Bianca for two months and people were cackling, they just were laughing. So I was like okay, people still want stupid. So that's my job. My job is to keep it entertaining and fresh, even if the theme is not fresh.
Speaker 6:I live in Texas and we've had rumblings of a drag band, just like Tennessee and a lot of the other more conservative states. Right, why do you think that this has become a political platform? I mean, it's like I feel like they just discovered drag. I mean what?
Speaker 3:No, it's because they don't have anything else. They can't focus on anything real. So instead of addressing the problem with shooting and killing kids in schools, they're going to divert all the attention. Drag, drag, we'll say. That the Republicans are brilliant at is the art of spin, like they will take nothing and just spin it into something and the Democrats are terrible at that. But it was just a diversion and it was like when Bush was running for president and made everything about the dangers of gay marriage. It's like you know, special rights. It's like it's not special rights, it's equal rights. There's nothing special about it, but they were able to label it that and spin it that way and it worked. So that's what I feel with this whole thing about drag. It's nothing to do with drag, it's all to do with diversion. Let's talk about this so that we don't have to talk about something real.
Speaker 6:I wanted to talk to you about the state of Sherry Vine now and going forward. What do you want? What do you feel like your career will look like?
Speaker 3:Well, it's funny, I have so many things that I still want to do. I would love, love, love to do more TV and more film. I really miss doing theater. I haven't done a proper play in so long that I really would like to try and do something like the three sisters with drag queens or had a gobbler, like something really theatrical. So those are the kinds of things that are on my plate that I'm going to try and make happen.
Speaker 6:Okay. So if you were going to give advice to somebody never done drag, they want to start. What would be the groundwork or the foundation according to Sherry Vine?
Speaker 3:Take care of your knees. Oh, my God, I've been wearing stiletto. I mean I only wear stilettos. I refuse to wear anything other than a pointy five or six inch heel. But now the payback has begun, like everything hurts, and so if I could go back in a time capsule, I mean I took really good care of myself, I think. Capsule, I mean I took really good care of myself, I think. But in the 90s I probably would have been a little bit more aware of what I'm doing to my knees and my feet because I'm literally paying for it now. But no, I think the advice I would give the advice I do give when I'm asked this about younger, young baby queens is like don't be afraid to fail. Try different things, but find what you are great at and exploit that Really. Focus on that. Don't try to be like well, I need to be funny, mean to people like Don Rick because of Bianca, or I need to be weird in a way like a lot. Don't try to be someone else.
Speaker 6:Be you, find what you're good at and that you love doing, and do it it's funny because I have the same conversation with actors and we always talk about that, about the sense of self. Once you are cemented into who you are and you can bring that to the stage, then you're finally where you need to be and then maybe you can have your own variety show, like the Sherry Vine show.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I had a great learning experience when I was performing at this big HX Homo Extra, this magazine, that was a zine in New York City, this big party that they were doing and it was packed and it was at the Chelsea Cinema and I did this whole number with four dancers and me. That wasn't comedy, it was just like a cover of Madonna's Burning Up and I remember they introduced me and people got really excited and then they were really disappointed and that was because they were waiting for me to be funny or to make them laugh and maybe my singing didn't do it. But it just was a lesson of like oh right, so now I mean, if I do an hour show, I can put in a song or two. That's not comedy, because it's bracketed by songs that are. But to come out and be like, okay, if you're going to present yourself, if you're the comedy queen, and then come out and not do that and not deliver, then people were disappointed. So that was a really good lesson.
Speaker 6:Well, you are kind of a fashion queen in a weird way. You've got the Project Runway under your belt, so there you go. Wet bird.
Speaker 3:If your look is wet bird, then talk to me. Wet chicken that was it A wet chicken, michael Kors? She looks like Wet chicken. That was it, michael Kors. She looks like a wet chicken.
Speaker 6:Hey, that's a compliment coming from him, but you've got two new music videos that are hitting. One of them is called Showgirl, which I've seen Super fun. It's not really a parody, though. It's kind of an ode to who you are.
Speaker 3:Listen, yeah, I mean Alt TV from the beginning was like no, parodies, they're not even going to touch. I was like, well, legally we can do these sound-like tracks. And they're like no, no, no. So we knew that the musical numbers had to be original. So this was an amazing push me out of my box. And Mark Holick, who's done all 15 songs, is a genius and Showgirl. I was like I really want to do something burlesque-y, but like a Las Vegas Showgirl song which goes back to the original seed of Sherry Vine, like this ex-Las Vegas tattered, broken-down kind of showgirl. And I love this song so much it's literally going to open my new show next year around the world. It's like I'm a showgirl.
Speaker 6:And here we are full circle back to Joey Heatherton. What is happening?
Speaker 3:Full joke circle.
Speaker 6:Okay, so you've got season three on ALTV of the Sherry Vine Show, you've got new music videos, including Showgirl and Pink, and you've got appearances around the country and things like the Golden Girls parodies where you get to play Blanche, which I mean, come on, every guy's dream role, every gay guy's dream role, right there.
Speaker 3:When people are like, who do you play in the Golden Girls? I'm like, who do you think I'm always just like honey. So yes, the Golden Girls were doing it in LA at the end of this month. We do it every August and January in LA and now every June in New York City and it just brings me joy.
Speaker 6:It's amazing. I'm dying to see it because you and Jackie and everybody who else is in it, I think.
Speaker 3:Sam Pancake is Sophia and Kelly Mantle is playing Rose, which she has done this whole year. Kelly Mantle has stepped in for Drew to play Rose and she's hilarious.
Speaker 6:I think Kelly Mantle just runs around being Rose anyway, so it's not like a stretch.
Speaker 3:I'm obsessed with Kelly Mantle. I can't talk enough about Kelly. I'm like how did we not know each other at another time? Because she's everything to me. She makes me laugh. She's so cool, she's so smart, she's so cool. I just adore her. And she's in episode five. We do a Kill Bill parody where the entire episode just kind of like we leave the variety show format. We do the entire Kill Bill movie in 22 minutes and Kelly's in it, bianca, jackie, of course, joe Lopez, peppermint. I'm most proud of that episode, maybe more than anything we've ever done, because I'm just like it's literally a short film.
Speaker 6:Well, tell me about season three. Who else is going to be in it? Because you just mentioned a whole onslaught of names and I know there's a ton of people there.
Speaker 3:Well, episode one just came out. It has Latrice Royale, alaska, monet Exchange. Monet is in actually every episode, as is Jackie. The song is I'm a Showgirl. We've got parodies of the Exorcist Goop commercial parody. The Lady Cops is back. The Lady Cops was like a fan favorite from season two, so that's back. That's just episode one. And then we've got Nina West, benda, lecrem so many amazing queens, bianca's in several episodes. Yeah, it kind of blows my mind when I'm like how did we get these queens?
Speaker 6:it's so fun to watch because they pop up and you just go oh, that one, oh okay they're gonna play.
Speaker 3:laganja is in it. Laganja, she's so funny.
Speaker 6:All right Well obviously OutTV the Sherry Vine show. I'm excited, and of course you tour all the time too, so I'll be watching for you and all of that on your solo shows and all of that as well.
Speaker 3:It'll be amazing. If people follow me on Instagram, you can see where I'll be, because I'm always touring. You can see the music videos every week on YouTube and then the show, of course, on OutTV.
Speaker 6:And of course there's sherryvinecom, where you can get all of this fabulous merch oh yeah, t-shirts, mugs, whatever.
Speaker 3:It has links to everything and all that. So if you're confused about where to watch the show, go to sherryvinecom, because that has links and places to watch it wherever you are in the world.
Speaker 6:Well, I will definitely be one of those watchers. So thank you so much. I'm so excited to have talked to Sherry Vine.
Speaker 3:And I'll see you the next time I'm in Houston. I was just there, were you. I opened for Bianca.
Speaker 6:Oh yes, absolutely yeah, so I'll be back. Yeah, give me warning next time.
Speaker 5:I'm Elena Botkin-Levy.
Speaker 8:And I'm John Dyer V.
Speaker 5:With News Wrap, a summary of some of the news in, or affecting LGBTQ communities around the world for the week ending August 24th 2024. A lesbian co-mother got to see her seven-year-old daughter for the first time in five years, thanks to a historic court ruling in Beijing. The visitation rights case marks the first time a court in China has acknowledged that a child can have two legal mothers. It might have been a heartwarming story, but now the other mother is vowing to block any future visits and the fate of the couple's son remains unresolved.
Speaker 5:Zhang Peiyi married her wife in a US ceremony in 2016. Using her wife's eggs and donor sperm, embryos that were therefore genetically linked only to Zhang's wife were implanted in both women. In 2017, zhang gave birth to a girl and her wife gave birth to a boy. When the couple separated two years later, zhang's wife took both children and refused to let her see them. Zhang sued her estranged wife in 2020 in China's first custody battle involving a same-gender couple. This week's ruling grants Zhang monthly visits with her daughter, but not her son, even though she's not genetically related to either child. The court recognized the fact that Zhang birthed the girl. Attorney Gao Mingya thinks the issue is bound to confound Chinese courts until there's some sort of legal recognition for same-gender couples. Zhang told the Associated Press that she sat quietly with her estranged wife and their daughter for her first four-hour visit. The masked girl glanced up at Zhang from her homework a few times. Zhang's ex now wants to stop the visitations on the grounds that Zhang is violating the children's privacy.
Speaker 8:Hundreds of people marched with LGBTQ pride through the streets of Kathmandu on August 20th. The annual event coincides with Nepal's Festival of Gai Jatra, a memorial for people who have died during the past year. The Blue Diamond Society sponsors the parade. Leader, pinky Gurung, told the Kathmandu Post. In Gai Jatra, men dress as women, in brocade, crimson blouses and saris. So in a way, gai Jatra has always embodied and embraced the LGBTQIA plus community. Activists have also been using the Gai Jatra festival to honor queer people whose families refused to perform traditional funeral rites. Gurung explained this parade represents the commemoration of our deceased community members, so their souls can rest in peace.
Speaker 5:HIV-positive people will no longer be prevented from enlisting in the US military. Judge Leonie M Brinkema of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia finally eliminated one of the country's lingering remnants of HIV-AIDS discrimination. Brinkema wrote in her August 20th decision the Pentagon's policies prohibiting the accession of asymptomatic HIV-positive individuals with undetectable viral loads into the military are irrational, arbitrary and capricious. Brinkema had declared the military's discrimination against current service members with HIV unconstitutional in 2022. That left pending three lawsuits against the Pentagon by three prospective enlistees with HIV. The queer advocacy group Lambda Legal sued on their behalf. In extending her earlier ruling to people with HIV who want to enlist, brinkema concluded that the ban was actively hampering the military's own recruitment goals.
Speaker 8:Houston, Texas transgender sheriff's deputy, Anna Lang, will be in court again defending her right to insurance coverage for her now-completed gender-affirming surgery. A three-judge panel of the 11th US Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld a US district court ruling in 2022 that Houston County had violated Lang's civil rights when it denied the surgery under its employee health plan. Lang underwent the $10,000 procedure later that year. Houston County has nevertheless spent far more than that continuing to contest that ruling. They argue that the health plan was not being discriminatory because it excludes coverage for sex change surgeries for anyone, no matter their sex or gender identity. A majority of the full 12-judge 11th Circuit Court bought that argument and ordered a new trial this week. A date is to be determined. With six of its 12 judges appointed by Donald Trump, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals is one of the most conservative in the country.
Speaker 5:Rights activists are warning Texas trans people to not even try to change their government documents, at least for the time being. Give credit to State Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has ordered the Department of Public Safety to flatly deny all applications to change driver's license or state ID gender markers. Only corrections to provable clerical errors are allowed. Corrections to provable clerical errors are allowed Until this week. A court order or an amended birth certificate have been enough to authorize the gender marker change. Under Paxton's new directive, that won't matter. Anyone who asks to change their gender marker now will instead be added to a database for state Republican lawmakers. According to Austin public radio station KUT, it's not clear why or how that clearly personal information might be used.
Speaker 8:The state of Florida is virtually telling queer tourists to go where the sun don't shine. Visit Florida's website used to promote pride events, the state's top 10 gay beaches and other queer-friendly destinations for LGBTQ travelers, but those pages have been removed. The link that once led to that information now directs to a generic Things To Do page. Similar pages for black, hispanic and other minority visitors are still there. In a way, equality Florida actually beat the state to it. In a way, equality Florida actually beat the state to it Because of the hostile environment for LGBTQ people created by Governor Ron DeSantis and his Republican cronies in the legislature and state agencies. The Queer Advocacy Group issued a travel advisory last year. It warns individuals, families, entrepreneurs and students that Florida may not be a safe place to visit or take up residence.
Speaker 5:Florida is apparently also not a safe place to be a book. Governor DeSantis' heralded conservative takeover of New College hit a new low last week with the massive dumping of books from its library shelves. Most were from the college's now-shuttered gender and diversity program. Several social media posts show dumpsters filled with books. The trashed piles include books about feminist issues, black hip-hop culture and, specifically, queer tomes. New College Library staff issued a defensive statement saying it was engaged in a standard annual procedure of weeding its collection of materials that are old, damaged or otherwise no longer serving the needs of the college.
Speaker 5:Some books may have sustained water damage during a recent tropical storm. Others may no longer serve the needs of a college. Moving to the right, students would have been able to claim the books, but the dumping occurred about a week before most of them arrived, ahead of the upcoming semester. To ACLU of Florida Executive Director Bacardi-Jackson, it's reminiscent of some of history's darkest times, he wrote. The fact that these books, sources of wisdom, diverse perspectives and the narratives of marginalized communities, were discarded in the dead of night, without transparency and without giving students the opportunity to preserve them, should outrage every Floridian and every American who values democracy and free thought.
Speaker 8:Finally, one half of arguably the world's most famous queer penguin couple has died of. Arguably the world's most famous queer penguin couple has died With life partner Magic. Sven made headlines around the world when they first nurtured an abandoned egg at the Sydney, australia-based Sea Life Aquarium. Fans nicknamed their healthy chick Svengik but her real name is Laura Sven, and Magic's second chick is Clancy. The couple was even honored with a float at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. The aquarium announced Sven's death of natural causes on the eve of his 12th birthday. Earlier this month, aquarium staff brought his partner of six years to see his body so that he could understand that Sven was gone. They said that nearly nine-year-old Magic soon began singing, with the entire Gentoo penguin colony joining him. Penguin keeper Renee Howell told the Guardian that the species typically bows or sings to one another during courtship, but that they had never witnessed behavior like that after a penguin's death. She said in that moment for us it was a beautiful send-off.
Speaker 5:That's News Wrap, global queer news with attitude for the week ending August 24th 2024. Follow the news in your area and around the world. An informed community is a strong community.
Speaker 8:News Wrap is written by Greg Gordon and Lucia Chappell, produced by Brian DeShazer and brought to you by you.
Speaker 5:Thank you. Help keep us in ears around the world at thiswayoutorg, where you can also read the text of this newscast and much more. For this Way Out, I'm Elena Botkin-Levy. Stay healthy.
Speaker 8:And I'm John Dyer V Stay safe.
Speaker 1:This has been Queer Voices, which is now a home-produced podcast and available from several podcasting sources. Check our webpage QueerVoicesorg. For more information. Queer Voices executive producer is Brian Levinka. Andrew Edmondson and Deborah Moncrief-Bell are frequent contributors. The News Wrap segment is part of another podcast called this Way Out, which is produced in Los Angeles.
Speaker 9:Some of the material in this program has been edited to improve clarity and runtime. This program does not endorse any political views or animal species. Views, opinions and endorsements are those of the participants and the organizations they represent. In case of death, please discontinue use and discard remaining product.
Speaker 1:For Queer Voices. I'm Glenn Holt.
