Get Out! GAY Magazine – Issue 530

HOW DO YOU GET TO BECOME PART
OF THESE PROJECTS. DO YOU LOOK
FOR THEM AND AUDITION OR DO
THEY JUST FALL INTO YOUR LAP?
My career is a mixed bag. I have a lot of
different things, whether it is advocacy
or theater or TV. I’ve done so many
things and I’m honestly really grateful
to have those opportunities. But for
the most part, most of the things I end
up doing are because I have an agent
and a brilliant team. Eight times out of
10, I usually audition for things that are
scripted. Obviously, if there was a reality
TV moment or an opportunity to do drag,
there’s no audition. But if it is a Netflix
show or Amazon, then those are sort of a
traditional audition. I got a little nervous.
I’m not the best at memorizing. At my
tender young age of 40, my eyes are
starting to get a little blurry, so that’s no
fun reading a script.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JANET
JACKSON TRIBUTE VIDEO.
Anyone that has watched me over the
years, whether they have seen a live
performance of mine or watched any of
the content I create, knows that I am a
huge Janet Jackson fan. I think that she
is so great. I love her connection, not
only to R&B, but the musical family that
she comes from and also her storytelling
and music videos are iconic. The dancing
and imagery. My number one fantasy
would have been to be a dancer behind
Janet Jackson. Next great thing being
able to perform some of her music and
sort of recreate a tribute performance
to her. Which I did over the years, but
like only for the 100 people that were in
the bar that night or only for the people
who were at the Pride celebration that
year. I said, “You know, I might as well
sort of immortalize it.” I won’t be dancing
around in high heels forever, so I might
as well while I have energy and the ability
to really try to do it. So far we’ve done
Rhythm Nation, If and now we’re doing
video called Together Again, which is from
her Velvet Rope album. That song was
originally recorded and created as a sort
of an homage. A tribute, a love letter to
not only the LGBTQ community, but also
the people who are affected by HIV.
A TRANSPARENT MUSICAL
SOUNDS LIKE IT WAS FUN TO DO.
WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO BECOME
DAVINA?
The musical was fun. The musical is
inspired by the hit Amazon TV series. It
is the same original creators. It is based
loosely on their lives. The cast that they
have this time around is brilliant. My
character is Davina, who is a friend of
one of the main characters, Mara. This
time around, they decided to reimagine
the show and put different people to the
cast and I am lucky enough to have been
one of them. We are hopeful to be able to
bring the show to Broadway next year.
I’M MOST INTRIGUED WITH YOUR SO-
SIGH-ETY EFFECTS. TELL ME ABOUT
THAT AND WHY YOU DECIDED TO DO
IT?
Me and my girlfriend sit around all the
time and gossip and joke about our trials
and tribulations in love. And you know,
dating for anybody is like a s*** show and
never goes right. I think a lot of people
can identify with that. I think being trans
offers a new set of challenges that people
deal with. So I sit around and talk about
those things with my girlfriends. When I
share with my girlfriends kind of like an
inside joke, but I really wanted to be able
to turn that inside out and allow the rest
of the world to get a little taste of what
dating in the trans world would be like.
What better way to educate people than
to make them laugh? A lot of these stories
that happen are really really comical.