The HistoryMiami Museum saw the opening of Queer Miami: A History of LGBTQ Communities last Friday. The sold-out exhibition—which featured exhibits from the turn of the twentieth century, to the 1970s, including several displays of the notorious Anita Bryant—drew out many local members of the LGBTQ, including one person who recognized himself in a picture of a gay pride parade from the 1970s. The neighboring exhibition in the museum featured photographs of Miami taken by National Geographic photographer, Nathan Benn. Queer Miami runs through September 1, 2019. The show was curated by Miami native, Julio Capo Jr.
Of all the movies and TV shows that you’ve been in, which one’s your favorite? Trick, because I got to do a monologue, and it’s the film that put me on the map back in 1999! Which interview from your live show, Conversations with Coco, is the most special to you? They were all very special to me, but the person who started it all with me was Bea Arthur, who was my idol growing up. And although she was very nervous about doing it, she cared deeply for gay youth and for me, and I will never forget that my idol did that favor for me by being my first guest. What’s the strangest thing that even happened to you onstage? I was doing a show in Provincetown, and there was a storm. Towards the end of the show, the electricity went out. I was standing there in total darkness, and the audience thought the show was over, and they were applauding. Finally, they all realized the electricity had gone out. And as they filed out of the theater, I was yelling out for help, because I was stuck onstage alone and couldn’t see a thing.
Is Drag Racemaking drag too commercial? I get asked this question a lot. My beef with reality TV, in general, is that we have made celebrities out of people who sometimes don’t have any craft, and we sadly don’t expect or even desire that an “entertainer” have a craft. We are willing to throw our money at mediocrity. However, I have benefitted personally from Drag Race and from drag becoming more mainstream. I have many talented friends who’ve been on that show and have a craft and who deserve the success, and it’s amazing that we live in a world now where Ru can win Emmys! Which one of your old jobs least prepared you for what you do now? Being a waiter. I was terrible! If God were to take you tomorrow, how would you like to be remembered? She did her best. What do you want to live long enough to see? Contact with alien life. Will you ever retire? Yes, in four years. What’s the weirdest question that a fan’s asked you? After showing a video in a show of myself speaking at Bea Arthur’s memorial, a fan asked me, “Did you really speak at Bea Arthur’s memorial?”
What’s the meanest thing that a homophobe has ever said to you? “Can I help you, sir?” What other celebrity did you act like a “fan” around? Barbra Streisand. What’s the last thing that you looked at online? An article about Drag Race doing a “Legends” season, which I’m apparently a part of. Fake news! What’s the best place that you’ve visited? Spain! My husband, Rafael, is from Spain. What’s something that you learned in life only when you got older? That I wasn’t ugly when I was younger. Who would you like to be for a day? Albert Einstein, or another scientist like him, because I’d like to know what it feels like to have a brain that works like that. Do you believe in an afterlife? Sometimes. But I do believe in ghosts, so I guess I do. Do you think that this is the most amoral time that’s ever existed? No—although it does feel pretty rotten sometimes. Who or what is the greatest love of your life? My husband. What talent would you most like to have? Speaking several foreign languages.
If you were a dictator with unlimited powers, what would you do first? Hard labor for intentional littering. Or perhaps the death penalty for it, depending on my mood. What did you learn from your parents? Don’t hold grudges. Who’s your favorite performer? I love watching Julie Halston do anything. Hilarious! And Amy Armstrong. And Varla Jean Merman… I have many favorite performers! What comic are you most influenced by? I don’t feel influenced by comics. What’s your best characteristic? My eyes. How do you enjoy spending your time? Sitting on the beach in Spain, followed by a big lunch, followed by the best thing ever… siesta! What celebrity do you have a crush on? The Rock—Dwayne Johnson. Who do you admire? Queens who show up on time and are prepared. If you could bring one person back from the dead, who would it be? My dad. Where would you go in a time machine? I’d go back and meet Jesus and tell him and his apostles to be very specific, because their words are going to get twisted and will cause me lots of damage.
PHOTOGRAPH BY PALADINO/DEN PHOTOGRAPHY
What would your last meal be? Chicken parmigiana. What do you worry about? Everything. But mostly littering and its effects on our oceans. What are you afraid of? Sharks. If you were a musical instrument, what would you be? A trombone. Are you more like a sheep or a wolf? I’m bi. Who depends on you, and for what? My fans depend on me to be truthful. Who are you closest with? Rafael. What would your autobiography be called? Out, Loud and Exhausted. What’s on your bucket list? To learn Spanish. What’s your greatest regret in life? That I never learned Spanish. And that I didn’t have sex during college! What’s something secretive about you that people don’t know? That I hate goat cheese with a passion. Where can we see you? At the Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale! Also, all my future dates are listed on my website.
