TW: Transphobia, racism; CW: mention of FGM
Today I’m writing about how trans icon The Lady Chablis inspired me and how my perception of gender has changed over time for Transgender Day of Visibility on March 31. I have referenced an article written by Associated Press for the Tampa Bay Times in the year 2016. It is titled, Iconic entertainer and former St. Petersburg resident Lady Chablis dies in Savannah. The photo below is of Lady Chablis by Kevin Sullivan, and was obtained from the article. The article URL is located in the final sections of this newsletter. Please subscribe to, like, and share Katamountain News!
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Self Reflection: Is there a celebrity who inspired you as a child? Who and why? How have entertainers, local and celebrity, impacted your life?
Lady Chablis was a trans trailblazer and multi-talented entertainer who rose to fame when she portrayed herself in the movie, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. She performed at clubs in Savannah, Georgia, but also spent years in Tampa, Florida. I chose the photo above for this newsletter because she looks beautiful and one with the natural environment that surrounds her. She also looks successful and at ease. On her home in Tampa, she said:
"My favorite thing is the water," she told the then St. Petersburg Times in 2000. "Being close to the water, being able to rain every other day, walking outside and seeing those wild parrots or canaries. What are those green birds? And the cranes in my front yard, those tall birds? I love that. … It's so soothing.”
I was not allowed to use swear words as a child, but home rules were suspended when I watched Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil with my mom.
The Lady Chablis would say one of her famous lines, and we would turn toward each other from separate chairs for an inside joke, repeating Lady Chablis’ words,
“It’s like my mother always said,
two tears in a bucket,
mother FUCK IT!”
We laughed together because it is such a funny and practical saying, my mom really did say it a lot, and I got to swear. We loved this movie and watched it together several times, it was so intriguing.
It has been some time since I watched Midnight last and I am writing from memory. What I enjoyed most about the movie is that it was actually interesting. The townspeople are unique, I think some are coded as disabled. Savannah, southern cultures, and queerness are on display. The tree branches appear to be weighed down by heaps of wispy Spanish moss.
The captivating Lady Chablis looks stunning in her bright red pageant gown. She tells the main character about her candy, her “T”, and asks him not to tell her boyfriend about her truth. I didn’t understand her experience as a Black woman, and I didn’t fully understand her experience as a Black trans woman showgirl, either. I was pretty young, but I think around age ten I supposed that some beautiful ladies had penises, and that is fine. I wished I could be in the audience of her show someday, or see other entertainers like her perform live.
EDIT 06/18 - I just re-watched Midnight and Lady Chablis was even more incredible than I remembered. I’m sure there is meaning behind the clothing she is wearing, but I don’t know enough about fashion to comment. I suggest watching her nightclub performances on YouTube. The show she puts on in the film is true to herself and her style of entertainment. Check out her feature in UCLA's Series: In The Life
I noticed the bold (it stood out in each shot due to the contrasting red) use of the confederate flag, both on Jude Law’s arm and in the courtroom. I wasn’t expecting to see it even though I know it’s around, I see it often in West Virginia. The film is set in Georgia in the 1990’s. I always feel, I wish I had a more creative word, bad, as in uncomfortable and angry when I see it. I wonder if the flag details were in the book or added by the film director. I also noticed the trial had a lot to do with men having sex with men. Ultimately, both gay men are killed and I think there is probably additional propaganda in the film and book. I’m sure much has been written about it.
I avoided many tv shows and movies growing up because of the violence pictured toward marginalized people in every Hollywood tv show and film I saw. The same gender, race, and sexuality stereotypes were played out over and over. When I say I don’t like violence, I am not talking about a personal need to sanitize art and history to promote my own comfort and beliefs. I’m talking about gratuitous violence that exists to encourage oppressive behavior and is distressing to watch. The harm depicted in film carried over to the real world, on to my person, and that made me uncomfortable, scared, or disturbed. I have done a lot of work unpacking the harmful messaging I internalized as a child, but I am certain Hollywood still impacts the way I perceive myself and “the other“.
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