San Francisco Sentinel
Arts
February 9, 1990
Chaos at Court
By Doris Fish
Sentinel Arts Writer
Imperial politics imperil the Empress! Or rather the most vocal candidate, Vinnie. It seems she has been aggressively courting the friends and followers of rejected candidates Ggreg (“2 ‘g’s like Lloyd) Taylor, and Miss Romé. Her efforts may pay off as Ggreg Taylor will offer Vinnie his endorsement this week, if Miss Vinnie will be less “human” and more “humane”.
It seems that the candidate has been making appearances at “Chaos” on Valencia Street and “Club Uranus”, in a full-length mink coat, much to the horror of several patrons including Mr. Taylor. Those of us with any sympathy for the Animal Rights movement will immediately see the cruelty and crassness of this behavior, but Vinnie may have to have it pointed out to her. Mr. Taylor claims to have left messages for Vinnie not to wear the coat to no avail. So, this week, the election week, Ggreg Taylor will endorse Imperial candidate Vinnie if she burns her fur coat! (And rumor has it that this is not the only fur in the Imperial closet — burn them all and even I will cast my ballot.)
“She’s been talking to my friends,” said Ggreg when I returned his call, “and saying if she wins, she’ll make the court more up-to-date. And at candidates’ night at ‘Uncle Bert’s’ last week there was much talk about attracting the young people. They see us as this enormous voting bloc.”
“But aren’t you all some kind of drag anarchists whose only interest in the Imperial court is to disrupt it? I don’t understand how they can’t see it,” I asked, trying to figure out Mr. Taylor’s motives in this evolving drama.
“It’s all an ego trip; they’re a bunch of nobodies who’ve created a way to be somebodies,” an accusation that could be hurled back at Mr. Taylor himself. His recent visit with an entourage of seventeen Drag Queens to the “Hello Kitty” coloring contest at Serramonte Mall garnered media coverage that I can only dream about.
As for political labels, “We’ve revived the acronym from Stonewall days, STAR, Street Transvestite Activist Revolutionaries.” Ah! I get it now. Early seventies nostalgia. A return to the bell-bottoms and platform shoes and exciting, politically correct anti-social behavior that I remember with pride and a little guilt now that I’m a political couch potato. (Though it has been said that my very existence is a radical act!)
Ggreg outlined the group’s amorphous political agenda, “I think ACT-UP is great, but I also want to have more fun.” And it will be loads of jolly fun when these Queens attend Lloyd Mashore’s Traditional Values Coalition (TVC) gathering February 19, calling themselves, for this occasion, Transvestite Traditional Values Coalition (TVTVC). And to judge by recent media interest in this group’s activities, I’m sure I’ll hear all about it.
But back to the fur coat conundrum. “What if she doesn’t burn it?” I asked. “Will you boycott the elections?”
“No, we’ll just tell people to write our names on the ballot,” he said with enough confidence to make me believe it will happen. “then we’ll declare ourselves Emperor and Empress.” So, it looks like we’ll have more than enough royalty to fill the city unless the rumor is true that unopposed Emperor candidate, Simeon Traw, could possibly receive a vote of “no confidence” in Saturday’s election.
I don’t envy poor Vinnie. The coat was allegedly a gift from Jerry Coletti, the reigning Emperor, and, as has also been alleged, the bankroll behind her campaign. Whether either allegation is true, burning what must be a favorite coat will not be an easy talk. We’ll see how badly she needs those votes.
Frankly, I wish the whole Imperial Court system would just gracefully fade away. With all the energy they put into these campaigns they could open a nite club, a fabulous Drag club, and do spots for each other. Anyway, it won’t go away in a hurry, and if you think it’s worth your time you can vote at “Charpes” at 131 Gough St. on February 10.
