Tina DeVore: Exclusive Interview
Although most drag aficionados know the name Tina DeVore, others may not know everything that she has accomplished and contributed to Atlanta during her past 30 years of performing on stage.
Just a few days before her anniversary party at Jungle, the Miss Gay USofA Classic sat down with ATLANTAboy.com to talk candidly (with a class and style uncommon to most drag queens) about discovering The Lady Chablis, how drag has changed over the years and her message of God’s love.
When was the first time you saw a female impersonator?
While in college I auditioned for a Disney workshop and was accepted. When I got to Orlando I found out that my roommates were both gay so we went to The Palace, which was the first gay club we could find. That’s where I saw my first drag show and I really loved it. They were having a talent show and I was chosen to be in that also. I performed there all summer when I wasn’t working at Disney, and after the program ended I went back to Tallahassee and started my own drag show to benefit the Gay Student Union. It was received very well, and the rest is history.
Were your parents supportive of your drag career?
[Pauses.] They actually didn’t know about it. I grew up in Tallahassee to very devout Christian parents who were both educators. They would never understand my job, so I never discussed it with them. They just knew that I did theater. I must say, however, that I am not ashamed of what I do and am very proud of what I’ve done.
Have you found that most other people are accepting?
Yes. I’ve actually been pulled over about four times while in full drag, and the policemen have never made fun of me or made any negative comments at all. They were each very respectful, even after looking at my driver’s license!
You remain steadfast in your Christian beliefs. Is it hard to do that with all of the religious figures who preach against gays?
No. It’s important to remember that those people who preach are just humans like you and I. I know that God loves me because I had no choice in becoming the person that I am. God made that choice when He created me, and He loves everybody equally.
Your spirituality is obviously a big part of The Gospel Girls.
Yes. As I said I have a really strong faith in God, and I wanted to share that. We perform every Sunday night at 8 pm at Buddies where we sing gospel music. When I perform with The Gospel Girls it’s different than when I perform at regular drag shows. Gospel comes from my soul, and I hope that our message--“God created you and loves you no matter who you are”--is inspiring to those who come.
You have a pretty clean comedic routine. Do you ever pick on an audience member?
I would never, ever insult an audience member. I can’t imagine why anyone would want to go to a drag show and be insulted. Why would a woman want to go hear Charlie Brown call her white trash and make fun of her purse? I don’t do that.
When you perform do you do it mostly for entertainment, or is there something more?
I always try to have a message. I mean I can make myself look like Beyonce and wear short little outfits and dance around singing “My milkshake brings all the boys to the yard,” but there’s not really a message in that. There’s always a purpose in everything I do.
You discovered The Lady Chablis who was featured in the “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” book and movie. Were you ever jealous of the fame that she received?
No, I’m very proud of her. We’re good friends, and in fact I just talked to her today. She happened to be in the right place at the right time, and received a level of exposure that I would not want, to tell you the truth. Her notoriety looks very glamorous on the outside, but it’s a lot of hard work. I just don’t have the patience.
How did you find her?
Well when I first met her, I thought she was a female and a lesbian. She had a very androgynous look. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that I found out she was a boy, and I just had to have her in my show. We got along so well that we moved to Atlanta together and became roommates.
How has drag changed since you started in the 70s?
Drag used to be a huge production. We had rehearsals three times a day with stage managers, choreographers and costumer designers. Club owners nowadays don’t put the kind of money into it that they used to. I think this is because there used to be just one or two gay clubs in each city. Now there are clubs for men, women, blacks, whites, bears, leather lovers and everything in between, so there are less people at each club. We used to be able to make a comfortable living as performers and took it very seriously. Now you have to be A-list to be able to support yourself just by doing drag. Also a lot of performers today are trying to become real women. They get implants, hormones and everything else. We used to just go to the club, perform and go home. It was a theatrical act, an illusion. Now it seems that the fantasy has become more of a reality for a lot of people.
You work at the Zoo during the day. Tell me about that.
I’ve been working at Zoo Atlanta for six years. I started doing it just as something else to do, but then I totally fell in love with the animals and environmental issues. I now work in the conservation department where school groups come to learn.
As someone who is watched a lot by fans and curiosity seekers, have you ever felt like one of the animals?
It’s funny that you ask that. I used to perform at the Starlight Cabaret every year at Piedmont Park, and they would have us behind fences to help keep the people away. Whenever we’d come out children would yell ‘Look! There’s one! There’s one!’ to their parents. So yes, I can identify with the animals a lot.
What has been your biggest accomplishment over the past 30 years?
Probably winning Miss Gay Atlanta in 1983. All the top performers of the day had won it, and I worked my butt of to win it also.
Is there any advice you’d like to give up and coming drag starlets?
It’s important to know that in order to get respect you have to be respectable, and there are a lot of people in this business who do not fit that criteria. That has helped me so much along the way. You won’t find many people who have bad things to say about me, and I’m really proud of that. I can look back on what I’ve done and be happy.
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