Transgender Book Reviews

Hiding My Candy: The Autobiography of the Grand Empress of Savannah
Nonfiction by The Lady Chablis (with Theodore Bouloukos)
Copyright 1996, 208 pages, $14 (with photos)
Pocket Books Division of Simon and Schuster
ISBN 0-671-52095-4

Capsule: From a sissy black boy in small-town Florida to queen of drag shows around the South, The Lady Chablis fulfills her ambition to be a full-time woman and entertainer (with attitude). The book nicely preserves her language and take on life.

Full review

Here's the inside story of the transvestite performer written about in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. In the film of the same name directed by Clint Eastwood, The Lady played herself. She's one helluva woman.

Towards the end of the book she says: "If y'think being gay is tough, try being a transie!" I might add -- try being a black transie. Born Benjamin Edward Knox in Quincy, Florida, "Benji" exhibits feminine and gay tendencies early on as he is raised by various family members. Eventually his blood parents try to whip the woman out of him. Doesn't work.

Benjamin, now living as a woman, but still keeping his "candy" (his male genitalia, which he has always kept) drifts naturally into performing, first singing and dancing, then moving into monologue -- like a duck to water.

And the Lady Chablis is good, better and then the best drag performer around the Southeast. But the club scene is fickle and sometimes exploitative. There are times when she drops out to take a "normal" job, or molders (and at one point is consumed by a drug habit). But through it all the sharp-tongued, funny, warm Lady Chablis comes through.

This is the honest account of a professional entertainer -- one who only truly lives when on stage, on view, with an appreciative audience in the palm of her hand.

In the wings of her performances are her many short- and long-term friends and acquaintences, written about lovingly (or bluntly). A continuing disappointment is her male lovers. Early on, there's the delicacy of revealing that she still has her "candy." Later on, she pines for a long-term relationship. One thing her lovers learn -- you don't mess with The Lady!

Her career really takes off after her appearance in the book and movie. She appears on Good Morning America and Oprah.

Her co-author deserves credit for preserving The Lady's black, deep-South speech patterns. Some samples:

"I'm some kinda happy, Gran'mama."

"Oh, I like these here earrin's."

"F-what? The bitch-a-lot award?"

After the book, the next step is to catch one of the Lady's performances. You can start by seeing the film, which is now out on video.

(Reviewer: Valory Gravois) (Copyright ©1999 by Alchemist/Light Publishing)

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