The Marine Says I Must Re-queer...

Being camp in Camp Basra...

Stacks, ex-Royal Marines Commando, recently watched my Tutu Went AWOL! show on Zoom. He had notes. I was shifting from foot to foot, he said, and gesturing too much. 'And you must put back the stuff about the Brigadier and your fellow comedian being homophobic...'

The Brigadier had been sneering about my act, saying it would be more suited to Butlins. But, more importantly, he believed I was an 'inappropriate influence on 42 Commando'.

Stacks, deadpan, commented, 'Sir, before Iestyn started hanging out with us, sir, it had never occurred to him to play Tiddlywinks with anything other than his thumb, sir.'

My fellow comedian, who I'll call Mark, because that's his name, asked Reg, Garrison Sergeant Major, in front of me! - 'Does the drag act get on your nerves with his campness?'

Reg, a dead ringer for the the Victorian circus strongman, notorious for his uncompromising harshness when imposing discipline, answered, calmly, 'Why? Do you think I'm impressed with your wannabe alpha-maleness? The just-so ripped jeans; hair; the cars, clothes and gadgets talk. I appreciate the spiritual dimension Iestyn brings to his life. And if the truly hardest Marine of the current crop, Steve, was out here, the pair of them would be house on fire. One coming from engaging with the insurgents, one from twirling onstage. They'd have a cup of tea, a chat about their library books, and one earpiece in each to watch Oklahoma on Mini-dvd. So, no is the answer to your question.'

I asked Stacks why he thought these details needed to go back in the talk.

And he said, 'For the sake of anyone that needs to hear them.'

#lgbtqia#campiness#camp#theatre#dragact#war#military#mytutuwentawol#comedian#lgbt#queer#gay#homophobia#homophobic#beyourself#freedom#selfexpression#talks#publicspeaking#publicspeaker#talks#sexuality

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