(Elje Jînrtlanh (Observer
Page A6
March 12. 2003
B e a u ty
continued
sonal questions about sexuality,
relationships, coming-out experi
ences, HIV and other topics fans
are eager to get his input on.
"I get all these people telling me,
‘I want to be like you,’” he said.
“ It’s great to be a role model, but it
was nothing I ever meant to be. At
first I was scared, but it made me
realize I had better be able to live
what I’m talking.”
Cook said his most important
m entoring engagem ent is with
W om en's Intercommunity AIDS
Resource, a northeast Portland
group that provides services for
women with AIDS and their fami
lies.
Each year the group sponsors
Camp Starlight, a week long sum
mer camp for children aged five
through 17 who are infected with
AIDS or have been affected by
AIDS. Forthe past two years. Cook
has acted as a volunteer counselor
at the camp.
“ I know it sounds so Miss
America, but it totally changed my
from Front
life,” he said. “Going to camp with
these kids really puts the whole
world in perspective - and we have
fun, too. It’s not like we sit around
andsay, ’So,yourmother’sill,huh?’
and stuff like that. No, we have a
blast!”
Camp Starlight brought Cook
some personal introspection.
The realization came when Cook
saw a 10-year-old boy with AIDS
take 10 pills as big as thumb nails
before breakfast. Cook said if that
little boy could choke down those
pills each day without complain
ing, he figured he should be able to
better maintain a positive outlook
on life.
“ If that little boy can deal with
this disease,” Cook said. “ I should
be able to deal with my ex-boy
friend being ajerk .”
After that defining moment. Cook
vowed to quit worrying about nega
tive things. He took stock o f the
good things in his life and elimi
nated the bad things, like recre
ational drugs and drinking too much.
photos bv W endy
Now every time he makes a deci
sion, Cook stops and asks if he
would be embarrassed if a camper
or their parents saw him.
££^04
Racial & Ethnic Approaches to Community Health
A program of the African American Health Coalition. Inc.
Sponsored by the COC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
Wellness Within REACH: Mind. Body, and Soul
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Pierce
Keller
D yer /T he P ortland O bserver
Dressed to the nines as "Poison Waters" in a sparkling dress with a neck o f rhinestones, Kevin Cook shakes hands with an
audience member. Cook tries to acknowledge all of his fans and runs a website where they can ask him for personal advice.
“ Must be 21 or older to participate Please check with AAHC before showing up to the first class
503-413-1850. Please receive approval from your doctor before beginning exercise class
All classes are free o f chargel
African American Health Coalition, Inc.
2800 N. Vancouver A ve , Suite 100 • Portland, OR 97227 • Phone 503-413-1850
E-mail kdempsey@aahc-portland org • Web www aahc-portland.org
Camp Starlight also caused him
to slow down and spend some time
thinking about where he came from
and who he wanted to be.
Cook w as born near Santa
Monica, Calif, to an African Ameri
can father and a Mexican-Indian
mother. He said the family moved
from "a multicultural middle-class
melting pot o f everything” to outer
northeast Portland when he was 11.
He and his sister were usually the
only African Americans in his
classes at Parkrose.
In high school, he excelled aca
demically, socially and in extracur
ricular activities like band, choir
and orchestra. But Cook said he
always felt like there was some
th in g d iffe re n t
________
about him. He had ■
crushes on girls
*
fresh air. His family and friends
accepted his sexuality without is
sue.
“I hear these terrible stories from
kids about their parents disowning
them,” Cook said. “I never had to
deal with that. To this day my mom
still comes to my shows. Nobody
ever had a problem with me, I had a
problem with myself.”
Strangely enough. Cook fixed
that problem and found comfort
with his identity by putting on a
dress.
There w asjust something about
the glitter and the glamour o f drag
that drew him in — the rhinestone
sparkles, the dresses with feathers,
the high-heeled shoes and the
able to appreciate the beauty.”
On another night, Cook raised
his hand when an African Ameri
can drag queen by the name o f
Rosey Waters asked the audience
if anyone would like to learn the
ropes o f becoming a drag queen
performer.
“1 wanted big hair and big jew
elry,” he said. “I wanted everyone
to love me.”
Rosey took him aside and they
made a plan. They spent a Saturday
afternoon putting on make-up.
He said Rosey would draw a line
down the middle o f his face, apply
one side o f pancake foundation,
eye shadow, lipstick and rouge and
he would try to recreate the look on
___________
th e o th e r sid e.
Then they would
wash it offand start
and went to the
all over again.
The drag com
prom three times
but said he never
r
munity took Cook
had romantic incli
in with open arms.
nations tow ards
Other drag queens
women.
lent him old shoes,
“ T h ese d ay s
c lo th in g
an d
gay is e v e ry
feather boas and
w h e re ,” C o o k
Poison Marie Wa
said. “But at the
ters was born.
time I thought I
The transition
was the only one.
was all very natu
I thought that no
ral for Cook, who
one else could be -K evin Cook, ** PolsonWaters” In Portland'sdragcommunlty
said he never had
h av in g
th e se
___________
an y
d iffic u lty
thoughts and feel
wearing pounds o f
ings like mine. I had no direction Colgate smiles spoke to him.
m akeupor walking in 6-inch heels,
and no role m odels.”
Cook began envision him self in
What he had a problem with was
Lost and alone, when Cook a dress when he saw his first group stereotypes left over from 70s and
turned 18 he looked to Portland’s o f African American female imper 80s era drag culture that sometimes
under 2 1 gay community for help. sonators perform at City Night Club. paint an inaccurate picture that all
He found it at City Night Club, a
“The other drag queens repulsed drag queens are sassy sisters with
nowclosed 18-and-older music and and disgusted me,’’Cook said. “But spitfire tongues.
performance venue. It was there these ladies really knew what they
“ 1 don’t understand why people
that Cook realized he w asn’t the were doing. I was blown away - have to say, ‘Hey, bitch,’ when
only one, and once he stepped out they looked like real women. I think they really ju st want to say, ‘Hi,
o f the closet, it was like a breath o f it took seeing someone like me to be how are you?” ’ Cook said.
As Poison, Cook prefers to take
K r la L a c h e r
the ‘h i’ road and be nice to every
A ssociate B roker
one and assume everybody will be
nice in return, regardless ofhis race,
Direct Line (503) 497-5420
sexual
orientation or the sequins
E-mail: kria@windeTmcre.com
h
e’s
wearing.
Business (503) 286-5477
“ I d o n ’t go around thinking, ‘I
Fax(503) 220-5788 • Cell (971) 506-HOME
w ant to find the racism h ere ,’ or,
C e llu la r (971) 506-H O M E
‘I w ant to find the hom ophobia
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here, ’” Cook said. “I think, ‘ I want
Realty Group, Inc.
to find the beauty in this - or the
8315 N. Denver Ave., Portland, OR 97217
p o sitiv ity .’”
I hear these terrible stories
from kids about their parents
disowning them. I never had to
deal with that. To this day my
mom still comes to my shows.
Nobody ever had a problem with
me, I had a problem with myself.
Wiodcrmcro
Free H IV Testing
in NE Portland
Tuesday and Thursday Evenings
5 : 0 0 - 8 : 0 0 p.m.
(last check in a t 7:30 p.m.)
NE Health Center
M IX J r . Blvd. And NE Killingsworth
(Enter in re ar door near Emerson, go to 2nd flo o r)
Se habla espartol los Martes
For more information on HIV and tasting
Call the Oregon AIDS Hotline 1 -8 0 0 -7 7 7 -AIDS
▲
Multnomah County Health Department
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