The Military Career of a Georgia Drag Queen
Biography / LGBTQ
Date Published: February 13, 2024
Publisher: MindStir Media
Meet Jay Claypool, and his alter ego Dixie Crystal. On his own from an
early age, and embracing his sexuality and the performance art of drag, Jay
recounts his early years as a nightclub performer, the 9-11 tragedy; and how
it propelled him into a 20 plus years military career in the United States
Air Force. A collection of stories that are hilarious, heartbreaking; and at
times surreal, Gay AF is the autobiography of an entertainer who has
persevered through the often-changing legal landscape and demanding service
reorganizations within the DoD. Jay finds himself working within some of the
most elite Air Force organizations, planning and executing unique no-fail
missions; and Dixie Crystal is always along for the adventure.
INTERVIEW
Introduce yourself and tell me about what you do.
My name is Jay Claypool, I’m a 20+ year Air Force veteran and retiree, who has also been a drag performer since I was a teenager. Currently I produce events for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, here in Washington DC. I host several drag brunches and themed shows around town, and I’m actively devoting time now to writing my second book.
Tell me more about your journey as an author and the writing process. This book began, honestly, in my friend Joe’s living room on a weeknight when we were discussing an upcoming drag pageant. Joe also shot the cover of my book. He made the comment that I had so many interesting and hilarious stories, most of which were from the years that I spent in the Air Force and the unique jobs I always found a way to gravitate to. I decided that anyone with two brain cells to rub together, that’s a gay Air Force veteran and drag performer writing a book, is going to call their book GAY AF. I decided to give it a little camp and call every chapter “AF”, and then I started writing one morning. I have an Army public affairs friend who had written a novel, who advised me to get up early in the morning and spend that time working on my book, while my thoughts were fresh; and to write everything down. Names, crazy details, everything. He told me the editor could take care of anything that didn’t work and that all the names could be changed. I started with one chapter and 30 pages, and then set a 60‐page goal for myself. That compounded over the course of a year, and at the end of that time I had a complete manuscript. In ways it was the hardest and easiest thing that I’ve ever done. Very cathartic.
Tell me about your book
This isn’t just the story of my military career as a gay man and a drag queen, which is likely what most people will think when they look at the cover. But it’s also the story of how I grew up. The struggles that come with being gay in rural Georgia and the unique group of other gay people and performers that ultimately became my chosen family when I had to leave home. It’s funny, its though provoking and at times it’s a little heartbreaking.
Any message for our readers:
I am the person that I am because I was only ever said no as a kid. That I couldn’t be successful, and that I was never going to amount to anything, because I was coming out as gay. Aside from the wild stories that I am tell here, I want readers to know that being born gay, being raised by a group of trans women and drag performers when I left home, and then joining the military after 9‐11, are all the best things that ever happened to me. I had one high profile job after another when I was still in the Air Force, and I made it to the top of the enlisted structure. I also never hid anything about who I was. And for the conservative government population, specifically within the ranks of the military, I want them to know that gay people are making some of the most important decisions for our country.
Story that you want to highlight:
The entirety of my basic training experience after joining the Air Force. You really must read it for yourself, but it was one of the most interesting periods in my life that I can remember. Grown boys were crying for their parents, we were sleeping for less than five hours each night, going to church services every Sunday, and watching videos of C‐130 gunships discharging chaff and flare cartridges mid‐flight. The obstacle course. The indoctrination of it all was something that I wasn’t prepared for. I would go back, now that I’m in my mid forties and do it all again, more than anything, because I laughed all the way through it and I’m sure the shit that the kids have to go through now is even more hilarious.
About the Author
Jay Claypool is a 20+ year United States Veteran, and freshman author
originally from Augusta Georgia. As a young drag performer, and frequent
night club fixture, Jay strives to be a source of inspiration to anyone
which wild ambition, who also may be doubting their sexuality, individuality
and artistic freedom, specifically within the ranks of the military. He
currently lives in DC with his husband Douglas, a veteran Navy
Corpman.
Contact Links
Instagram: @dc_dixie & @juzjayc
Facebook: James Claypool
Purchase Link
Amazon
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