Today we’d like to introduce you to London Alexander.
Hi London, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
After the success of my book, The Downtown Underground: A memoir of my time with the underground drag queens of Downtown Los Angeles, I got curious about what LGBTQ culture around the country might look like. So I packed everything I owned into my car, stopped at one last taco truck, and started exploring LGBTQ culture from state to state. It didn’t take long to realize that I had some misconceptions about the LGBTQ community. Laramie, Wyoming has moved on from its violent past to create such a healthy queer community; Texas has an incredibly rich LGBTQ history; and Alabama has a community center dedicated to a gay civil rights leader. This inspired me to create my YouTube channel, Queer Across America, to show people that there are queer communities everywhere and they’re not always what you think.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I’ve actually ended up in the Emergency Room while traveling. I was on a long stretch of rural road when a snowstorm hit. Well, I had already been feeling light-headed from the elevation, plus I had forgotten to eat and there was no food for miles. I started losing vision and couldn’t breathe as I was driving. It’s a terrifying experience when you’re by yourself in the middle of the country. And as a queer person, you don’t know if you can ask someone for help, especially in rural areas.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a writer but because it takes a lot of time and patience to write a book, I get the itch to tell a story in between. That’s where the Queer Across America series comes in. The world is on the journey with me as I’m experiencing what is going to be part of my next book. And of course, everyone always wants to know the story behind the mannequin. You see, the road can be a very quiet place. So it’s nice to have someone I can have conversations with. Highway Patrol hasn’t always seen it the same way.
How do you think about luck?
Luck is always going to play a part in life, but I don’t want to discount the hard work that gets poured into a project. It’s the LGBTQ people across the country that have built the communities I’m able to visit. Seeing that I can travel to any state and find such welcoming queer communities shows me just how strong LGBTQ culture is. And that’s not by luck.
Pricing:
- The Downtown Underground: A memoir of my time with the underground drag queens of Downtown Los Angeles
- 12.99 — All proceeds are donated to the Los Angeles LGBT Center
Contact Info:
- Website: LondonAlexander.net
- Instagram: LondonAlexanderX
- Twitter: LondonAlxndr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaJQf05odj7z9mROQJgNpVQ
Image Credits
Natasha Dixon
