Aug 10, 2007  | COMMENTS     

Shea Van Horn is living proof that edgy artists don’t have to live in abandoned warehouses languishing in a heroin-induced stupor. Far from it, Van Horn, a longtime performer, lives with his partner of nine years in Adams Morgan near the Diner, and he works as a communications specialist at the Academy for Educational Development’s Center for Health Communication. This isn’t just a day job — Van Horn is passionate about information dissemination in the health field, going so far as to get his master’s of science from American University in the subject. However, his other love is the performing arts, and he’s currently the host of CRACK D.C., a semi-regular performance art party night at DC9. There he appears as Summer Camp, his gleefully and glamorously trashy drag persona, and he and the CRACK team are starting to explore video and television episodes that might one day proliferate throughout the gay club scene. CRACK’s always in demand, and more and more, so is Van Horn.

How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?

I came out 21 years ago, when I was 16. Luckily my family and friends were pretty accepting — probably because they already assumed I was gay. I was a pretty flamboyant teenager.

Who’s your gay hero?

John Waters.

What is Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?

For dancing: Taint at DC9 or the Black Cat’s backstage. For concerts: 9:30 club. For performance: CRACK (is it tacky to make a shameless plug?).

If gay marriage were legal, would you tie the knot?

Sure, why not? I’d never say “no” to free gifts.

What non-gay issue are you most passionate about?

I get pretty passionate about the need for greater separation of church and state.  I definitely don’t want to hear another politician utter the words, “God Bless America” or talk about his/her faith. It shouldn’t matter.

What historical outcome would you change?

There are a lot of things that I’d like to change, but I’d start with the 43rd U.S. President.

What has been the most memorable pop culture moment of your lifetime?

I’m a huge music fan so I’d have to include – MTV’s “120 Minutes” on Sunday nights in the ’80s, the first time I heard “Blue Monday” by New Order or Pulp’s
“His & Hers” album, and seeing the Yeah Yeah Yeahs in concert. Some other pretty memorable moments — seeing Peter Hall’s production of “The Bacchae” at Epidaurus, the final scene in “Pink Flamingos,” every episode of “The Simpsons,” John Cameron Mitchell’s “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” Pedro Almodóvar’s “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” and Woody Allen’s films from 1971 to 1994.

On what reality TV show would you fare best?

“Top Chef.”

What item of clothing has been in your closet since high school?

I think I have a letterman’s sweater in a box — I lettered in drama.

If your life were a book, what would the title be?

I don’t know, but I’d want David Sedaris to write it.

If science discovered a way to change sexual orientation, what would you do?

Make Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Thomas gay. Maybe then, they’d stop discriminating.

What do you believe in beyond the physical world?

Not to be a “Debbie Downer,” but I don’t believe in anything beyond the physical world.

What would you order for your last meal?

An all-you-can-eat buffet prepared by Ferran Adrià, Thomas Keller and my grandmother.

What would you walk across hot coals for?

My work focuses on reducing health disparities, and one of the projects that I work on is an HIV vaccine research and education initiative. I think it’s important that we continue to dedicate resources toward the development of an effective vaccine. I’d burn my feet in order to discover that vaccine.

What gay stereotype annoys you most?

Generally, I don’t get too annoyed by gay stereotypes — as long as they’re not used with hostility.  But it really irritates me when gay men say things like, “I’d never bottom,” or insist on acting “straight.” Homophobic gay men are really lame.

What is the best gay film ever made?

“Female Trouble.”

What is the most overrated social custom?

To name a few: going to church, putting yellow ribbon magnets on cars and personal space.

What trophy or prize do you most covet?

An OBIE Award.

What’s your advice for gay teens?

Don’t give in to any form of peer, family or cultural pressure ...