Khmera Rouge: Reigning the Town Rouge
■ PAOI EULALIA
Cover shot on location in 1890 Bryant Street Studios courtesy of DK Haas. Director of Photography D. Maurice Gil adelantetv.com Production Assistant Brandon Cline
Khmera likes being in control and being fabulous. You may call her Madam and do as you are told. So if that’s your kink, you’ll get along just fine. (LOL!) Her kink isn’t what makes her special, though. Everyone here in San Francisco is pretty kinky, really. What makes her different is that she’s a service whore (and by service, I mean volunteer work). Raised as a Queen for the People by her drag mother, Grand Duchess 39 Kylie Minono, we celebrate Cambodian-Chinese-American Khmera Rouge as this issue’s Hometown Hero.
How do you feel being MXD’s cover girl? I’m very honored to be part of MXD’s second issue, especially the Kink Issue! I honestly can’t say I can recall a specific mainstream magazine cover with a non-celebrity POC on it recently, but with the release of movies like Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians, POC stars have been showcased more in the media, which I hope is a trend that won’t fade away once the movies are out of the spotlight.
Which organizations have you raised money for that stay closest to your heart? I think there are so many amazing local community organizations that help so many that continue to need our support. Some organizations that I love to support and helped raise money for during my time as Empress are those that help fight hunger within our community such as St. Aidan’s Food Pantry and Tenderloin Tessie’s Holiday Dinners.
As an LGBTQ POC, what was it like growing up in America? I was very fortunate that where I grew up (Washington State). It was pretty accepting (of LGBTQs and POCs). Looking back, I think it was pretty hard to hide the fact that I was gay, so I think everyone sort of knew, but coming out started with me first telling a core group of friends to build a support base that I could talk to. I came out slowly, to close friends at first, starting in the summer between 8th and 9th grade. They were there for me as I was trying to figure out who I was. After telling a few close friends, I realized it wasn’t so scary, and as I became more aware and comfortable with who I was, I just owned it. So much so that I was a cheerleader, served on the senior class student body and even took a boy to prom my senior year. I did not really even come out to my family until after my freshman year of college. But I didn’t really need to. It was just kind of understood and we never really talked about it. I don’t think coming out is ever really easy for anyone, but rather just a unique experience for that person.
Have you experienced being discriminated for the color of your skin? Yes, of course. I think every POC at some point in their life experiences some form of discrimination to a degree. But I don’t dwell on it. You have to own your identify and have to be able to to let things go and move on. You can’t dwell on other people’s ignorance or refusal to accept you. One thing I accepted early on is that I’m not going to change myself for anyone.
You seem like a person with strength that can take a racist remark. I don’t think I can take a racist remark more than anyone else in particular, but I just try to approach it from a place of trying to not take it personally and just owning your identity. Once you take ownership of what someone is trying to attack you with, it loses its impact. I also don’t think it’s a matter of trying to conquer racism, as I don’t think you can change someone who chooses to be racist, but rather how you react to it and to them. Cut them out of your life and move on. You don’t need that drama.
As star of the growingly popular film 50 Years of Fabulous, how has it been gaining a growing celebrity status in the LGBTQ community?Hahaha! But seriously, let’s talk about the relevance of Royal Courts in the LGBTQ community. 50 Years of Fabulous is an amazing documentary film by Jethro Patalinghug and David Lassman, aka Absolute Empress 36 Chablis, that chronicles the 50-year history of one of the first and oldest surviving LGBTQ organizations in the world that was founded right here in San Francisco by Absolute Empress 1 of San Francisco, the Widow Norton, José Julio Sarria, who also happened to be the first openly LGBTQ person to run for public office in the United States in the 1960’s. As Empress, I was able to utilize this amazing platform to travel the country and world to represent my community, and in the process, along with my Emperor Kevin Lisle and our amazing royal court, was able to help raise over $120,000 for various local charities and non-profit organizations.
What’s next for Khmera? Getting dressed up and playing Empress has been fun, but Khmera will be taking a bit of a backseat over the next few years and will be coming out only for special occasions. She needs a break! I will be continuing to travel around with the fabulous filmmakers of 50 Years of Fabulous to various screenings and film festivals over the next few months, so be sure to look out for me at an LGBTQ film festival near you!
