Shonda Leer
Drag entertainer Shonda Leer headlines Spooktacular to fund Chamber scholarships
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
“On Halloween night, 1962, his life changed forever,” North Texas GLBT Chamber President and CEO Tony Vedda said, explaining the story of Shonda Leer, the drag queen headlining the chamber’s upcoming fundraisers, Spooktacular: Diamond Are Forever. “And it was all because a British secret agent stumbled into the back room of a club on Christopher Street. Spellbound by the woman on stage singing Patsy Cline’s ‘I Fall to Pieces,’ the agent could hardly believe how much the stunningly beautiful Shonda Leer sounded like the country superstar.
“When the song ended the man ducked backstage to get an autograph, and he noticed a Patsy Cline record album by a turntable. Quickly he learned Shonda sounded so perfect because she was only moving her mouth along with a recording of the song, a fairly new trend known as lip-syncing,” Vedda continued. “But that wasn’t Shonda’s only secret. Peeking through the half-opened door of a cramped dressing room, he witnessed a luxurious wig fall to the floor. She was a man, baby!”
The story as told by Shonda Leer herself, also known as Mike Henley-Hudson, is less dramatic, but certainly compelling. “After moving to Dallas in 2003, I was approached by the United Court of the Lone Star Empire,” Henley-Hudson said, adding that the court convinced him to begin performing, doing male lip synch. But then for the court’s annual turnabout show, they convinced him to perform in drag.
“That’s when I officially started,” and when Shonda Leer was born, he said.
And Henley-Hudson hasn’t stopped since. As a member of the court — officially Prime Minister for Life — Shonda has helped the organization raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for non-profits throughout the local LGBT community.
So after Henley-Hudson had attended Spooktacular for two years as a guest, Vedda approached him to come work for the chamber and host this year’s event. What could he say but yes?
Besides, he said, “I love to be on stage, and I’m not shy.”
With the theme being “Diamonds Are Forever,” Henley-Hudson said Shonda will be performing music from the James Bond film, including one big production number. He said this year’s show will be over-the-top and fabulous, and he hopes to raise enough money to increase the money awarded this year through the chamber’s scholarships.
For its fifth anniversary, the chamber created the LEAP program — Leadership Education & Advocacy Program — to award scholarships. For its 10th anniversary, it created the GLBT Chamber of Commerce Foundation, whose mission is to fulfill the educational and philanthropic goals of the Chamber. Last year, the two merged.
Since awarding its first scholarships in 2011, the chamber has given $75,000 to students. In addition to those scholarships, the foundation produces the annual Texas Business Equality Conference and provides “Welcome Everyone” counter signs and window stickers for businesses to let the public know they doesn’t discriminate.
The program’s been picked up by the LGBT chambers in Houston, Austin and San Antonio as well as the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce.
This is the chamber’s fifth Spooktacular Halloween event, and money raised will fund 2019-20 scholarships. Applications will be available in February.
Spooktacular takes place from 7-10 p.m. on Oct. 20 at ilume Park, 3109 Douglas Ave. Tickets are $50 and available at GLBTChamberFoundation.org/Spooktacular.
