Halloween

Why Halloween is ‘Gay Christmas' to Many LGBTQ Americans

The contemporary excitement around the campy holiday has a long history within the queer community

Violet Chachki
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images

Growing up outside of Salem, Massachusetts, famous for its 1692 witch trials, Lee Roberts is more connected to Halloween than most. Throughout his youth, Roberts recalls frequently partaking in costume parades, working at haunted houses and getting an up-close look at the country’s most wicked city on the hair-raising holiday. 

"Having an outlet on Halloween to sort of live in this fantastical aesthetic world was a really important outlet for me," said Roberts, 35, who identifies as queer and is transgender. "It was the big time of year in a way I couldn’t fully articulate at the time. So many aspects of Halloween, and things that are celebrated, are things that I’ve always been drawn to."

Today, Roberts continues to play out his Halloween fantasies, working as drag king under the name Sweaty Eddy. Eddy’s year-round performances include a rendition of the movie "Silence of the Lambs," an act where he rips off his hand and reveals bare bone, and a plethora of body casting. 

Read the full story at NBCNews.com

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