Ten years ago the unmasking of JT LeRoy was such a huge deal, but it all sounds so ridiculous now: a homeless transgender boy from Appalachia becomes a literary star against all odds, earning praise from Gus Van Sant, Billy Corgan, Courtney Love and Bono. OF COURSE this painfully shy celebrity magnet was actually a savvy literary agent who dressed her waifish sister-in-law in a wig and told her to speak as little as possible. LeRoy’s written fiction was good but Laura Albert’s dishonestly (and some subsequent online harassment of actual poor queers) has soured the author’s literary legacy.
- This event has passed.
September
19
2016