JT LeRoy
Before JT LeRoy became a scandal, he was a book, a face and an extremely useful type of boy. Sarah was a massive literary sensation at the time. JT was its apparently nervous blond author, usually hidden beneath a wig and enormous sunglasses. I adored the image while concluding that “JT LeRoy would make a shit boyfriend.” Soon any sufficiently slim, damaged-looking boy could receive the highest available compliment: he looked a bit like JT. Find JT in a Japanese 7-Eleven → Assess JT's boyfriend potential →
By summer 2003 admiration had become audience participation. The JT LeRoy Treatment required a blond wig, huge shades and a demure pose. I invited readers to send photos and built You as JT LeRoy, allowing Beautiful Abusers to become a famous reclusive author via accessories or a sloppy Photoshop job. Months later, I sent the portrait Philip had taken of Joa-as-JT to JT’s website. A reply arrived from his Hotmail account. Receive the JT LeRoy Treatment → Visit the recovered You as JT LeRoy page → Open the first surviving JT email post →
When JT was publicly unmasked in 2006, we learned that the books were written by Laura Albert while Savannah Knoop played the shy, be-wigged JT at public appearances. I was fascinated, not betrayed. If JT needed a new public representative, I volunteered, while warning that I was about 2 feet taller than Savannah. By then I had spent years turning myself into Joa, so I could hardly object to somebody else requiring a wig, a Hotmail account and a small production team. Watch the identity emerge → Continue loving “JT LeRoy” →