Sir Mixalot never saw it coming.
You can be sure that when the rap star recorded that ode to big butts, “Baby’s Got Back,” that he never, ever imagined how Athens Boys Choir would remake the tune for 2007’s album, Jockstraps and Unicorns. With the familiar beat as the soundtrack to “Tranny Got Pack,” the Athens Boys Choir (aka the transsexual spoken word artist known as Katz) raps about the larger than life package of a packing trans guy: “Little in the rack/but he pack big sack.”
Based out of Athens, Georgia, Athens Boys Choir—orginally comprised of Katz and another perfomer, Rocket—began touring in 2003. The next year, the act signed with Daemon Records and released their debut album, Rhapsody in T.
Although now a solo perfomer, Katz usually isn’t alone on stage. He’s shared the bill with numerous artists from The Butchies to Ani DiFranco and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls. In 2006, he toured and performed with transgender performance artist Scott Turner Schofield in “The Southern Gents Tour.”
Over these four years Katz has gained a diverse fan base, many who might never have imagined they’d enjoy a spoken word performance. “Spoken word,” Katz admits, “is such a vague term that it tends to bring with it [pre conceived notions]. I think I’d surprise people with the energy of my performances and the unapologetic honesty of my pieces.”
When Katz (athensboyschoir .com) steps on stage, audiences can expect a performance that merges spoken word poetry, homo hop stylings, trans, queer and anti-war activism, pop culture references, sarcastic wit, and videos featuring Barbara Streisand as Yentl. Just don’t expect him to mince words. When asked what he sees as the biggest challege facing the trans community, Katz is blunt. “This is where the unapologetic honesty comes in: I think we are one of our biggest problems, because we don’t work together enough. The transsexual community is notoriously separated in our activism by FTM and MTF organizations.”
Living as an openly trans man in the south, Katz say, can be difficult. “Not having a solid community of gender-queers is a bit trying at times. Medical attention becomes a testy issue as does dating. But that’s the stuff poems are made of, I suppose.”
Still, Katz insists, “People have a lot of false views about the South,” and he’s a big fan of Athens, Georgia. “Because there’s no community there’re no preconceived notions from the rest of the city about FTMs. I’ve been attacked three times in Miami, FL and not once—knock on wood—in Georgia.”
He may be a fan, that doesn’t mean he won’t point out his hometown’s foibles. In Katz’s “Athens, Georgia,” a track on Jockstraps and Unicorns, he’s critical of the city’s sex education programs that rely on promoting abstinence in place of access to birth control or condoms. Jockstraps and Unicorns may be an unusual choice for an album title, but Katz hopes it will speak to his LGBT audience, and he swears he picked it “for the sole reason that it was the gayest thing I could think of at the time.”
Released this April, the album differs from Athens Boys Choir (myspace.com/athensboyschoir)’s previous albums; particularly in increased production values, and a greater use of backtracks.
Since “The Southern Gents Tour” with Schofield, Katz says he’s had to change his definition of success, because he’s reached so many goals. “I’ve been damn lucky making it to here. I’ve released three big CD projects, toured all over the country, shared the stage with some of my heroes and made hundreds of new friends. I’ve been humbled by thousands of people that have shared their time, money and art with me.”
When it comes to the future, Katz contends, “My goal is to be this lucky tomorrow. After that, I’m playing it by ear. As far as ruling the world—maybe when I grow up.
As far as Walmart: if they wanted to sell a spoken word CD by a transsexual with a serious distrust of the government—the world may be on the way to apocalypse anyway—it won’t be on the shelves long.”
The Indigo Girls’ Amy Ray once said of the Athens performer, “Katz makes room for the evolution of a movement. He doesn’t shy away from questioning his own community and [he] has potential to be a leader to his generation of queers and a bridge to an older generation.”
“When Amy Ray says anything, I have to take it as truth,” Katz admits, “[But] I don’t know if I’d go as far as calling myself a leader. I am a voice in [our] community. In all honesty, I think our generation is pretty rad and doing a fine job finding a trajectory that is focused on community building and visibility.”
For Katz, being out as transsexual is one way to build that visibility. But he doesn’t fault those who choose a different path. “It’s such a tough road to travel. So many of us live in fear, or stealth, or both. It’s hard to know…where a safe place to put your energy is. I’m not sure if this is a solution, but I’m challenging the community to love and respect the journeys of each individual.”
Trans writer, Jacob Anderson-Minshall, co-authored Blind Curves, the first in the Blind Eye Mystery series, available now. Contact jake@trans-nation.org or visit Anderson-minshall.com for more information.
