Strange Fruit #151: Lea DeLaria on Queer Representation & her Proud Butch Identity

Lea DeLaria became the first openly gay comic ever to appear on American television, when she appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show in 1994. She chalks it up to hard work and the fact that "lesbian chic" was having its moment. But she didn't start out as a comedian - her father was a jazz musician, and her first gigs were as a singer. Now she's acting, of course, in the Netflix hit "Orange Is the New Black." DeLaria joined us this week to talk about her multi-faceted career (the latest of her six albums, a collection of David Bowie covers called "House of David," is currently blowing up the charts on Amazon). She'll be in town next February to appear with Voices of Kentuckiana in their annual Beaux Arts Ball fundraiser. And in our Juicy Fruit segment, we talk about an upcoming episode of MTV's True Life, "I'm a Gay for Pay Porn Star." (Photo credit: Sophy Holland)