By Nicholas Snow

Momma’s Been Good to Us:
What goes around comes around for Worthie Paul Meacham III

Worthie Paul Meacham III, most famously known as “Momma” and occasionally referred to lovingly by friends as “Bitch,” has come a long way since growing up in the Hermosa Beach suburb of Los Angeles. Oh, those who knew him when he was in his 20s would call him “Paul,” but he’s so much more than any of these names. In the famed musical Chicago  is the lyric, “When you’re good to Momma, Momma’s good to you…” Well, Worthie reversed that role and devotes his life in service to others, regardless of the return.

The Birth of ‘Momma’
Worthie’s initial view of the gay community—and drag queens specifically—was quite negative because of homophobic conditioning and resultant guilt and shame; he was told constantly that, “Being gay is sick and wrong ...  So when I came out of the closet and saw drag queens on the street, I would turn the other way and run,” he shared candidly.
“After a couple of years of saying no to fun because perverted fags were going to be in the same area, I finally came to my senses and decide to face my fears,” Worthie continued. “My co-workers invited me to go to Dragstrip 66 (a popular late night monthly theme club) the following month and I proclaimed that I would go in drag. That night finally came around and I was scared as hell. I went with my friends to the club and found myself getting a lot of attention. A couple of hours later, the club announced there was going to be a contest. So I went with my friends into the main room.
“There were seven contestants and all looked as if they were ready for a contest ... they went down the line and then it was announced that they were missing a contestant,” Worthie revealed. “So the emcee said that they had been watching a girl all night and it’s ‘that girl!’ As I was looking around, I knew that the person was around me, and then all of a sudden my friends said, ‘It’s you!’ They pushed me through the crowd and I found myself at the foot of the stage.
“I am not a small sparrow, but the crowd lifted me up and all of a sudden something took over and I grabbed the mic and started to tell the crowd a couple of jokes. At the end of my mini set, I gave the mic back to the emcee and said, ‘Thank you for your time.’ I started to jump off the stage, when the emcee grabbed my arm and said, ‘Wait, we don’t know your name?’ Well, I didn’t have a name. You know those drag queens, they have amazing names,” stressed Worthie. “So I turned to the emcee and said, “Sweetie, I’m old enough to be your mother!” And he said to the crowd, ‘Who thinks Momma should be in the contest?’ The crowd went wild and at the end of the contest I was crowned ‘Miss Dragstrip 66!’”
Within a year, Momma was working around Los Angeles six nights a week doing eight shows.

The Rise of Momma
Among her many career highlights, Worthie explained of Momma, “My first thought is working with the world-famous director, Franco Zefferelli. Mr. Zefferelli chose me back in 1995 to do his version of the opera Il Pagliacci. The opera had its American premiere at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in October of 1995. In 1997 I went to the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC for three months to do it again. I was able to meet the Clintons and was invited to the White House. I took the opportunity to meet with my governmental representatives in Washington and let them know what a diva was looking for as representation in our government. That also opened the door for me to perform in three productions of the opera Carmen, performing the role of Lilas Pasita in the second act. This fall I will return to the stage as Lilas Pasita at the Los Angeles Opera.
“I have been seen on Will & Grace, and doing the Evita sing-along for Disney. Many people know me from different music videos,” he continued. “Aerosmith used me a lot when I did their video of ‘Pink’. And I couldn’t forget ‘Dragstrip 66,’ where Momma was born. We just celebrated our 15th anniversary this year!
“Over the years I have met many wonderful and famous people,” explained Worthie. “Whoopie Goldberg and her production company have been very helpful to me over the years. I also do a lot of private parties, and I am sworn to secrecy about who I meet... .”
About that fabulous wardrobe, Worthie explained, “Well, Momma has a big say in any design of anything she wears. My good friend Chris Newlander was my first designer. Chris is responsible for my figure. He has made all my bras and was my only designer for the first six years. Since then, I have had many people help with my clothes. For the past nine years I have had a woman by the name of Kat Thompson do most of my wardrobe. Just because I work for Bob Mackie doesn’t mean I can afford Bob Mackie, however, Mr. Mackie has blessed me with couple of fabulous gowns over the years.”

Momma Goes to the Movies
Each year, the most celebrity-intense night of Outfest, the L.A. Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, is the awards night, at which Momma takes center stage each year as the trophy girl—talk about a high profile live audition for the industry’s movers and shakers! Worthie, however, began his relationship with Outfest 16 years ago as a volunteer.
“I really enjoy being the trophy girl at the award ceremonies. I have been able to give out awards to friends and future friends. I have met some very talented and interesting people through Outfest. It is one of the best things that happens in gay L.A.”
I have known Momma for longer than I can remember, and when interviewing her, I always ask, “Any conversations with any of the gay networks about your own show or participation in a show?” It’s a no-brainer that one would put Momma on TV.
Worthie responded, “Well, yes and who knows? Network television is very frustrating. There are too many cooks in the kitchen. I am working with a wonderful production company right now that has a vision of a great show for Momma. As you know, it’s not good to speak of things that haven’t been signed, sealed, delivered. So everyone pray for me that this deal will go through.”
While Hollywood’s call seems to be getting louder, Worthie hasn’t quit his day job, which he loves. “For over 16 years I have worked at E.C.2 Costumes. I have been the manager for 14 years and love what I do. We are the costume warehouse of Bob Mackie, Ray Aghayan and Ret Turner. All three men are award-winning costume designers and have made television history. It has been a joy to be a part of their creative family.”

The Life and Times
of Worthie Paul Meacham III
“Like any gay child, life was not normal and simple,” confided Worthie. “My father and mother were very involved in the community. They taught me about local charity and giving back to my community. My father was involved in local politics and was a favorite son of the community. My mother came from a wealthy family in the area and owned a lot of land around the South Bay. They were local royalty. I was treated like a prince as a child. I did local theater when I was young, and every one of my parents’ friends were expected to come to my shows.
“My father was a weekend alcoholic, and from Friday afternoon till Sunday night there was a party happening at our house all weekend long,” Worthie continued. “My mother was a famous local caterer and was always asking for my help in the kitchen. As [like] any teenager I hated my life and family. I also have a younger brother who is a complete opposite of who I am. We were raised in different ways. I am six and a half years older, and by the time my brother came along, they had relaxed their parenting skills.”
Of course, time heals all wounds as Worthie reflected. “Looking back, I really had a wonderful childhood. Both of my parents showed love to me and were involved in my life. They made many sacrifices for me. I am a person who always expects more from everyone. I was always let down by my own expectations. Today, I have grown up and have realistic ideas of what life is about. I am very content person and do and go almost anywhere I want to.”
But what influenced Worthie’s values as a child and teenager for both the better and the worse?
 “Theater, God and church,” he responded. “As a child, theater was my church. I was involved with children’s theater from the age of eight. I received my SAG card when I was nine. I worked in commercials and some television shows. That lasted only a couple of years. I grew up very early in life and was too tall for my age. That ended my childhood professional acting career.
 “I was one of those closeted gay people who loved church,” he continued. “I have always felt close to God, and have always wanted to do the right thing. I really felt let down by acting, so I got involved with my local church. I found that I was really doing something that I was good at and was respected in. I went to Bible College and became a pastor for 12 years. I stayed away from the gay community for so long, because of AIDS. I had lost five good friends by 1986, and with that, lost my connection to the gay community. I was in West Hollywood in 1984 with my church, Hope Chapel. We met in Plummer Park on Sundays in Fiesta Hall. I buried many of my congregation in the ’80s due to AIDS.”
So at what point did Worthie come out of the closet?
“Well, believe it or not, I was always out of the closet,” he explained, “but then in 1979 I went back into the closet when I was told that being gay was a sin. From 1980 to 1991 I was in and out of ex-gay therapy and was in denial about my sexuality. At the end of 1991 I found out that many of my ex-gay friends had been cheating on their spouses, and other team leaders were having homosexual sex behind the backs of church leaders. I woke up one morning in January of 1992 and said ‘Enough! This has never worked for me and I need to move on with my life.’ The negative was that I had to leave everything and everyone behind—my friends, my education, my career, most of my family.
“It was a complete start over,” Worthie acknowledged, and  admitted that it was very positive in retrospect. “A clean slate is a great thing,” he explained. “I could decide what I wanted to do for a career and where I wanted to live and what kind of friends I wanted to have.”

Shining His Light
At almost seven feet tall when in full drag, Worthie as Momma is truly a pillar of light. I wondered at what point he was determined to make a difference in the world and how he sustains this commitment.
“I never thought that my life would make a difference. But that is the magic of my story,” Worthie expressed. “A little bit over time makes a difference. Giving to people is always a joy. Sometimes the work is hard and long, but the results have always been amazing to me. Over the years I have had more than 120 people stay with me at my house. Out of all those people, I can only think of two people who stole from me. All the others have been very grateful to me and have been a blessing in my life. I have never helped anyone or any certain organization to get attention. But I always demand a certain level of respect for my time and efforts.
 “To be quite honest, over the years I have taken many breaks from my charity work,” Worthie added. “Ten years ago, I was on boards, producing events, fundraising. I had a great time giving back in so many ways. But, I knew that I had to get out of the way so that others could take over and learn.”
For those wrestling with the reconciliation of their spirituality and sexuality, Worthie explained, “The good news is that there are many different ways to seek out help and answers via the internet. Thirty years ago, there was nothing out there. If you were gay, you didn’t say anything to your pastor, priest or rabbi. You went in silence and prayed that no one saw you coming out of the local adult bookstore. Today you can Google anything and get answers.”

What Goes Around
Comes Around
Worthie could be no more worthy of the awards and accolades bestowed upon him—past, present and future—as over the years, while being an outstanding role model in honoring and expressing his truth, his life force, he has helped raise over nine million dollars to fight AIDS and breast cancer, and to fund and support youth services. He has received five WeHo Awards for Outstanding Drag Diva, Community Leader, and is the 2008 recipient of the Christopher Street West Harvey Milk Humanitarian Award for his outstanding work in the LGBT community.
Over the years, Momma has helped with almost every AIDS service organization in Southern California; Youth Service Groups such as the Trevor Project, GLASS (Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services) and GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network); and many breast cancer charities as well.
Additionally, he explained, “I have also worked with many religious groups to help them understand who gay people are in their churches, and have spoken out about my own ex-gay recovery. So many people who leave these ex-gay groups are very wounded and need a lot of T.L.C. to find themselves again. There are thousands of people in our community that are in the closet about being a part of these groups. In the past we had shame that we felt we couldn’t share with our community. Slowly, more people are coming forth with their stories and asking for help and understanding. As we continue to tell our stories, and how our ‘lifestyle’ is not a choice, we will help future generations to move forward.”
At the time of our interview, Worthie had just returned from the world’s largest LGBT youth conference, “True Colors.”
“I was so blessed to meet young people from the age of 14 to 20 who know who they are, and where they are going,” he recalled. “As a result of what we have accomplished by laying the foundation of pride and equality, these young people are benefiting and are going places we could only dream of.”
About his spiritual philosophy, Worthie expressed, “Love, Love, Love! It seems so simple, but I believe that our journey in life is to be a loving representative of God.” In the workplace, he stated, “Be professional. I have lasted this long in the community because I didn’t become a drug-addicted alcoholic or an egotistic bitch. So many other divas have come and gone. They made some huge unprofessional mistakes in their careers. Nobody wants to work with a jerk.
“Most people would mention something about fame and fortune,” Worthie stated about things for which he is grateful, but confided, “I have very little of both.”
Worthie is grateful for “being really one person ... That might sound strange, but when you are not who you really are, then you become many people to many different communities. In or out of makeup, I have found my true base of who I really am. I don’t have to be ashamed of wearing makeup or dresses. I have kicked ass in the different areas that have excited me, and I have friends and family that celebrate what I do. I have received thousands of letters and emails of thanks for lifting people’s spirits, and a couple of people have told me that I have saved their lives. Unbelievable!”
Also near and dear to Worthie’s heart is work on behalf of “our transgendered brothers and sisters. There is still such a prejudice and ignorance about who they are, and what they are. I have met some very brave individuals who are doing great things for their community. Just like I knew that I was different at age six and knew I didn’t fit in to what society expected from me, many of these transgendered young people know at a very young age that something is not right.
“There is a new group that I am helping with that are working with families with children that have come out as transgendered—I’m talking as early as six! This is new territory for everyone, but I know that when we give an individual a chance to find out who they are and what’s it’s all about, they have the chance to move on and conquer the dreams they have. That’s a great celebration for everyone in society,” he added. “We all win!”

More than His 15 Minutes
While Momma is world-famous, Worthie is somewhat anonymous. “It really is the best of both worlds,” he explained. “Momma gets to be the red carpet, paparazzi whore. Worthie gets to use her money and fame to do what he wants to do. For many years I would sit at the French Market [a very gay-friendly restaurant and shopping complex in the heart of West Hollywood] and overhear conversations about Momma and how they were her best friend. But I was sitting right next to them and they had no idea that I was Momma.”
Momma is all about telling people who she is. “Something that I have been saying for many years is, ‘When we don’t tell people who we really are, all we are telling people is that we are ashamed of who we are.’”
With Hollywood’s call getting louder than ever, the story of Momma is being, “reworked as we speak,” explained Worthie, but his story of activism and courage in the gay community is being told in what you have read here. “I really don’t try to believe my own press, but others remind me of who I am and what I mean to them. That’s a blessed life!”

For more information about Momma, contact her management at InTheMedia@aol.com or 213.891.9345. Article provided by GayLinkContent.com