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Published at 1:48pm
Published on 7/24/08
Video
Name: Mark Zschiesche
Age: 46
By day: A top sales agent at real-estate firm Coldwell Banker Hunt Kennedy
By night: "Yvonne Lame," Bank Street's most prominent drag queen and owner of the restaurant Lips
How did you get your cross-dressing start?
I dabbled with drag for Halloween in the ’80s; back then, Boy George and Cyndi Lauper were dictating the scene. The more outrageous, the better.
And you don't think any of your clients suspected your double life?
These were people looking to relocate to New York City, and I would change my voice when speaking to them for the first time—butch it up, so to speak. I made sure they had no idea I was wearing dresses at night.
Did you have to deny Ms. Lame's existence to your bosses, too?
I was lucky; Coldwell Banker is a very accepting environment. Work colleagues used to come to Lips and see me perform.
Tell me more about the nightly metamorphoses. Were they just like in Mrs. Doubtfire?
Once I clocked out, I'd shower, shave, paint my face and transform into this beautiful woman. A lot of baggage comes with being a drag queen; there is a lot of stuff to carry. [Laughs] No, of course I'm talking about the stigma.
Do you identify more strongly with one personality than the other?
I am both Mark and Yvonne, but I am known mostly for being Yvonne and that's really where I make my living. Yvonne has been more prominent, in that sense. With age, I am starting to feel more comfortable in my male persona. Mark's great at real estate but he sucks in a cocktail party situation. Yvonne talks to everyone, whereas Mark sits in the corner. That duality is true of most drag queens.
