Oral History with David Lett

David Lett is a priest with the North American Old Catholic Church and still performs as the drag queen Lena Lett. David recounts his childhood in Washington D.C., and how he entered the gay community in the 1980s. He then talks about the series of events that led him to pursue a career in the Catholic Church and then his decision to walk away. He then discusses the changing DC gay scene in the 1990s, how he became a business owner and eventually the drag queen Lena Lett.

Rev. David Lett was born and raised in DC by a mother and a stepfather that were both police officers. David’s mother would take him to his first Pride parades when she worked them and this was his first introduction to the community. Later on, whilst attending Tracks, a nightclub in South East DC, David would encounter his mother on the dance floor where she came out to him as a lesbian.

She admitted that she had remained with his stepfather to help her career, which is why she didn’t end the marriage when it emerged he had sexually assaulted David. David would be counseled through this by a Catholic Priest and this would inspire him to pursue a career as a priest. He studied philosophy and theology and did post-graduate work in Italy — the only one from his Scranton, Pa., class to be chosen to study in Rome, where he was for about three years.

But shortly before taking vows David questioned the message of the Catholic Church and decide to step away. Upon leaving seminary David remained with the Catholic Church and became an Assistant Director of Development in DC.

However after experiencing burnout he decided to make his part time job as Washington Video his full time job. Eventually David would go on to open a second location on 13th and P, something considered risky at the time due to the lack of gay businesses in the area during the 1990s. The location would later become Halo before eventually becoming Number 9.

During the time David decided to start experimenting with drag in the late 1990s, going on to win amateur nights at Chaos and Ziegfields, which would lead to their first booking, performing the Eurythmics “Sweet Dreams”. Performing as Lina Lett, Lina became a sort after drag host, culminating in a Pride that had 14 bookings. Lina would eventually become the host at Town Dance Boutique.

David would return to the Catholic Church in 2011 when he was ordained as a priest in the North American Old Catholic Church. He fills in at Masses all over the region at Old Catholic parishes that need clergy and has since become Bishop. In 2015 David, suffering from depression would attempt suicide though miraculously survived. After a long recovery process David would continue with his community work, though he doesn’t perform at Lena as much.

Maximilian Sycamore

No

Audio available, (01:24:05), 115.5 MB