Beloved San Francisco drag queen spreads message of heart health

Drag queen Mutha Chucka is known for splashy costumes, 引人注目的发型和妆容, 和幽默的, politically pointed performances. A fixture of the San Francisco nightlife scene, Mutha has blossomed into a beloved celebrity, 本地及其他地区.

穆萨说:“人们拥抱我，我一直在挑战极限，不断挑战极限. "I love the hair, I love the makeup, I love the clothes. … I love to engage with the audience. 我很开心."

Mutha，也被称为Chuck Gutro，一些朋友称之为“Chucka”，于1976年首次进行男扮女装表演. As a 14-year-old in New England, 他穿上母亲的衣服，戴上假发，在一场教会青年才艺表演中取悦了惊讶的观众.

"It was quite some time ago," he said, "and I never looked back."

Whether lip-syncing to classic songs, 缝制光彩夺目的连衣裙, mentoring other drag queens, raising money for charity or deftly handling a corporate day job, Mutha has a knack for juggling an active life – with, 当然, 很有天赋.

So, when Mutha landed in the hospital in 2016 with a heart problem, maintaining a slower pace wasn't a familiar script.

2015年底，他在墨西哥旅行期间感染了寄生虫感染. 经过几个月的治疗，寄生虫消失了，但恢复健康的速度很慢. 然后, 在去欧洲出差和在巴黎走了几天之后, 穆萨感到很不舒服.

医生诊断 心肌病 and "basically told me I was on death's door," Mutha recalled.

A blood clot had formed in the bottom of his heart. 血块破裂并进入肾脏，导致部分器官关闭. He was hospitalized for three weeks.

在家休息, 他在一次心脏手术中出现了并发症:通往心脏的腿部动脉开始严重出血. That led to emergency surgery and 10 more days in the hospital. It was three months before Mutha could walk around the block, followed by many more months of recuperation.

"I was very, very sick for a long time. It was one step at a time," he said.

亲密的朋友, Char列维特, 他知道Mutha是Chuck，并且在几年前他们一起工作时第一次见到他, helped as he regained his strength. 夏尔和她的妻子带来了鸡汤和其他家庭自制的有益心脏健康的食物.

"He had to shift gears a bit," Char said. Chuck is a high-energy person whatever the endeavor, 她说, be it fine-tuning a drag performance, 为同事们举办农历新年午餐，或者查看父母的情况，以及对三个妹妹做“凶狠的哥哥”.

"There's no stopping that guy," 她说. "He's very much beloved, wherever he goes. 他的包容. 他非常投入."

今天, 重金属音乐迷走, 用固定自行车锻炼，多吃蔬菜，少吃红肉.

穆萨今年58岁，他很清楚自己的家族有心血管疾病史. His grandmother had a stroke; both of his parents have high blood pressure; and his father has had high cholesterol and a heart attack treated with a stent. Mutha smoked as a teen and young adult, but quit at age 34. 他目前正在服用药物来调节心跳，控制血压和胆固醇.

除了付费演出，Mutha还为慈善机构筹集资金，包括美国心脏协会. 他第一次参与抗击艾滋病的健康问题是在20世纪80年代和90年代初，作为“行动起来”和“酷儿国家”的一部分，以及在白宫的抗议活动.

在那些年里, Mutha only occasionally performed in drag, especially at Halloween and special events. 然后在20世纪90年代末, 在作为伴唱变装歌手表演和欣赏其他活跃于慈善事业的女王之后, Mutha's own act took shape. That included becoming a self-described "dragtivist," speaking out on gender politics, 女权主义, Black Lives Matter and other left-leaning causes, 经常使用幽默, but sometimes turning serious. Mutha is a favorite at night clubs, 街道节日, 社区活动及, 最近, online amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outfitted in pink and sequins and sporting a big blonde pinkish wig, Mutha hosted the AHA's virtual Pride celebration in June. Mutha led the audience through trivia questions, musical and comedic entertainers, 在线舞蹈休息, 关于克服卫生保健障碍的筹款努力和信息.

LGBTQ群体成员面临着与歧视和社会污名相关的健康差异, 研究表明.

“你变成了‘别人’.' When you're othered, it's tough on your heart," Mutha said.

LGBTQ人群面临的歧视与高吸烟率和药物滥用率有关. Mutha指出，LGBTQ的社交场景曾经更多地以酒吧为基础, which led to more drinking, smoking and inhaling secondhand smoke, all of which pose heart disease risks. Now, socializing centers on many types of activities.

As he strives to live a healthy life, he urges others to, as well. Mutha指出，一些研究表明，养宠物可以降低患心脏病的风险, 他正在领养一只狗. 他将从旧金山长期居住的公寓搬到南加州一所对狗友好的房子.

Fans needn't worry, though. Mutha将继续在线变装表演，并在该回去工作的时候回到旧金山. 期待Mutha继续突破界限，传播关于健康的信息.

“我只是鼓励大家好好照顾自己，”他说. "It's part of the persona of Mutha. I'm always telling everyone what to do."

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