Beloved San Francisco drag queen spreads heart health message

Tuesday, October 6, 2020 (American Heart Association News)-Drag queen Mutha Chucka is known for her flashy outfits, striking hair and makeup, and humorous and politically pointed performance. A staple of San Francisco’s nightlife scene, Mutha has blossomed into beloved celebrities not only locally but around the world.

“People accepted me, and I just kept pushing the boundaries, I kept pushing the boundaries,” Mutha said. “I love hair, I love makeup, I love clothes … I love interacting with the audience. It’s fun.”

Musa, also known as Chuck Gutoro and also known as “Chuck” to his friends, first performed in 1976 with a drug. At the age of 14 in New England, he wore his mother’s clothes and wigs to entertain the astonished audience of young people in the church. Star excavation program.

“That was a long time ago, and I never looked back,” he said.

Mutha, of course, has a lot of talent, such as lip-syncing with classic songs, sewing dazzling dresses, teaching other drag queens, financing for charity, and clever processing of corporate day-to-day operations. There are some tips for juggling an active life.

So when Mutha landed in the hospital with a heart problem in 2016, maintaining a slow pace was an unfamiliar script.

He had a parasitic infection during his trip to Mexico in late 2015. The parasite disappeared after several months of treatment, but recovery of health was slow. Then, after a business trip to Europe and a few miles of walking in Paris, Musa really felt sick.

The doctor diagnosed cardiomyopathy and “basically told me I was at the death’s door,” Musa recalled.

A blood clot had formed at the bottom of his heart. The blood clot broke and moved to the kidneys, shutting down some of the organs. He was hospitalized for 3 weeks.

When he returned home and rested, he suffered from heart surgery complications. The arteries in the legs used to access the heart began to bleed severely. It led to emergency surgery and an additional 10 days of hospitalization. It took Musa three months to walk around the block, and then recovered for many more months.

“I’ve been very, very ill for a long time. It was a step at a time,” he said.

My best friend Char Levitt, who knew Musa as Chuck and first met him when he worked with him many years ago, helped him regain his strength. Char and her wife brought a healthy meal of chicken soup and other home-cooked meals.

“He had to shift gear a bit,” Char said. She says Chuck is a healthy person no matter what he does, whether it’s fine-tuning drug performance, hosting a Lunar New Year lunch for his colleagues, checking his parents, or “fierce brother” with his three younger brothers. It was. Sisters.

“I can’t stop that man,” she said. “He is loved everywhere he goes. He is inclusive. He is very enthusiastic.”

Today, Musa walks, exercises on exercise bikes, and eats lots of vegetables and very little lean meat.

58-year-old Mutha pays attention to the family history of cardiovascular disease. His grandmother had a stroke. Both his parents have high blood pressure. His father had hypercholesterolemia and had a heart attack treated with a stent. Musa smoked as a teenager and a young adult, but quit smoking at the age of 34. He is currently taking medication to regulate his heart rate and control his blood pressure and cholesterol.

In addition to paid shows, Mutha is raising money for charities, including the American Heart Association. From the 1980s to the early 1990s, he was first involved in the health problem of fighting AIDS as part of Act Up and Quieration and protested at the White House.

During those years, Mutha occasionally played with drag, especially on Halloween and special events. Then, in the late 1990s, Mutha’s own actions took shape after playing as a backup drug singer and praising other queens working in charity. It included becoming a self-proclaimed “dragtivist,” talking about gender politics, feminism, Black Lives Matter, and other left-wing causes, often using humor and sometimes becoming serious. Mutha is popular online in nightclubs, street festivals, community events, and more recently in the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wearing pink and sequins and a large blonde pinkish wig, Musa hosted AHA’s Virtual Pride Celebration in June. Mutha guided the audience through trivia quizzes, musical and comedy entertainers, online dance breaks, fundraising activities, and messages to overcome health care barriers.

Studies suggest that members of the LGBTQ community are facing health inequalities related to discrimination and social disgrace.

“You will be’others’. When you are others, it is tough on your heart,” Musa said.

Discrimination faced by LGBTQ people is associated with high rates of tobacco use and substance abuse. Mutha pointed out that the LGBTQ social scene was once again heavily dependent on bars, leading to increased inhalation of alcohol, smoking and indirect smoking, all of which pose a risk of heart disease. Today, socializing is focused on many types of activities.

He strives to lead a healthy life and encourages others to do so. Musa points out several studies showing that pet owners can reduce the risk of heart disease, and he adopts dogs. He has moved from his longtime San Francisco apartment to a dog-friendly home in Southern California.

However, fans don’t have to worry. Mutha will continue his online drug show and will return to San Francisco when it’s time to return to work directly. Expect Mutha to push the boundaries and disseminate information about health.

“I just recommend everyone to take good care of themselves,” he said. “It’s part of Musa’s persona. I always tell everyone what to do.”

American Heart Association News Covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association. Copyrighted by American Heart Association, Inc. Owned or owned by, and all rights are reserved. If you have any questions or comments about this story, please email [email protected].