
Author: The JT LeRoy Story
years ago --
many years ago.
And a few years later...
you know, Sarah.
[ Laughs ]
And so I'm so excited
to be here tonight,
and I'm so excited all of you
came to celebrate his work,
his words, and his -- his, um...
just beautiful, beautiful voice.
So I just thank you
from the bottom of my heart.
And I thank JT from the bottom
of my heart and soul.
[ Laughs ]
I love you, JT.
You are an inspiration.
Thank you.
Thank you, JT!
Gross:
My guest, JT LeRoy, isa 21-year-old writer
with two books of fiction based
on his experiences
as the son
of a truck stop prostitute.
When LeRoy was 15,
his therapist, Dr. Terry Owens,
encouraged him to write.
Although LeRoy is forthcoming
about his life,
he doesn't like to show his face
to the press
and does most of his interviews
by phone.
This is Fresh Air.
So, um, so, why do you
still feel it's so important
to keep
your identity hidden?
Leroy:
You know, I'm writingand, also,
the gender issues.
Sometimes I like to go out
as a girl.
Sometimes, I like to go out
as a boy.
So, I really never want someone
to come up to me
and say, "I know
what you really are,"
and be in that position
where they could hurt me.
Although your work is
really catching on,
might be a pen name,
or a hoax, or some kind
of extended performance piece.
-[ Chuckles ]
-I mean, do you run into this
a lot that people think
that this is just
some kind of hoax?
clicks ]
[ Beep ]
[ Beep ]
[ Beep ]
[ Beep ]
[ Click, whir ]
LeRoy:
Hi.I'm JT --
Jeremiah Terminator LeRoy.
-[ Shouting indistinctly ]
-Jeremiah's from the Bible,
but I like it.
It makes me feel protected.
I was born in wild West Virginia
on Halloween.
[ Cat yowls ]
My mom is Sarah.
She had me when she was 14.
She was doing drugs
and didn't even know
how to change a diaper.
Sarah is a prostitute...
a lot lizard.
We live in cars, motels.
Every new town,
we change our names.
I can be a boy,
or I can be a girl.
But usually, we're sisters
because it's more allowed.
Sarah gets married
lots of times.
Men just love her.
She's beautiful.
I keep thinking...
if I can be
as pretty as her,
she would see
something in me.
[ Click ]
Benderson:
I rememberthat first call very well.
A very soft female voice said,
"May I speak
to Bruce Benderson?"
Right away,
I was very suspicious
because it sounded like
a young girl
of maybe 13 -- 12, 13, 14.
She said, "Well, I'm
a great admirer of your work."
[ Click ]
[ Click ]
So, I said, "Are you a boy?"
And she answered, "Well,
last time I checked, I was."
[ Fax machine dials,
beeps, whirs ]
On the floor, there was
an incredible
curled pile of paper.
And I sighed,
and I tore it off.
[ Paper rips ]
getting ready to throw it away.
LeRoy:
"The heroin insideto tell you God's truth."
And I thought, "My God,
this is unbelievable.
This person is a genius."
He had given me
his telephone number,
and I immediately called
him back.
And then I said,
"This is amazing --
amazingly written."
LeRoy:
It was somethingI always knew.
Yeah, I'll smoke,
shoot the dark,
tarry clump inside.
But the balloons are
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"Author: The JT LeRoy Story" Scripts.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2021. Web. 1 Mar. 2021. <https://www.scripts.com/script/author:_the_jt_leroy_story_3286>.