WIRE MAGAZINE PROFILE ON DRAG ICON HENRIETTA ROBINSON
By Thomas Barker
Photos provided by Henrietta’s friends
Everyone on South Beach knows famed South Beach Diva Henrietta. She’s the gay guy who is always dressed in drag – whether she’s grabbing a quick bite to eat, taking a bus or taxi to one of her house cleaning jobs, or having a nightcap at TWIST.
And nothing she wears when she dresses like a woman is fake. Her chinchilla outfit, lace or silk gowns, large-carat diamond rings, gold bracelets – they’re all real, just as real as Henrietta.
She’s been a fixture on the Beach for 50 years now, and that’s why she’s celebrating her golden anniversary here! Her two claims to fame are cooking and cleaning, both of which she continues to do incessantly and to perfection. Henrietta made a name for herself as she found her true self in Miami Beach, thanks to a supportive uncle and tons of friends she made wherever she worked.
She ran away from a very unstable family situation in Boston as soon as she turned 18 years old. She knew she was gay as a kid and was ostracized by her family and friends throughout the sensitive years of growing up. So once she left, she never looked back and it took her family a year to realize where she was.
At age 19, she saw her first drag show. At age 22, she dressed up as a woman for the very first time (other than when she was 10 or 11 and dressed up in her sisters’ clothes). She won Miss Florida in 1969 singing, not lip-synching, “On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.” Then after her favorite uncle died in the early ‘80s, she never wore men’s clothes again! Her outfit became permanent!
“When my uncle passed away, that’s when I said that’s it,” Henrietta recounted. “I started living that way from then on – it was permanent drag from then on! I was gay, of course, and wasn’t ever interested in a sex change or anything.”
Henrietta saw the ups and downs on the Beach for five decades – and boy, what history there was and what details she remembers! Hopefully, someday we’ll have a copy of her memoirs since it’s such a rich history that would be important for every gay little boy and girl!
We’re happy that Henrietta maintains her happy, optimistic outlook on life and continues to love the Beach very much – she actually sees a renaissance of gay life here today, saying it’s getting better and better.
So as Henrietta celebrates her golden anniversary, 50 years of life on Miami Beach, here’s just a peek into her life and what made her who she is! Check out her party at TWIST this Friday, Sept. 28 at midnight – and bring an appetite, she says, since she will be offering up some of her most sumptuous tastings!
Thomas Barker: When and how did you arrive on Miami Beach, Henrietta?
Henrietta Robinson: I came to Miami Beach in 1958. My uncle, my mother’s brother, had a restaurant here. I was 18 years old and never was on my own in my life until then. I lived a pretty sheltered life in Boston. My mother died when I was born. When I was growing up, I never got along with my father and he always blamed my mother for everything; they didn’t get along either since she was Italian Catholic and he was Jewish. You just didn’t have mixed marriages back then, it was very strict. Eventually, I was raised by my grandmother, my father’s mother. She took me and my two sisters in, but I haven’t spoken to them in 35 years. They didn’t want anything to do with me since, when they had children, they thought I would molest them since I was gay. That’s what they believed at the time. So my grandmother kept an eye on me all the time. I couldn’t go out and play with other kids and was kept in the house all the time.
TB: How old were you back then? Did you realize you were gay at an early age?
HR: Oh, I was 10 or 11 years old. I knew I was gay since I loved playing with my sisters’ dolls. I loved dressing up! When my sisters dressed me up, my grandmother would go through the roof! My sisters were a lot older, they were 18 and 20 years old. I was the baby in the family.
TB: So how did you finally get out of that horrible situation?
HR: I met this kid next door and he didn’t get along with his father. He wanted to get out since he was fighting with his father all the time. He was going to Florida to live with his grandparents since they invited him to. So he invited me to come with him. He said there was no reason for me to put up with what I had to put up with and nobody would know where I was – we were both 18 years old at the time.
TB: How could you afford it, though?
HR: My grandmother used to give me an allowance, $10 a week and put it in a bank account in my name. Every week, I put money in the account. She never dreamed that I would go to the bank to withdraw it, though! So I sneaked away one day when my grandmother was gone and went to the bank. So the people asked me where my grandmother was and I said it was a surprise, it was her anniversary and I never bought her anything all these years so I wanted to take out $200, and they thought I was a very good grandson. So I went home and snuck out that night with my friend and took off on a bus for Florida. It was a whole year before they ever realized where I was.
TB: What did you do when you arrived in Miami Beach?
HR: I worked in a drugstore on 71st Street at the fountain as a dishwasher – I never worked a day in my life until then! There was a waitress who fell in love with me because her son was in the service in Germany and she said I looked just like her son with blue eyes and blonde hair. So she doted on me and did everything for me. She knew my whole story. Once she got friendly with a lady, a year later, who came to the soda fountain who said: “Oh, I see you have a helper.” So she told her my whole story and she listened carefully. She asked how late we were open and we told her 11 p.m. So a few hours later she came back, but she was with a man. So the man asked my waitress friend, “Could I have the kid wait on me?” And she said “Sure.” So he told me that he understood my mother passed away a long time ago and that I had an uncle in Miami Beach. He was Italian and looked like Edward G. Robinson and was in the rackets. So he asked me if I would like to meet my uncle and live here – and I said, sure, if he’s nice! So he looked at me and said “I’ve got news for you kid, I’m your fuckin’ uncle!” I nearly fell to the floor!
TB: How did you know it was really him?
HR: He took a picture out of his wallet and said “This is your father and this is your mother.” Then he said he had a restaurant around the corner and he wanted me to go there to help his wife who worked there. So I told him I could wash dishes and clean up. He told me to move out of the hotel I was staying in and that I was moving into his house. He had a duplex on 77th Street. That’s when everything started!
TB: What do you mean, “everything started”?
HR: The buses from Hollywood used to connect on 71st Street and the bus drivers used to come into the drugstore because it had air conditioning. One day, one of the bus drivers asked me – he knew right away – if I ever saw a drag show. So one night after work I took a bus to Collins and 163rd Street to go to a drag show – the first time I had ever gone out! There were hotels run by the mafia up there that had clubs run by drag queens. One was the Aztec and they used to have lounges inside. Shows would start around midnight and last until 2.am. It was legal there, but not on the Beach. So there I was all innocent watching drag shows. I became friendly with the bus driver and then one Halloween he wanted to dress me up! And that was it! Once I put on those heels and that wig! That was in 1962 when I actually started drag at age 22. I liked it and started performing there. We always sang live back then. Nobody did lip-synching. I did country and they loved it!
TB: Your uncle knew all about it and didn’t care?
HR: He didn’t give a shit! He was from New Jersey and ran nightclubs and used to make good money off drag queens and gays in the back room of the clubs. The police wouldn’t bother him because he was paying them off just liked he did here in Miami. The police in Miami Beach were all country boys back then and they used to go around and pick up everybody who didn’t live or work on the Beach. That’s why there were no blacks on the Beach. The summertime, they didn’t care, but after November 1 they cleaned up the streets. But one time, I had this cop get smart with me and said I had a woman’s blouse on, it was a European fashion with ruffles on it. And I said no, I didn’t and showed him the store bag where I bought it. And he couldn’t do a thing. Besides, all the police used to come and eat at my uncle’s restaurant whenever they wanted to! He even knew Rocky Pomerance, the famous Chief of Police for Miami Beach in the ‘70s! He used to come around all the time. He was Italian!
TB: What was your greatest memory of the Beach at that time?
HR: That’s when I won Miss Florida in 1969, I sang “On a Clear Day.” That was on Alton Road where the Boston Market is. There was a gas station next door to the biggest gay club around that had a back room, called the Mayflower Lounge, run by the mafia. When you walked through the door, there were two huge ballrooms with two bars on both sides of the room. Everybody was dancing and having a good time – but there was a big light in the room and when it went on, everybody ran to their seats because the cops were coming in. But they didn’t bother us because it was the mafia and they were getting paid off! Then, I learned about 21st Street which is where the gay beach and some bars were. So I learned a lot over the years as I continued to do shows and work at my uncle’s restaurant.
TB: So your uncle had a very positive influence on your life here compared to what you had in Boston?
HR: He always said he didn’t care what I did after work as long as I didn’t stay out too late and showed up for work in the morning. He taught me a lot – like how to pay my rent and all my bills. He brought me all my bills with my name on them, like the electric bill, and I had to pay them every month. Apartments were $15 a month in the summertime and $25 in winter! I was making $40 a week back in 1960. That paid my rent and everything, and I still had money to live on! Of course, my uncle taught me how to cook and I eventually became a chef. I worked for 27 years as a chef in restaurants and I never missed a day in that 27 years! I was the top cook at my uncle’s restaurant and was making $150 a week, which was a lot of money back then. My uncle died in the early ‘80s and the restaurant was sold to Canadians.
TB: What did you do after that?
HR: My aunt had moved up North with her sister because she had a lot of family there, but I didn’t want to go since I knew what to do, I was educated, and had an apartment here. I worked in a few other restaurants, like this huge restaurant called Piccolos on First Street, where Amnesia was. They owned both sides of the street on Washington Avenue. When the owner died, the kids took over and lost everything. They were drunks, gamblers and into drugs. The mother had to sell everything. Then, I actually wound up back at my uncle’s place, Marios. I met the Canadians who owned it who were having problems with their cook and they hired me back. I started making $300 a week! I worked there for another three years when they had to go back to Canada and the restaurant was sold again and called Paesanos. That’s when I went into my own business of housekeeping and catering. That was in the mid-’80s.
TB: How did that start?
HR: I met one of my customers from the restaurant one day while I was looking for another job and she hired me as a housekeeper. Once she saw how good I was, her daughter also hired me, and then their friends and the next thing you know, I had my own cleaning business. And I kept up a catering business on the side, as well when all these people threw parties.
TB: How did you wind up with the name Henrietta?
HR: One of the people at the clubs said I had to have a new name since they originally called me Miss Robinson – after the Simon and Garfunkel hit in 1967. My real name was Milton Henry Robinson. So this friend said, why not Henrietta? That was a nice sounding English name! So I changed my name to Henrietta over the years. That’s when Henrietta started, when I won Miss Florida in 1969 which was held on Halloween. People would line up on Alton Road to see the parade – only on Halloween. The police couldn’t do anything since you were in “masquerade.” It was a 24-hour party, all day and all night! And everybody made their own gowns at the time, since nobody could afford to do anything different. But I saw a gown in a store and I told my uncle “I want that gown for the Halloween party!” So he took me into the store on 71st Street called Parker’s and my uncle bought the gown for me! And I wore my hair shorter, more in a European style while everyone else was wearing long hair, the style of the 60s and 70s.
TB: When did you start to continually dress in drag?
HR: When my uncle passed away, that’s when I said that’s it. I started living that way from then on – it was permanent drag from then on! I was gay, of course, and wasn’t ever interested in a sex change or anything. People always respected me for the way I was – and I always had boys lined up at the door! I had no trouble there! I worked for so many straight people, I became family and all their kids loved me.
TB: Why did you dress in your particular style? Did you model yourself after anybody in particular?
HR: I always loved Dolly Parton! That’s why I wear high blond hair all the time and love Country and Western music! I loved her and Patti Page – I sang her song, “Tennessee Waltz.” And there was Tammy Wynette since I always sang “Stand By Your Man.”
TB: But in terms of drag queens, you’re not like anybody else, like Adora, for example.
HR: Adora is a great artist. There was one lady, an owner of a club up there on Collins who told me if you want to be a lady, act like a lady. Wear nice clothes like a lady, don’t go out on the streets dressed like a prostitute. She told me, “You are a lady” and from that day on I did everything real. All my jewelry is real – real diamond rings, bracelets, and necklaces. I wanted everything to be real like me – nice clothes, nice hair, nice jewelry. That’s how it started for me. When I dress up and walk down the street, nobody blinks. And they know me at Neiman Marcus or Saks when I walk in – it’s “Oh, Henrietta!’ and they drop everything to wait on me. I take pride in all that I do! They all looked after me. People used to always say, "You’re just like one of the girls, Henrietta.” I can tell you stories you wouldn’t believe! One of my customers came walking out of the shower naked the other day in front of me and she apologized. I said, “Don’t worry honey, that doesn’t bother me, but if it were your husband…” She laughed and said, “Well, you can have him!” I went to Jackson one time and they put me in the woman’s ward before they found out about me! The next thing you know, two days later, I have my own private suite. They rushed me across the hall so fast, you wouldn’t believe it!
TB: So when did things start to change for gays on Miami Beach?
HR: After 1969 – the 1970s on. After the civil rights movement. They wouldn’t touch you in 1970. Civil rights and gay rights went hand in hand. Blacks, up until then, were not allowed on the Beach after sunset unless you had a paper saying where you worked and when you worked – or you were trotted off to jail, or dropped off over the causeway and told never to come back. Gay rights started thriving as well – drag queens were walking around all over the place and some were even getting their breasts done at that time. They were going to Mexico to get them done where it was cheaper. Some had entire sex changes done.
TB: What about the influence of the gay community on the Beach?
HR: Everything started to change little by little and started opening up. The straight people had nothing to do with fixing up South Beach – it was the gay community who came here to do that. Only when it was fixed up did the straight community start coming here. You could go up and down South Beach streets and the old people were sitting on the porches of these run-down buildings waiting for death to take them. And the gay community came in, supported the preservation movement, and opened many businesses here.
Then what about the late ‘80s and ‘90s – drag seemed to be everywhere. There was Barios, WPA, Mulberry Street – drag shows were everywhere. I loved WPA and Mulberry Street. That’s when the Beach really turned gay since you also had other clubs like Club Z, Warsaw, Salvation, and then TWIST opened in 1993. It was a great time to be gay on South Beach and it made it easier for all of us. The Chelsea Hotel on 9th and Washington was even owned by a black guy (Vernon Garraway) who bought it in 1989. But the City still looked down on him and it was hard for him to run it. Nothing could ever be owned by a black person on the Beach in the past. But he was really accepting of the gay community and they really liked to go there. Then the gays were pushed out after the police raids on TWIST, 1235, and Groove Jet. But now more and more gays are coming back because they have more money now.
TB: Did you ever imagine the Beach would come full circle to where it is today?
HR: I never thought in my time the gay community would be so free to be who they are and not be hassled by the police. In my day, if you walked down the street and if the police thought you were gay, they had the right to beat you up. They always said you looked at them the wrong way or you touched them. They had no hesitation in throwing you in jail. Now, I love it! Gay life has always flourished here – whether it was underground or above ground; or whether it was 23rd Street or 12th Street. Gays were everywhere and in every profession. Today, I feel so free and it’s such a pleasure! A lot of these young gay kids don’t know what somebody like me has gone through. And they don’t have too many people to learn about the history since all the old-timers are gone.
TB: Who are your best friends here today?
HR: I’m always working so much so I don’t get out that much anymore. But when I do, my best friend is Leo! I love Leo. We became good friends over the years and he’s just wonderful. I don’t have any boyfriends – even though I had many husbands years ago! But I was stupid since I spoiled them and they didn’t appreciate it. I even bought one of them a car! Most of them turned out to be bisexual and the next thing I knew, they were taking off with a girl.
TB: What advice can you give to members of the gay community after 50 years of living here?
HR: I just think it’s wonderful that people can do what they want to do today. People live in very precious, precious times right now. You don’t have to go through what I went through. You should do what you want and be free. If people had to live what I went through, half of them wouldn’t make it! We’ve come a long way. Once people found out you were gay, you were blackballed and you couldn’t get a job. Now retail, hotels, bars, and restaurants couldn’t survive without gays! So don’t be afraid to be yourself – you’ll fit right in on South Beach today!
TB: Did you ever have any role models on the Beach or did anybody here influence you?
HR: Not individual people. What was more important was that when I went out as a woman, people accepted me. This was me, I was a woman now, and that was it – and people accepted me for that.
TB: What’s in store for Henrietta in the future? Retirement? Writing your memoirs?
HR: If I retire, I’m going to stay here and still take care of some of my customers. I’m just going to relax more and travel more. I’m just so loyal to my customers, more than I am to myself! I don’t want to work seven days a week anymore! I know, sometimes I can’t say no, though. And yes, I’m going to write my memoirs! Going all the way back to when I was living with my grandparents and how mean they were to my happy days today on South Beach and all the wonderful people I’ve encountered!