I was people watching at the pre-Pride block party. As I watched a group of young people dancing and cutting up, one glittery young man caught my attention. He was working a pair of heels in ways I could only dream about. When I saw him at Penn’s Landing at Pride, once again looking fabulous, I arranged to find out a little more about him.
PGN: What’s your sign?
BM: Cancer, I just turned 21 a few days ago!
PGN: Cancer … Are you a very homey/family-oriented person?
BM: Yes and no. I like home but I like to get out too. I have a twin sister who’s the opposite. I actually have six siblings. All our names start with the letter “N.” It gets confusing at times.
PGN: Are you the exception?
BM: [Laughs] No, Braxton is actually my middle name; my first name is Niealle.
PGN: Where do you and your twin fall in the line-up?
BM: We’re the oldest, and I’m the oldest of the seven.
PGN: Wow, that’s a lot of kids around.
BM: Well, we’re all about a year apart, so they’re not really kids; they’re 20, 19, 18, etc. Most of us are or will be out of the house for college soon anyway.
PGN: As the firstborn, did a lot of the responsibilities fall on you?
BM: It was between my twin and me. She went off to college but I stayed here in Philly. One of my sisters is in Central Penn and two are at Rosemont College. I was at the Art Institute but I’m taking the year off to decide where I want to go creatively.
PGN: What are some of the things you’re choosing between?
BM: Well, I sing and I dance. I’ve done some modeling for people but mostly I do design. I started a clothing company. I’ve been working on ideas for nine years and now I’m organizing all my sketches and work together. I still haven’t come up with a name for the company yet, but I’m working on a business plan.
PGN: How did you start?
BM: People would ask me if I would design prom dresses for them. They would take the sketches to someone else to sew. Now I’m starting to create pieces for myself and friends. I have a team of people to sew but I’m hoping to apprentice under an established designer this year and get work done through them.
PGN: One of the things about you that caught my eye at the Pride block party was your sense of style.
BM: Ha! Well, I have a variety of styles. I can go from looking “every day” to vintage/retro to school-boy preppie to edgy to full out-of-the-box, over-the-top fashion. It’s eclectic. I try to do a little of everything, but when I go full-blown, like at a Pride event, it’s usually something you won’t see every day, something out of the norm. [Laughs] Well, not out of the norm for me, but you know what I’m talking about!
PGN: Where do you get your ideas?
BM: From everywhere. I’m always looking at Pinterest and other sites trying to find some inspiration. I’m like, “Oooh, maybe I’ll wear this today … and that … and that … with that!” Sometimes my sisters look at me like, “What are you wearing?”
PGN: Where do you get your materials or clothes?
BM: A combination of retail and vintage stores. I like to buy clothes from consignment shops and I also consign clothes when I’m finished with them. I think it’s a healthy choice. We throw too much away. That reminds me, I have a leather Christian Dior trench coat I need to take over; it’s great but it’s too long for me and I don’t want to cut it because … well, it’s vintage Dior and that would be a crime. I’d rather consign it and let someone else have it. I love Greene Street Consignment.
PGN: I was just there yesterday with a box of summer clothes but they wouldn’t take them because they’re already starting to stock fall and winter clothes … it’s July!
BM: I know, I know. In the design world they’re always so far ahead. They make collections for the next two seasons, so they already know what’s going to be on trend in 2016 and ’17. By the time the stuff trickles down to the public, they’re already on to the next thing.
PGN: So what’s the trend for this fall?
BM: I’m seeing a lot of dark colors coming back: burgundys and siennas, warm caramels … a lot of leather this fall. I’m hoping to make it to one of the fashion shows in New York this year.
PGN: When I said I’d meet you at a coffee shop, I was wondering if I’d recognize you, but just a quick glance in the window and there was no doubt which person was you. Do you ever have problems walking around Philly being so “over the top?”
BM: Well, I’ve been bullied since I was little, so I’ve grown a pretty tough skin. I tend to get more compliments, people saying, “I would have never thought of wearing that together but it works on you!” Sometimes I get critics, people who feel it necessary to say, “What the hell are you wearing?” I just take it like it is. I soak it up, like, “Hmmm, what am I going to test tomorrow?”
PGN: Are you ever fearful? I don’t think your gaydar would have to be especially strong to assume you might be gay. Is safety a concern?
BM: I think back in middle school and high school the answer was yeah! I was more concerned then but not so much anymore. I think I’m bolder and more fearless now, so it’s accepted more. I am what I am. People get jumped or hurt every day because of their sexual orientation, but I’m not afraid of human beings.
PGN: That’s powerful. What was the worst bullying you faced in school?
BM: In middle school, I had a stalker who had a picture of me — I don’t know who it was — but they kept sending me letters. Then I was getting death threats on social media, then a group of kids that had been my friends decided to jump me at the same time that a group of kids from a nearby school decided to attack me. One day I was on Oregon Avenue walking to the bus stop with my sister and there was a big group of kids waiting in front of this store. They started to walk really close to us and I was like, “What is going on here?” My sister picked up on it and said, “You’re not going to touch him, you’ll have to get through me first.” Luckily the store owner knew us because we’d go to his store every morning and he came out and yelled, “Y’all are being inconsiderate! He doesn’t do nothing to you, so just leave him alone!” I’m glad he was there because that would have been my first fight and I’m definitely a lover, not a fighter! I’ve taken self-defense classes, but I never wanted to put my hands on somebody. That’s not me.
PGN: Who were you, as a kid?
BM: It changed kind of quick. I was a rough-and-tumble kid until second grade and then I started getting more artistic. I’d take a lot of time with what I wore and how I presented myself. I was very organized. I got involved in music, choirs and stuff.
PGN: What was your favorite outfit as a kid?
BM: I had a pair of white jean overalls with a plaid shirt that I wore with a bowtie. And a little pair of Oxbridge shoes. Everyone said I looked like Urkel!
PGN: Tell me a little about the family.
BM: Well, my birth mother had seven kids. Me and three of my sisters were put in foster care at birth. We were later adopted by our foster mother when I was about 5. She already had 10 kids of her own so I have a lot of siblings! She was retired from working with the school district; she’s 80 now. My adopted dad (rest his soul) did construction. He died seven days before his 92nd birthday. They were pretty much stay-at-home parents when they took us in. He used to do a lot of gardening.
PGN: What’s a fun family memory?
BM: Every Friday was game night and every summer we’d take a trip to the shore. That was fun because we had our own money to spend. But I guess the most fun was celebrating me and my twin’s birthday. They always made a huge fuss over it and we’d have big celebrations. Each year they’d try to do something flashier than the last!
PGN: How old is the youngest sibling?
BM: She’s 10.
PGN: So you’re still in communication with your birth mother?
BM: Yup, still in contact with my birth mother and my other siblings.
PGN: What was your favorite toy?
BM: The Rubik’s Cube. In school, everyone picked on me because I was always the teacher’s pet! They’d get mad at me because I never got anything below an A-plus. My siblings were like, “But how?” But math and science were always my strong subjects and the Rubik’s Cube was good for developing eye and hand coordination, which helped me in art. I could sit there and play with it all day.
PGN: When I met you, you were hanging out with a group of young people. At that time, you were underage. Where do kids hang out?
BM: We go downtown, we shop or pick a place to hang out like Penn’s Landing or South Street. Sometimes we go to a club with an underage night but mostly we hang out at The Attic. There are all sorts of activities and workshops there, everything from memoir-writing to screen-printing. We stick together like a family. My Attic family, we keep it tight and look after each other.
PGN: It sounds like your family has been supportive.
BM: Uh, it’s about half and half between being supportive and tolerant. I didn’t really come out to my family; they just knew. But when I’m home, I’m a totally different person, I’m much more subdued. But sometimes it just comes out.
PGN: And when you say “it,” I’m guessing you mean your … shall we say, fabulousness?
BM: [Laughs] Yes! Especially lately, it’s been starting to mesh with my home life! I’ll have certain mannerisms that I usually keep for my friends that I find myself doing at home. [Gives me a few snaps up] You know?
PGN: [Laughs] Yeah, some things you just can’t suppress. Are you in a relationship?
BM: Yes, I just got engaged.
PGN: What! Does the family know about that?
BM: My sisters do! Not the rest of the family.
PGN: You’re leading a double life!
BM: I know, I know! Hey, I’m an adult now, I don’t need to tell them everything. OK, I’ll tell them soon. Pretty soon.
PGN: As your self-appointed big sister (as of this minute), it’s time to start sharing. That’s kind of an important thing. What is he like?
BM: He’s a sweetheart. He’s very protective of me. If anyone starts to mess with me he gets very angry. To the point that sometimes I have to just say, “Chill, I can handle myself.” But I get it, my sisters are very protective of me too. [Laughs] Apparently people get very worried about me. I’m always trying to say, “I’m fine, I can walk down the street by myself,” but I appreciate the concern. It’s nice to know they have my back. He’s a lieutenant with federal securities. We’ve known each other for a long time and just reconnected. He proposed to me at the second Pride block party. We were dancing and suddenly he dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him! It was a big surprise. I said yes.
PGN: Congratulations! So any other hobbies?
BM: I play tennis. I tried hockey but I don’t do it much anymore. I’m only 120 pounds so when I get bumped on skates, I fly halfway across the rink! In school I did play a little basketball and soccer, but I don’t like to get kicked, and I was a cheerleader.
PGN: What was the best part of cheerleading?
BM: I was told I have a lot of energy. I’m used to performing. I’ve done some acting; in fact, my best friend is writing a musical that I’m going to be in, so when I’m in front of people, I go all out. The other cheerleaders would tell me that if they were feeling low or tired, they’d look to me to get fired up.
PGN: What’s the silliest thing you’ve ever lied about?
BM: Oh boy, being gay!
PGN: Ha! I was thinking that but I wasn’t going to say anything.
BM: I know it’s like, hold up, why are you lying about it? It’s so silly, ’cause everyone’s like, “I already knew about you, you ain’t have to lie about it!”
PGN: Tell me something about a grandparent.
BM: My biological grandparents are very artistic. My grandmother paints, which I didn’t know until a few years ago when I saw some of her work. My mom, her sisters, my uncles are all artistic. So apparently that’s where I got it from.
PGN: People are always telling me I need to stop …
BM: Drinking coffee. I’ve been drinking it since I was young and at one point I was up to five cups a day. A hot cup to start, then an iced latte, then a shot of espresso then another iced coffee followed by a macchiato. I already have too much natural energy so when I add coffee I’m like, “Ching!”
PGN: What comes to mind when you hear LGBT community in Philadelphia?
BM: It’s a community inside of a community. It’s very supportive of the young people … and of adults trying to find themselves. It’s very open-minded and caring to people still trying to find their way. The community does a lot to educate about health and to help young people. I think of equality. When they announced the recent Supreme Court marriage ruling, I was with a bunch of people and everyone went nuts. All in all, I think we’re awesome.