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Chaya Milchtein
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Need a Queer Car Expert? Consult Out100 Honoree Chaya M. Milchtein

The founder of Mechanic Shop Femme, Inc. is preaching the automotive gospel for all.

Chaya M. Milchtein knows cars. And she wants you to know them better too. The automotive educator and 2021 Out100 honoree founded Mechanic Shop Femme, Inc. "with the mission of helping the average car owner and driver better understand their vehicle," she states.

The queer femme empowerment speaker spreads the automotive gospel through a variety of mediums: teaching classes at universities, libraries, nonprofits, and companies; writing for publications like Real Simple, Parents Magazine, and AAA's Via Magazine; and sharing lessons on her website, mechanicshopfemme.com. During the past year, she's become particularly proud of her expanded social media outreach. "I conquered my fear of video this year, growing a platform to continue my mission on TikTok to over 400,000 people," she touts.

Folks aren't tuning in just for car lessons. In a 2020 profile, the New York Timesdescribed Milchtein as a "style influencer" who also specializes in writing about plus-size fashion and queer lifestyle. And she's not afraid of sharing her personal life with her fans. During the pandemic, thousands virtually attended her self-advertised "Biggest, Queerest Wedding of the Year" to her partner, JodyAnn Morgan, last August, which helped bring rainbow love and light to the world.

While acknowledging her successes, Milchtein -- who also identifies as Jewish, a first-generation American, and a former foster kid -- is also plain about the hardships everyone has faced in modern times. "The last two years have been rough for all of us, and no matter what our personal struggles [may be]," she says.

A version of this article appeared in Out's 2021 Out100 issue, which is on newsstands November 30. Since this is also Out's 300th issue, we are running a $3 promotion for a one-year subscription. Subscribe now (the promotion ends on December 1). Otherwise, support queer media and subscribe outside of the promotion -- or download yours for Amazon, Kindle, Nook, or Apple News.

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Drag queen Billy L'Amour
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How Drag Queen Billy L’Amour Lives His Life Extra

Read how wig entrepreneur Billy L’Amour uses his drag to live life unapologetically.

To live life extra means being able to overcome fear to do what truly makes us happy. For drag queen and wig entrepreneur Billy L'Amour, living life extra involves expressing himself unapologetically and staying true to his passions in life. And he first fell in love with what eventually would become a huge part of his life while he was a teenager.

Billy recalls that, "I first did drag during my time at an all-male comedy ballet company called Les Ballets Grandiva and we danced classical ballet like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, but in drag. That experience taught me how to become a performer and how to stand on stage as a fierce queen."

That first experience in drag emboldened something within him and Billy knew he needed to continue performing. He recalls what it was like just starting out in drag, an experience that solidified his passion for the art form.

Billy reminisces, saying that, "coming up in drag, I was a club kid who created his own looks out of nothing. For many of us starting out, we didn't have the designers that queens have now." Billy then jokes that, "when we wanted to create a look, we were told to 'go find some plastic in the street to make a head sculpture,' that's what the early days of drag were like."

Throughout his time performing, Billy crafted his drag persona, Billy L'Amour, after going through the journey of finding pride in his gender identity. Billy uses both he/she pronouns and uses his drag to express the femininity in himself.

He muses, "I created Billy L'Amour who is a singing, dancing, showgirl goddess from the Las Vegas of the 1960s, or from the Folies Bergere in Paris. She is an old-school showgirl. Her inspiration is Rosalind Russell in Auntie Mame whose motto is 'Life is a banquet and most poor bastards are starving to death,' you've got to live, live, live! And that is how I live my life, following my passions and living to the fullest."

Drag queen Billy L'Amour

Although Billy expresses his individual self with his drag, he also lives life fearlessly by becoming an entrepreneur, which hadn't always been the plan.

Billy states that, "besides my drag, I also live life unapologetically with how I've remained true to myself and taking a chance on an unconventional path. I could've been traditional and become a hair stylist, but that wouldn't have rung true for me. I had to follow my passions."

And Billy will continue to be fearless in every aspect of his life, finding meaning in what he does. Thinking of what comes next, Billy has a mission in line with the passions he loves.

"When I look to the future, I see myself continuing to do what I love, and I'm so happy to say that I love what I do. I'd love to bring more visibility to drag and to help inspire people to appreciate drag in all its beauty."

Watch Billy below in the new Lexus RX commercial "Extra".

See All 2023's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
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Daniel Reynolds

Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.