Ty Yule describes himself in his memoir Chemically Enhancd Butch as “a scruffy, middle-aged, retired queer cult leader” and “a happy husband and a good friend.”
When he initially sat down to write this book, he intended to write the story of Pi, a legendary bar in south Minneapolis that Yule opened in 2007, said to be the first Twin Cities gay bar to cater to women. Due to financing issues, Pi closed in 2008.
The experience was so overwhelming and magical, Yule wanted to share the story. But as he wrote, he found he needed to bring the reader further back into his past. So he also shared how he grew up as Tara, a girl who thought she was a superhero who was going to change the world.
"I am a bridge between the second-wave feminist lesbians who fostered the origins of a revolution and the millenial queers who sometimes don't seem to realize their opportunities haven't always existed."from "Chemically Enhanced Butch"
But Tara found her adolescence difficult without the support or role models to understand or navigate being a gay teenager in the '80s.
Chemically Enhanced Butch is a compelling read. Yule has lived a multi-faceted life so far with many ups and downs. He is a strong storyteller and brings to light a lot of thought-provoking questions about gender and sexuality.
More information on the book and Yule can be found here.
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