"the" Mrs. Astor

My hero.

I met Tina in April of 1989 at Mars Nightclub in New York. There had not been a more serious grovel to sensuality since Studio 54, and we were the only two "photogs" allowed into the place. Of course, we both knew all the personalities already: Lahoma van Zandt, the Lady Bunny, Larry Tee, RuPaul, Leigh Bowery, The It Twins, Goldilocks, James St. James, a budding Amanda LePore, Perfidia (perhaps one of the greatest DJ's of the period), Keoki, Alig, and on, and on. Along with Tina, I feasted on the photographic delights of these creatures of the night. Tina was my mentor; she had a determination, a sense of what was perfect for the moment, and winning personality, and humility. I adored being able to accompany her at every event; we became inseparable. Her girlfriend, the Lady Arhlene, stood in the background and made sure there were no problems. Also, she served a great dinner party. There was, and is, only ever one word which summed up Tina Paul and it was FIERCE.

After an accident, I fell out of touch with many of my friends, but worked (with the help of my dear, friend Mr. PageSixSixSix) in the last six months to stop attending my own wake and enjoy life again. Meeting Tina, again, reaffirmed my belief that I made the right decision in "coming out" back into society.