DJ FrenchY on spinning at Maura Healey's inauguration: 'This is everything to me'

Maura Healey is being sworn in as the 73rd governor of Massachusetts Thursday, along with Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. Among the performers at the inaugural celebration at TD Garden will be Lynn native DJ FrenchY, who will be spinning on the ones and twos. FrenchY joined GBH’s Morning Edition co-hosts Paris Alston and Jeremy Siegel to talk about what being part of the inauguration means to them. This transcript has been lightly edited.

Paris Alston: Thanks so much for being with us, FrenchY. This is a special night, obviously, because it's an incoming governor, she's the first woman, first openly lesbian governor to be elected to office. And also the majority of tonight's performers are fixtures in the LGBTQ community: yourself, Oompa, the Boston Gay Men's Chorus and, of course, the headliner, Brandi Carlile. So what does it mean for you to be among them?

DJ FrenchY: This is everything to me. I do a lot of work with the community inside Boston, so this is history. And being part of history today is a big deal to me, as sure as it's a big deal to everybody that is going to be participating today.

Jeremy Siegel: What does it mean to you to be playing at the TD Garden? Like, what's it going to be like there for you and for people who come out to watch the inaugural celebration?

FrenchY: It's one of the biggest venues inside Boston, right? When you think Boston, you think TD Garden, you think Celtics, you think Boston Bruins. We're a big sports city here. I'm a big sports player, and Maura, she comes from a basketball background as well. So I'm sure this is a pretty big deal for her. And it's just really anxious feeling to, you know, to get tonight rolling, the ball rolling.

Alston: You know, FrenchY, I remember seeing you DJ at Machine back in the day, years ago. And now I get to see you at Legacy Fridays as part of your residency every now and then. And not to mention your work that you've done in the community, earning the Advancing Equity Award from Mass NOW, you're also a board member of Trans Resistance Massachusetts. And so it's fascinating how it's all tying together: Having someone in the state's top office who identifies, openly, as a lesbian, and also is allowing that to trickle down to the people who she is incorporating as part of her inauguration, as part of her celebration. I mean, I'm tempted to ask if you ever thought that you would see yourself here. But that's also — of course you would. But you're shaking your head. So tell me more about that.

FrenchY: I mean, I've been deejaying for about 14 years. And in between those 14 years, I did take a small hiatus. And I did start back up at Machine around 2015, and then the pandemic happens. And so during the pandemic, I really didn't know — will I be deejaying after this? I wasn't sure where I'd be. So to be here today is honestly a blessing. Just a huge blessing. Because I know I wasn't the only one, but the pandemic really had me thinking that what I love to do was no longer going to be there.

So being here today is such a big deal. So from starting in Lynn at Fran's Place, an old queer bar that shut down long before, to now, being part of this celebration at the Garden that is history — I can't put into words how much it really means to me. And I know I would never have seen this coming if I asked myself, you know, when I started at all. So this means a lot to me.

But I feel like this is a big win for everybody in our community. Like you said, it trickles down. So I'm just really happy to celebrate this moment with everybody, because it's a big win for all of us, not even just Massachusetts. This is literally history in the U.S. So, yeah, just really, really excited. I can't really put it into words. I'm sorry.

Siegel: A big part of the conversation when it comes to LGBTQ representation is making sure it's not, you know, just performative, or politically performative. Once this party is over, what do you want to see from the Healey administration, and how do you hold them accountable?

FrenchY: I'm so big on holding administrations accountable. I would like to see more community work within our own LGBT community, meaning support throughout 501(c)(3) organizations, nonprofit organizations. I would love to see them more involved with getting another Boston Pride started up, because that is a big thing for our city and we are lacking. We're losing queer spaces left and right in Boston, so I would love to see more involvement of how to not lose these spaces, and/or gain spaces in Boston for us to have. I would just like to see more community work, more with community leaders. We have so many leaders in Boston besides myself that deserve to be heard and represented. So I would love to see more of that.

Alston: And along with making sure that these things are not performative, there also is a question of of what happens when queer community becomes mainstream. And of course, it's one thing to have a politician in office legislating and doing those things, but also it's another to be inviting other people into a community that has been shut out of so many things, right? Where do you want to see queer culture and community integrated more and more in everyday life under the administration of Maura Healey?

FrenchY: That is a very good question. Our everyday life in the queer community, I don't want to say it looks different than others in other communities, right? Nightclubs are not only safe spaces we have. We also have, you know, like GLASS is a good organization to bring up, more organizations like that. We don't have a lot of things for youth in the city. We all are different. We all need different things. And right now, in our community, I feel like trans individuals need a lot more support. So I would love for something to be integrated where we are discussing more about how to help all these organizations and individuals across the state.