American sensation and New York Times Bestseller Elvira, also known as Cassandra Peterson, is famous for her long-time singing career and career as a show host. Recently, she came out as a veteran queer, having held a loving lesbian relationship behind closed doors for over 20 years.
This opened the floodgates for her socials, and in poured innumerable supportive fans and fellow celebrities who wanted her to feel accepted and loved. People did not want Elvira to have to hide anymore.
Most people.
Elvira revealed on the Behind the Velvet Rope podcast that thousands of “horny old men” unfollowed after reading about her coming out in her memoirs. The memoirs wherein she came out are called Yours Cruelly.
“The straight people, I knew that there was going to be some horny old men out there who were just not going to like the fact that they didn’t have a chance with me anymore,” she said on the cast. “I hate to tell them they already didn’t have a chance with me anyway.”
According to LGBTQ Nation, Elvira lost 11.000 followers after coming out, people allegedly claiming they felt “lied to” and as though they “didn’t respect her anymore.” Elvira saw this as a cover for many people’s frustration that their straight sexual fantasies were crumbling around them.
Her bigger concern was the reaction of her caring and accepting groups and circles, which had grown 60,000 followers after the same event.
“It was mostly straight, older guys who just felt lied to,” she says. “I don’t know, can’t please everybody!”
Cassandra’s history as the sexy character Elvira originates in the 1980s, when her drag-influenced character appeared in TV and movies. The following that this accrued was a combination of straight and LGBTQ fans alike.
Her memoirs detail how Elvira formed an attraction to and fondness for Teresa Wierson, which eventually turned into a loving relationship with this “beautiful, androgynous creature.”
This only became a relationship after Cassandra ended her 25-year marriage with her now ex-husband, when she only had a close friendship with Teresa.
She wrote in her memoir, “I think I was even more surprised. What the hell was I doing? I’d never been interested in women as anything other than friends. I felt so confused. This just wasn’t me! I was stunned that I’d been friends with her for so many years and never noticed our chemistry. I soon discovered that we connected sexually in a way I’d never experienced.”
