“Does that mean I play a drag queen?” Midler asked the Toronto press conference audience. “People still ask me if I’m a fairy. I mean, I’m not gay or bisexual or lesbian or any of that stuff, but I have a good ear for speech patterns. When I was working at the baths I could go there and feel right at home. I picked up the gay sense of humor, almost like a sponge. Since I moved out into the world a whole lot more, my personality has changed and even the sound of my voice has changed.” ( Bette Midler, 1980)
