Photographed at Spanky's Sportsbar
Conquering the hearts and minds of a country with, to put it charitably, a schizophrenic attitude toward sexuality and family, comedian Peter Depp and animal rights activist/military wife and soon-to-be mom Kristin Vasquez have been portraying a whole new archetype in the second season of the Sundance Channel's Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys. Both are parents, though not with each other, and they've been doing their part to shake up staid absolutes and outmoded attitudes.
You could call them a "new kind of power couple," a characterization Depp calls "cute." Vasquez disagrees: "Pete's a power person — I'm just the wind beneath his wings," she says, making a case for all who've lived out Gary Morris' lyrics and kept the show running.
You'll find Depp most every Tuesday night at Spanky's ("my own Cheers," he calls it) for their comedy open mic night, but you're just as likely to find him out with Vasquez, taking the kids to Centennial Park, their preferred place to bring their respective families for the afternoon.
Being part of a nationally broadcast reality program and having countless people suddenly concerned with your business is one of those developments in life that can go a lot of different ways, and for these two, they've been taking it in stride.
"I'm not really a private person," Depp says. "People know my business if they read my Facebook. There's strength in transparency; if you have no secrets, no one can use your secrets against you."
"I haven't noticed [any problems]," Vasquez says. "I'm hibernating for the winter, and I don't get out much aside from work. ... Pregnancy is exhausting."
"Kristin is having a boy!" Depp exclaims, beaming with pride. "I threw her baby shower at a bar. It was a great idea on my part, because then I had a designated driver."
The resolutely gay Depp and the resplendently pregnant Vasquez are opening up countless eyes to the diversity and strength of human decency you'll find here in Tennessee. And you just know Stacey Campfield doesn't approve. ...
The People:
The Legend: Little Jimmy Dickens
The Community Builder: Dan Heller
The Broadcaster: Tom Randles
The Barber: Mark Walker
The Internet Star: Jessica Frech
The Teacher: Gatluak Ter Thach
The Chef: Laura Wilson
The Artist: Vesna Pavlovic
The Councilman: Fabian Bedne
The Saxman: Bobby Keys
The Coach: Ed Temple
The Networker: Liza Massey
The Designers: Jamie and the Jones
The Enforcer: Brian McGrattan
The Bird Brains: Birdcloud
The Poet: Sebastian Jones
The Geeks: Janet and Mike Lee
