The New Moon
Terry Moon’s life was forever changed on July 16, 1997. Moon woke up from a nap to find his mother lying dead on the floor.
“After my mother died, I started getting loopy and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder,” said Moon.
Moon was raised by a middle class family in Lorain, Ohio. At the age of seven, Moon was diagnosed with a heart condition and underwent open-heart surgery. This was just the beginning of health risks Moon would encounter.
While a freshman in high school, Moon was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer. After losing his hair during chemotherapy, Moon started wearing wigs to school.
In his senior year of high school Moon decided to cross dress for the first time on Halloween. Later that year, Moon’s brother saw him walking inside a gay bar in Lorain. Moon said he denied all accusations until an argument erupted between him and his brother Tom.
At the age of 23, Moon participated in his first pageant, Miss Gay Cleveland Ohio. After three attempts, Moon won the title as Miss Gay Cleveland in 1989 at the age of 26.
Terry Moon performing on stage at a drag show in Cleveland, Ohio. Courtesy of Terry Moon.
“When I would cross dress, everyone told me I look just like Brooke Shields,” said Moon.
For Moon coming out was not an easy task.
“I never told my father I was gay, I think he new, but I never told him,” said Moon. “I didn’t go out of my way to tell people I was gay. I’m not going to take my gay flag and run down the street.”
After receiving the title as Miss Gay Cleveland, Moon did not care for the popularity or publicity. According to Moon, the final straw was when he was shopping out in public and people would scream his stage name, Ashley Brooks.
“The popularity is why I left Cleveland, I loved the attention, but I enjoyed the illusion of doing it and then getting out of it and being myself,” said Moon. “It was not the type of attention I was seeking.”
Following the pageant, Moon decided he wanted to be closer to his mother and relocated to Boca Raton, Fla. Moon worked at TGI Fridays and then The Cheesecake Factory, where he was awarded employee of the month after his first month of service.
Following the death of his mother, Moon came to visit his brother Tom in Greenville, Miss. The death of his mother had a strong impact on Moon.
“When I found her on the ground, it was like the end of my world,” said Moon.
At that time Moon came to visit his brother who was trying to get a job transfer to Oxford, Miss.
“I’ll never forget when I came to visit Oxford on July 13, 2000,” said Moon. “loved the laid back environment of this place.”
Moon planned on living in Oxford for a year until he realized how comfortable he would become in the small, quaint town.
“I came to Oxford because I loved the people”, said Moon. “When I visited Las Vegas, I didn’t care for the fast paced environment. The town and people of Oxford were much more attractive.”
Once Moon moved to Oxford he was hired as assistant manager at City Grocery. Moon also worked for other local restaurants such as Lenora’s, Prime Steakhouse and 208 South Lamar Restaurant.
While living in Oxford, Moon continued to encounter health implications. In 2006 Moon had open-heart surgery for the second time. The congestive heart failure required Moon to have plastic valves placed in his heart. The surgery had Moon in the hospital for 23 days.
“ I don’t remember the first 10 days while I was in the hospital,” said Moon. “I thought no one came to visit me.”
Doctors told Moon he was going to be on disability as well as oxygen. However, Moon was adamant that he was not going to let this surgery dictate and control the rest of this life. While in the hospital doctors changed Moon’s medication, which helped Moon leave the hospital without oxygen.
“Every day I would wake up feeling better and better,” said Moon. “ I decided to quite smoking and man, I felt like a 23 year-old again. When I returned back to work at City Grocery my co workers would be like ‘Terry keep it down.’”
At the age of 51, Moon continues to work full time at City Grocery and shows no signs of slowing down.
“I don’t want another job,” said Moon. “They take care of me here.”
Moon is well respected among the staff at City Grocery. The mangers and servers at City Grocery appreciate all of the hard work Moon provides.
“Terry contributes in many ways,” said Locke Phillips, a manager at City Grocery. “He has been with us quite a while and knows the way we want things done. He has tons of restaurant experience and has cultivated many lasting relationships within the community. Those relationships and experiences are just a couple things that make him an asset to our restaurant family.”
When Moon is not working he enjoys relaxing and keeping up with shows like Survivor and American Idol.
“ I enjoy being home,” said Moon. “Think about it, I work in the social industry. I talk to people everyday, so sometimes I just like to be at home alone. Every time I’m at work I am talking to someone.”
As for now, Moon’s drag days are over.
“I’m done doing drag at the moment, but you never know Ashley Brooks could come back for a night,” said Moon.
