The first time I saw Maddy Milan (aka the quite dashing Michael Meyers), she was performing on a makeshift wooden stage at Tabu. She was dripping in diamonds, her hair was coifed like one of the fanciest Mad Men brunettes and she was strumming a toy guitar to some sweet little Dolly tune. The queen — some kind of Wanda Jackson-Joan Collins hybrid — did seem to be a little off-her-rocker, though. She just stood in the middle of the stage, eyes a little blank, head tick-tocking side to side like a Bobblehead on Xanax. Actually, come to think of it, she probably was on something, because as the song went on she started to disrobe to reveal a full-body nylon suit equipped with the droopiest boobs this side of the new LGBT Senior Housing Complex. She just stood there, swinging those puppies all over the place. The crowd loved it, we erupted in cheers that quickly turned to gasps when the dress hit the floor to reveal a stuffed penis that practically hung to her knees. I was a little stunned at first, but when that wore away, I realized I was starring at one of my favorite new drag queens in Philly — or at least the huge penis of one of my favorite new drag queens in Philly.

This weekend, you can see Milan when she hosts the White Diamond Ball, a swank party at Voyeur that benefits ActionAIDS. Will the ditzy queen be able to keep it classy at this party that suggests its guests show up in formal attire? This week, I sent her a list of questions to get a feel for her state of mind going into Saturday.

What’s your Philly connection? When I filed for witness protection, a drag queen in Philly was the only spot they had, so I took the job … But please don’t tell anyone; it’s supposed to be a secret. When are you happiest? After I’ve had a drink. What’s your most fabulous possession? My sparkly earrings and my leopard coat … sometimes that’s all I wear teee he he he. Describe the perfect night in the Gayborhood in three words. Hotdogs downstairs …Voyeur. What turns you on? Crisco … I’m a sucker for a man who can grease a pan. If you were exiled to an island and could only take one Philly drag queen, who would it be and why? Only one? What if I took all of them and left them there? We could film it and call it I Will Survivor. The one book everyone should read is … Do they still make books? That’s so old timey, ggeeeezzz get a computer and read G Philly blog, duh. If your life was a country song, what would it be called? “Gotta Get Off the Sauce” Who would play Maddy in a movie about her life? Lindsey Lohan as Elizabeth Taylor directed by John Waters. Where is your favorite place in the world? I’ve never been but I hope it’s Las Vegas, and if not there then the basement of Voyeur with a hot dog in my mouth. What do you consider to be your greatest achievement? Getting home with my hair still on and both shoes. Haven’t lost any of them yet. What do you abhor about one of your friends? Is abhor a word!? I’ve never heard that … I’m gonna need to google that and get back to you. Who is your diva inspiration? Liberace. What is your life motto? You have to try everything on your plate even if you know you aren’t going to like it … You NEVER know. I feel gayest when … Hahahhaha when I’m conscience … And even sometimes when I’m not.

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Kenny Kerr, the bad girl that Las Vegas fell hard for in the ’70s, died Sunday. He was 60.

The star of “Boy-lesque” was the Strip’s first must-see female impersonator, pulling a locals-heavy audience into a tiny casino called the Silver Slipper for 11 years with his deadpan stare, cutthroat wit and killer gowns.

“It’s now to the point where there are three things you have to see: Lake Mead, Hoover Dam and ‘Boy-lesque,’” Kerr said in 1988, when the show wrapped its long era at the Silver Slipper in anticipation of the casino’s eventual closure and demolition.

Kerr’s impressions of Cher and Barbra Streisand were matched by his comedic skills as the show’s saucy host.

Drag was still somewhat taboo when Kerr came to town in 1977, but by then, he had already been impersonating Streisand for years.

Growing up in Blue Anchor, N.J., he was 16 when a couple who saw him shopping at a mall noted his resemblance to Streisand. They soon had him riding the bus into Philadelphia to perform at night while he was still attending high school.

“These people had a show of the sort I do now and asked me if I wanted to work in it,” he recalled in 1982. They talked a lot of money. … Most of my contemporaries had jobs for minimum wage or less.”

Going out on his own a few years later, Kerr and his original cast showcased their act for free at the Sahara and caught the attention of Herb Kaufman, the owner of Wonder World discount stores.

The Slipper show quickly became a low-cost novelty for locals to take out-of-town visitors. But it arrived fresh on the heels of Anita Bryant’s anti-gay crusade, and for years Kerr said the question “Are you gay?” was one he had to dance around.

“It’s a question I can’t win by answering,” he said in 1982. “If I said I am gay, there are an awful lot of narrow-minded people out there. And If I said I’m heterosexual, a lot of people wouldn’t believe me.”

Kerr kept working after the Silver Slipper era, with long runs at the Sahara and Plaza followed by smaller casinos and gradually diminishing returns, as the rival “La Cage” revue proved fierce competition and the shock value faded over the years.

After spending much of the 2000s in Palm Springs, Kerr returned to Las Vegas and forged on in clubs and the Onyx Theatre as recently as last year, after the death of his longtime partner and a serious illness.

“One thing about troubles is you quickly learn who your good friends really are,” he told the Review-Journal last year. “People are always trying to stab you in the back. But lately I’ve been surrounded by so much love. I wasn’t aware of all the love that’s out there. I now appreciate the kindness that comes my way.”

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Making his debut in 2009, Landon was quickly named “So Cal’s Premier Drag King” and most recently named MiX MI of the Year 2012. Landon has been selected Drag Performer of the Month in both WeHoConfidential.com as well as SoCalDragScene (Los Angeles, CA) He will also be featured in 100 Most Influential Gay Entertainers set to be released this year.

Landon has become one of the Nation’s leading Male Celebrity/Character Illusionists, mastering the makeup & performance style of diverse impersonations such as George Michael, Pitbull, Adam Lambert, Tim McGraw, Beetlejuice, Freddy Krueger, Chucky (“Childsplay”), as well as many original characters/parodies.

Landon’s many interests, allows for a broad repertoire of style, music and characters. He is own creator/director/makeup artist/costume designer/music mixer and challenges himself in each area with all of his illusions. Always a storyteller, from humor to drama to celebrity/character impersonations, Landon has been credited for raising the bar for Drag Kings entering the business:

“Landon has taken SoCal and the Nation by storm….he sets his standard to be as entertaining as our Best Queens. This is how the Kings keep up with the Queens” –

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Ah, Barbette!

I mean, is there anything about the description “cross-dressing Texan aerialist in between-the-wars Paris” which doesn’t compel the attention? The man born Vander Clyde whose dragrobatics thrilled French audiences heads a very long queue of people I would dearly love to see a movie about.

I am not alone in my love of this singular apparition. Over at Worn Through (“Apparel from an academic perspective”), Barbette appears in the recurring ‘Anarchists of Style’ feature which has included several other sartorial one-offs whose lodgings in Strange Flowers’ heart are assured, including Baroness Elsa, Claude Cahun, Anita Berber, Quentin Crisp, Vali Myers and Marchesa Casati.

Jean Cocteau figures prominently in any discussion of Barbette, being the first to offer theoretical grounding for Vander Clyde’s high-flying act, and casting him in his 1930 film Le Sang d’un poète. The Quoch (the Queer Psychoanalysis Society’s publishing platform) discusses “the surreal sex of beauty” celebrated by the writer:

Cocteau understood that Barbette’s act was more than a mere circus act or cheap exploitation; it illuminated the possibilities of thinking gender, sex, and sexuality outside of conventional binaries through aesthetic and theatrical innovation. He argues that the reason for Barbette’s success is that “he pleases those who see in him woman and those who perceive in him man, yet to others, their souls are moved by the supernatural (surnaturel) sex of beauty”. Barbette satisfies the drive of the audience to gender and sex him both as male and female, and at the same time for others, Barbette reaches a higher sex “above or beyond nature” legible only through an aesthetic practice of beauty that comes alive through theatrics.

Cocteau was also responsible for commissioning Man Ray to capture Clyde/Barbette in 1926. Like Cocteau, the photographer was fascinated by the performer in limbo, concentrating on the transitory moments before the female stage persona was fixed. Less often mentioned in the context of Barbette’s mystique but no less important in my view is another set of images dating from the same year. They were produced by the studio of Dora Kallmus, the Austrian photographer who traded under the professional name of ‘Madame D’Ora’ (fanciful, faux-French – just like ‘Barbette’). Moving through Vienna, Berlin and Paris, Kallmus was one of a tiny group of prominent female photographers of the time.

But the Clyde/Barbette prints are inscribed “d’Ora Benda”, the other name representing German photographer Arthur Benda, Kallmus’s collaborator. Not only is the subject of these images of ambiguous gender, so is their creator. Kallmus/Benda approached the dual phenomenon of Clyde/Barbette by taking stage and street manifestations at face value, revealing a suited figure somehow even more feminine, self-contained and dainty than the idealised creature of the stage trailing clouds of feathers. The resulting images are both seductive and subversive. The main photograph above depicts Vander Clyde as Barbette, apparently posing as Marlene Dietrich. If true (and it’s a fairly big if, but that’s how it’s captioned), it’s most likely the first such tribute to Dietrich who was at the time a reasonably obscure stage performer, this being a full four years before The Blue Angel launched her film career.

Below are images by the studio of Madame d’Ora as well as Man Ray and a Roger-Viollet series dating from 1937 which shows Clyde/Barbette backstage, just one year before retiring from performance.

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James Franco poses for a transvestite magazine.

James Franco did a cover for Candy, “the first fashion magazine ever completely dedicated to celebrating transvestism, transexuality, cross dressing, and androgyny, in all its manifestations.” With his hair slicked back and waxy red lips, our dear James (who is says he’s not gay,

just gay-seeming and really into art) makes for a handsome woman, of the mid-career Liza Minnelli mould. Fun fact: Famed fashion pervert Terry Richardson photographed James in drag, according to this video Candy made to promote the issue.

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Drag queen Batty Davis performs during the Official MSU Drag Show April 19, 2013, at the International Center. Not only were there drag queens present at the show, but drag kings as well.

Drag queen Ace DeVille does her makeup before the Official MSU Drag Show on Friday, April 19, 2013, at the International Center. DeVille has been performing as a drag queen for five years.

Drag king Dice Santana performs during the Official MSU Drag Show April 19, 2013, at the International Center. Santana has been performing as a drag king for three years.

Drag queen Hershae Chocolatae performs during the Official MSU Drag Show April 19, 2013, at the International Center. Chocolatae has been performing as a drag queen for about 12 years.

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When you’re at Buster’s this Friday or Saturday, looking up in awe at the artistry and transformative power of Passing: Fashioning Drag, you’re probably going to find it pretty hard to believe that men have been doing drag in this city for over 100 years.

Yep, this little Southern town of ours has a drag grandmommy who played a huge role in building tolerance and encouraging self-expression that set the stage for the experience being presented at Buster’s this weekend.

James “Sweet Evening Breeze” Herndon was born in 1892 in Scott Co., suffered an eye injury as a boy that brought him to Good Samaritan Hospital, and was abandoned by his family the next day. Had this sequence of events never happened, James may never have become Sweets and drag may never have settled in to the mainstream like it has today.

The charm of one of Lexington’s most colorful characters won over a wealthy white benefactor of the hospital, and Sweets was given a room to live in and a job handing out mail to patients and entertaining them with his ukelele. His unique styling evolved out of these creative exchanges and soon he was adorning men’s clothing with women’s accessories. A broach, makeup, dresses… all were part of Sweets’ design, and on Halloween, the one day it was legal for me to dress as women, he’d grace the public in full drag.

“When Sweets was seen in her later years in downtown Lexington, she always wore Nehru blouses, and she carried a parasol, and she has a black Egyptian wig,” said Bradley Picklesimer, a friend of Sweets and a pallbearer at his funeral. “It wasn’t until Sweets passed away that I found out why she carried a parasol in the summer. The wig that she wore was made of horsehair and paraffin wax. That means that Sweets had that wig before modern day wigs were manufactured.”

Jeff Jones, an assistant professor at UK’s College of Public Health, wrote an article about Sweets in Chevy Chaser Magazine‘s September 2002 edition that explains other roles that endeared this gender-bending black man to his Southern society:

Having never learned to drive, Sweets would regularly wave down or call the police for a lift. He hated birds, and once a year, the local firemen would come and wash down his roof to remove any bird droppings. During the doctors-versus-nurses basketball games at Good Sam, Sweets filled the role of cheerleader…

Every fall he would buy shoes and leave them on the doorsteps for needy Pralltown children. When a neighborhood family or friend was having financial difficulty, he would buy food and have it delivered anonymously by taxi. Sweets also would report any neighborhood drug dealers to the police and helped put a young girl he liked through college.

By all accounts, Sweets was an excellent cook, sharing famed pastries all over town, and his parties with their fine china and silver were legendary.

Picklesimer, who now lives in Los Angeles and does parties for Elton John among others, drew inspiration and courage from his friendship with Sweets, who Bradley remembers would redo his house with the changing seasons.

Sweets considered himself the epitome of Southern grace and those who knew him say he never would have proclaimed himself a drag queen. But the courage of his expression and the stewardship that he demonstrated to his community established a foundation for the drag culture that exists today.

Take for instance this recollection, researched by Jones and constructed from an account by drag queen Leigh Angelique:

At some point circa 1960, a teenaged Leigh Angelique, another local African-American drag queen, was arrested for violating Lexington’s ordinance against cross-dressing except on Halloween. One story holds that Sweets bailed Leigh out of jail and subsequently defended her in court. When the case was brought before the judge, Sweets supposedly pointed to a woman in the courtroom and told that judge that if it was a crime to wear makeup, then the woman should be charged equally to any man. The judge then threw the case out on the grounds that the ordinance unfairly punished one sex for behavior accepted for the other as well as on particular holidays.

Leigh Angelique herself claims, however, that actually both Sweets and herself were jailed. While in jail they even performed a mini-drag show for the curious guards who even went so far as to tip the “girls” for their act. Either a jailer or other prominent friend of Sweets spoke to the judge on their behalf. Sweets spoke up against jailing men for makeup and not women, and the case was dismissed.

With this judgment, Lexington’s ordinance against public drag was apparently overturned.

Passing: Fashioning Drag is obviously a tribute to the craftmanship and creativity that flavors drag culture, but it’s also a celebration of our city’s history, its before-its-time tolerance, its acceptance of people of all walks of life.

Frankly, it proves Lexington is and always has been awesome.

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Mr. Estebrooks and boyfriend dressed in evening gowns at Root’s Party 1930
How wonderful to be able to post this photograph without fear of threats of blackmail – and worse – by a demented cross-dresser who objects to my choice of the tag “evening gown” . . .as happened when I first uploaded this to my Flickr Stream!

Pretty men from Ohio – circa 1920s
How lovely . . . .but I am not too keen on their shoes.

Father and son out for a Sunday afternoon stroll

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Gay men and lesbian women often joke about the “membership credentials” they must have in order to be gay, a.k.a. their “gay card.”
But a popular gay bar in Elk Grove Village wasn’t kidding when it imposed a new policy, requiring an actual drag ID from their transgender patrons.
As the drag queens would say, We are not amused.
The new policy at Hunters Nightclub (1932 E Higgins Rd) requires all customers to show a valid photo ID that matches their “gender presentation.” In other words, if you show up looking like a boy or like a girl, then that must match your government-issued ID as well.
This is a major problem for those who cross-dress or who perform in drag.
“Since I am not a full-time trans, it is not really feasible for me to have my ‘femme’ photo on my license,” one patron told the Tribune. Andy describes himself as a “part-time transgender woman” who lives and works as a man but appears as “Jeanette” at the bar. “I do not even know if they would allow it. … This is discrimination, pure and simple.”
Hunters’ owners instituted the policy after reports of drag-queen and transgender prostitutes advertising on Craigslist and using the bar as a meeting place for their customers. Such activity would put the club’s liquor license at risk.
But the new ID requirement is unfair, as it singles out a specific group.
“The fact is, if they are only requiring this of cross-dressers, that would be problematic because it would single out cross-dressers or transsexuals for a special burden,” said Ed Yohnka, spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. “Under the Illinois Human Rights Act, they can’t do that.”
Whatever one’s thoughts about cross-dressers or drag queens, the new policy does seem a bit ridiculous to enforce. If a customer showed up dressed in costume, would he be turned away because he is not in costume in his driver’s license photo? That could make for a very difficult Halloween event.
We fully understand that, for transgendered people, the issue of appearance is much more serious than an occasional change of clothes, but the idea remains the same. As long as the ID is real and belongs to the person presenting it, then it shouldn’t matter what the person is wearing.
The bar’s owners say that are currently working on finding a new solution.

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LONGMONT — Green glitter eye shadow and high heels are not part of comedian Todd Simmonds’ daily routine, but they’re everyday wear for his stage character, Mona Lott.

Simmonds developed a drag queen alter ego for a stand-up audition in Las Vegas but kept her around for her big mouth.

“I talk about a lot of popular trends and hot topics, and Mona can say a lot of things that I can’t get away with,” Simmonds said. “You don’t mess with a 45-year-old, 300-pound man with boobs this big.”

Mona is hosting Ball Bustin’ Bingo, Longmont’s first drag queen bingo, every other Friday at Jesters Dinner Theatre.

Jesters co-owner Daniel Bohnen is hoping Simmonds’ saucy character will attract a younger audience, broadening the theater’s reach.

“Right now, we have the dinner theater, which is age appropriate and draws more of the 30-plus crowd, and children’s theater, which draws a lot of kids and families,” Bohnen said. “Friday nights are our adult comedy nights, so we’re trying to pull in the younger demographic since we don’t have much for them.”

The R-rated show began earlier this month and includes a stand-up routine that Simmonds said is different every show but often includes complaints about panty hose and fake boobs.

The act is followed by four bingo games led by Mona, who spends most of the time cracking jokes, singing and heckling her audience.

“It’s very interactive,” Simmonds said.

The raunchy show is meant to introduce drag culture to small towns like Longmont, he said.

“They (the audience) should leave their inhibitions and perceptions at home,” Simmonds said. “I’m challenging the perceptions of how people in small towns react to things that aren’t quiet and comfortable.”

Bohnen said pushing the envelope is part of what Jesters’ staff is hoping will bring in the younger crowd.

“Personally, I think it’s a great show, very unique,” Bohnen said.

Simmonds, who was raised in Loveland, saw success with his outrageous character in Las Vegas, where Mona starred in a weekly comedy show at the Greek Isles Hotel and Casino and appeared on Comedy Central’s “The Gong Show” with Dave Attell.

In 2011, Simmonds moved back to Colorado and hosted drag queen bingo for sold-out crowds in Loveland. This spring, Simmonds has bingo shows scheduled in Greeley, Lafayette and Denver.

Green wigs and 2-inch-long false eyelashes get more of a reaction in Colorado than they did in Vegas, Simmonds said, but 30 years of acting and life experience has helped him, and his alter ego, develop a tough skin.

“I’m very self-assured and if you don’t like it, then tough,” Simmonds said. “It takes a lot of balls to play bingo with this drag queen.”

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Philadelphia drag queen Martha Graham Cracker has an amazing voice with a personality to boot. The on-stage alter-ego of theatre performer Dito Van Reigersberg, Cracker / Reigersberg runs her own monthly cabaret, a self-described “dazzling and bizarre assemblage of musicians, actors, barflies, three legged chickens, (and) Hindu fakirs.” She’s performed for a variety of audiences, and recently received her first invitation to do a Dr. Seuss reading for kids at New Jersey child care centre in celebration of National Read Across America Day. Graham Cracker accepted the invite, and then, the centre un-invited her (if there’s any doubt, because she’s a drag queen). It seems as though the higher-ups at the child care centre did not approve of the original invitation, sent by the centre’s supervisor.

After some back and forth, and a lot of media attention, the centre posted this rather vague statement on their website:

Haddonfield Child Care is committed to providing an environment that recognizes and encourages diversity in our staff and activities. Along with that commitment comes a responsibility to be sensitive to the developmental levels, maturity and ages of the children in our programs, which range from 5 to 11 years old. We strive to provide a variety of activities that respect the individual needs and parenting styles of all of the families we serve.

So, after all of this, the Christ Church Neighbourhood House in Philadelphia, asked Graham Cracker to preform, and did not remove the invitation, and Graham Cracker’s rendition of Green Eggs and Ham rocked the house. You can watch a video of the show below, and see for yourself why Graham Cracker is a “legend” in Philadelphia.

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Eleven fraternity brothers at George Washington University competed on Wednesday night in an amateur drag contest to send a message of acceptance to LGBT Greeks and to help raise money for the Trevor Project.

Allied in Pride, GW’s largest LGBT student organization, teamed up with the university’s fraternities and sororities to put on the “Allied in Greek” event.

Allied in Pride President Nick Gumas told the Blade, “the event will illustrate that it is okay to be different, encouraging members of the Greek community regardless of their race, sexual orientation, or religion to feel comfortable expressing themselves.”

All 11 contestants were judged by a professional drag queen, a student drag queen, and the Executive Vice President of GW’s Student Association, but only one contestant scored tens across the board. Beta Theta Pi’s Michael Morgan, the winner of the competition, said, “I hope that others saw this allied front for such great causes and that they really see that we can work together to defeat false stigmas and stereotypes. We can raise money for philanthropy and have a great time all the while.”

With over 900 tickets distributed, the large crowd erupted into applause and fraternity chants at the end of each performance. The loudest cheers came at the announcement that over $1000 would be going to the Trevor Project.

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Walter Cole, 79, enjoys a good drag show. That may come as no surprise to many a drag fan in Portland, Oregon. For those of you who are not in the know, Cole is – and has been – Darcelle XV, the legendary drag queen of the Pacific Northwest for the past 40 years. With thousands of shows under her tiara, Darcelle XV and company (whose numbers have varied over the years, but hover around nine drag queens and a male dancer) have performed shows in Seattle, Washington; Vancouver, B.C.; San Francisco, California; and Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, to name a few. Dressed to the nines in all her drag queen majesty, the queen from Oregon has even performed shows in England, China, and India.

With all that experience and history, it’s no wonder Darcelle XV has created one of drag’s premier events: La Femme Magnifique. The pageant, now in its 29th year, is, as Darcelle XV puts it, “Glitz and glamour and a passion to win the crown.” This year, the regional contest will be held in Seattle at Neighbours Nightclub on May 23. The winner of the regional La Femme Magnifique and La Femme Magnifique Plus (for the healthier girls!) will advance to the La Femme Magnifique International, held on the Sunday of Labor Day weekend in the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, Oregon. In the past, only three Washington drag queens – Coco Vaughn (Tacoma, 1986), Gaysha Starr (Seattle, 1994), and LaVada Dela Rosa (Seattle, 1996) – have won the crown. SGN caught up with Darcelle XV to discuss the magic of make-up, entertainment, and 40 years of fabulousness.

“In 1967, I bought a tavern [with Roxy LaRoy] in Old Town,” Darcelle XV told SGN. “The laws were very different back then. You couldn’t serve alcohol and have entertainment. But soon the laws changed, and our first drag shows were danced on tabletops. Forty years later, Darcelle XV Showplace is a full liquor bar with food and cabaret.”

Darcelle XV told SGN that the club exists – and thrives – because of the art of drag. “It’s nice to see that drag has moved into the mainstream and is something that people from all walks of life can enjoy,” she said. “It didn’t used to be that way, and it certainly was never on television. In the late 1960s, drag was unique and performed for all-Gay audiences. Shows were very primitive.”

Darcelle XV says that although they never ran into too many problems with the police in the early days, “Gay bars weren’t quite as open as they are now.” The entertainer says she credits drag for helping to promote the Gay lifestyle in a fun and positive light.

Over the years, there have been certain things that have surprised the seasoned entertainer and business owner. “During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, we thought we might lose our audience because people were scared and confused about the disease,” she recalled. “But that didn’t happen. We did, however, lose a lot of dear friends and wonderful entertainers. The drag community really did a lot of fundraising and benefit work during those early days. We helped out whenever we could.”

“I just closed Just Call Me Darcelle, a one-man show out of drag,” Darcelle XV told SGN. “I talked a lot about my history and the history of drag. I think everyone should sit down and write a one-person show. It is very wonderful. It is hard to do because you can’t hold back. Mine took me two years to write. I didn’t hold back; I was honest with myself, and when I was through, I ended up with a very good outline of who I really am.”

“If everyone did that, then no one would need therapy,” Darcelle XV laughed.

“Drag is theatrical, of course,” she said. “Eighty-five percent of drag queens take it very seriously. It’s a lot of work. You’ve got to gather material to do, and costumes are very important. Years ago, we used to just throw on a dress from Goodwill. You can’t get away with that anymore. Being a drag queen is also very expensive. It is, however, a beautiful art form.”

Darcelle XV says she had to learn her craft onstage. “Before I became a drag queen, I was doing male characters from book plays. But once I did drag, I became addicted. When the audience applauds you, it is wonderful.”

“The magic formula is to have fun,” Darcelle XV told SGN. “You can’t just walk out on stage knowing you are the most beautiful, painted-up creature. It isn’t just the ‘look’ that sells the show. The look is five seconds into seeing you – you’ve got to follow it up with talent and fun.”

Darcelle XV says that a good drag queen should be dedicated to the craft. “Discipline is important – from wearing stockings to wigs to make-up, you’ve got to have that discipline. A good drag show does not have ‘drag time’; performers should be respectful of the audience and show up on time.”

The 29th Annual La Femme Magnifique and (for the first time) La Femme Magnifique Plus will seat 800 people at 80 tables. The production is no small undertaking, and Darcelle XV promises that audience members are never disappointed. “The winner seems to stand out from the minute they walk out onstage,” she said. “The competition consists of formal wear, theme wear [this year's theme is the Garden of Eden], a talent showcase, and a Las Vegas showgirl [segment].”

“This year, I’ve been asked to be a grand marshal for the Portland Pride Parade,” she said. “When the parade is through, I will wash my face and go out with my family. I have two children and two grandchildren from a previous marriage. Although Roxy and I have been together for over 40 years, we haven’t been able to conceive yet – but we’re still trying!”

“I think everyday LGBT people should be proud,” said Darcelle XV. “We need to be proud of who we are and where we’ve come from. In the past, a drag queen would have never been invited to important events. Now, over the past 40 years, I’ve attended or performed at mayoral and city council victory brunches. I’m proud that, in Portland, I’ve helped with positive interaction between the Gay and straight community at large.”

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This week I brought to you some information on one of (if not THE) most fantastic drag queen in Philadelphia in the Stage section of the paper:
You might think “Sinful Sunday” is just a cutesy way to match a day of the week with an accompanying adjective, a la Thirsty Thursday, Frisky Friday, etc. But no. Thing is, Sunday night at Tabu Lounge and Sports Bar is a different kind of church. Or for that matter, you’re welcome to come hear The Goddess Isis preach from her pulpit 12 hours after dragging your hangover-havin’ self to service with Mom and Dad and listen to a preacher cut from an entirely different cloth. ?
Isis has only been in Philadelphia for about three years, after a long and edifying stint in the South. But that’s been more than enough time for her to get up and running with her own headlining weekly gig, which recently hit its two-year anniversary and is going stronger than ever. She’s more of a Carrie Underwood fan than a Rihanna queen. The first time she was in women’s clothes was when her parents dressed her up as Dolly Parton at the tender age of four. She doesn’t even remember it, but there are plenty of photos. The boobs, the wig, the dress, everything. You can’t be Dolly Parton without huge fake tits, can you? ?
As a youth, Isis grew up in the church. She loved the music, the pageantry, the fainting and outpouring emotion from folks moved by the spirit, whatever that may be. She loved it so much that she went and got herself an A.A. degree in Bible Theology. For real. At Lee University in Tennessee. Turns out Lee has an outstanding music program, so she traveled up and down North America with a gospel singing group. One of those rare drag queens who does more than put on ?a wig and a dress and give face like there’s no tomorrow, Isis can also sing. Musicality and performance is at the forefront of her drag. It’s what makes her one of, if not the, most successful and electrifying performers in the city. ?
Isis has come a long way since her first cognizant drag performance, at the age of 16, when she was pulled on stage in D.C. and forced to wear styrofoam falsies that kept falling down to her stomach. The song was “Make It Happen” by Mariah Carey. She can still turn out a mean Mariah, but she also dabbles in all kinds of divas, from Erykah Badu to Whitney Houston, and when Isis performs drag, she does it all the way. She knows every word, and you can tell. And every Sunday, she and her rotating cast of friends and queens give you show for days for a mere $5. And the great thing about Tabu’s upstairs lounge? It’s like you’re in her living room. A Sunday service in a drag queen’s living room. And she likes it that way. ?
She’s also heavily involved in Mimi Imfurst’s Dollhouse Revue at Voyeur on Wednesday nights and has been for years now, too, but that’s a whole different kind of drag night. The stage is high and narrow. The price of admission doesn’t buy you a drink. There’s four or five times as many people in the audience. On Sunday nights at Tabu, you might just get called up on stage and commanded to take your shirt off. (Especially if you’re straight, and it looks like you’re easy to fuck with.) As for the bang you get with your buck, there’s no better regular, steady night of wig-wearin’, heel-stompin’, lip-syncin’, face-givin’, arm-swingin’ entertainment in the Gayborhood.

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Do you know or are an amazing original drag artist who should be featured here? Let us know through an email at darryl@dragqueens-oftheworld.com.

Even when a drag queen looks perfectly pulled together, sometimes she’s actually falling apart.

Legendary drag performer Jackie Beat — also known as Kent Fuher — has taken to GiveForward in an attempt to raise $50K by Apr. 28. What’s a simple gurl need with that kind of cash? Unfortunately, she’s in desperate need of a double hip replacement.

Here’s Jackie’s plea, which shows she still has a good sense of humor about the situation:

Take a big-boned man-lady who has run around in high heels for over 20 years, add the fact that her mother drank like a fish and smoked like a chimney while pregnant with her, make it all take place right here in America instead of Canada and what do you get? A world-famous drag superstar with two hips that are crumbling like a sandcastle during high tide.

NEWS FLASH: There’s no such thing as a Drag Queen union, and as a result, I have no medical insurance. After years of excruciating pain it’s finally time for the DOUBLE hip replacement. Many years ago I was told that my right hip was “bone-on-bone” (no, that’s NOT the latest Chi Chi LaRue DVD!) and the left was almost as bad. But I didn’t have the money, the time or the courage to have the surgery and continued to dance like a monkey and sing like a bird, despite the pain. But the time has come when I can barely walk and this must happen NOW.

My surgery is scheduled for Tuesday, March 12th. I am terrified, but this must be done. I realize that this is NOT LIFE-THREATENING, but it has and continues to greatly effect and diminish my QUALITY OF LIFE.

So, if I have ever given you a chuckle or made you crack a smile, please slip a little something into the brandy snifter here on mama’s piano. (Okay, stop looking for a piano, that was merely a creative way of begging you to please give!) Every little bit helps. Am I embarrassed? Of course. Will I let that stop me? Never.

Thank you so much and please feel free to share this!

Some of Beat’s famous pals, including Pandora Boxx and Sharon Needles, are already spreading the good word on their social media. Visit GiveForward to show your financial support. And if you’re broke as a joke, you can also send “hugs,” or messages of love and encouragement.

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Do you know or are an amazing original drag artist who should be featured here? Let us know through an email at darryl@dragqueens-oftheworld.com.

Drag queen Roxy C. Moorecox is my fairy godmother. I first called her last April when I was writing a cover story for Creative Loafing on the local drag scene in Charlotte. She became my guide to all things marabou-feathered. I called her with questions almost every day. She always answered without a hint of annoyance or exhaustion — including the time I literally woke her up. I even called her while she was hosting Trivia Tuesday. She held her cell phone up to the audience, saying, “Everyone, say hello to Joanne!”

When I asked Roxy to perform for my birthday last December, she planned an intimate cabaret-style set at The Bar at 316 for my friends and me. She sang — live, not lipsynched — my personal theme song, “I Am What I Am” in front of a baby grand piano filled with balloons. It meant a lot to me, especially since her week had been jam-packed with shows. She put a new spin on me turning a year older.

Roxy helped me celebrate a milestone — my 27th birthday –and now it’s her turn to take on a new chapter. In my latest for Creative Loafing, Roxy explains how she’s branching out from the bar scene to star in Bang! A One Woman Show! at Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte on Friday, Feb 1 and Saturday, Feb 2 at 8 p.m. For the first time in her career, she must follow pre-set lighting cues and stick to a script — plus reveal new sides of herself. The new venue may entice new drag performer fans who are either too tired or intimidated to see a drag show in a bar after midnight.

Knowing Roxy like I do, she’ll start and end with a — well, you know.

Watch the video

Do you know or are an amazing original drag artist who should be featured here? Let us know through an email at darryl@dragqueens-oftheworld.com.

New York photographer Leland Bobbé has captures the two sides of the city’s drag queens. The series called ‘Half-Drag’ shows shows the transformation process to become a drag queen.

Bobbé says: “Through the power of hair and makeup these men are able to completely transform themselves and find their female side while simultaneously showing their male side.”

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Do you know or are an amazing original drag artist who should be featured here? Let us know through an email at darryl@dragqueens-oftheworld.com.