August 9, 6:30 – 7:30 PM: Olivia Obscene
August 23, 6:30 – 7:30 PM: Kimberly Michelle Westwood

Salem Reporter

Salem drag community celebrates art, history at new exhibit – by Abbey McDonald on July 11, 2024.

Capital Community Media

InSight- The Art of Drag. Jun 21, 2024. – With Wendy Brokaw.

Lylac

“Drag as an artform has changed my life completely. As a Queer Mexican, growing up in Salem wasn’t always easy but when I discovered drag at the age of 18 my world exploded. I saw a whole new light in the world. Drag allowed me to express my inner-most creativity and femininity in a way I never thought possible. Through drag, I’ve seen so much joy and love from people from all over and it means so much to me in ways I can’t even begin to explain. I’m so lucky that in drag, I get to become a superstar every weekend and inspire future entertainers and queer individuals to live to the fullest.”

RiRi Calienté

“ I grew up a child of the theatre and after nearly 25 years of life on the boards there came a point when it was time to shift creative outlets – enter Drag! 

I began Drag for a change of ‘scenery’ but I also made a promise to my childhood best friend, Dwayne. In 2003 I lost my bestie to HIV and on his deathbed he made me promise to pursue Drag because he swore I was “born to do it.” Fast forward 9 years to 2012 and it was time to put on the heels and hair and make good on this promise. It honestly didn’t take long for me to fall in love with drag and begin my relationship with this ever changing art form.

Drag has taught me volumes about myself, healed old wounds, opened doors I never thought could be, and established lifelong friendships with the local Drag Queens who continue to inspire me today just as they did 12 years ago. Being a Drag entertainer over the years has taught me whole new levels of patience, tolerance and compassion. I’ve used the art of Drag to educate, entertain and inspire! And for a legally blind, Mexican American, queer boy from a tiny town, drag means freedom, freedom to be me in every way possible and hopefully give someone that same level of freedom one day, one lash at a time!”

Sunshine Ray MacPherson

I’ve been doing Drag now for 16 years. I am blessed to have SO MANY memorable moments but most recently raising $3000 at the Black and White Ball benefiting MAKE A WISH and receiving the Order of the Double Golden Eagle from The Queen Mother of the Americas, Nicole The Great. Over the years, Drag has taught me how to be a lady, how to step back and let go of my stubbornly fierce independence and let my counterparts and sisters help me. 

To me, Drag means freedom of expression, self, fashion, color, art, and emotion. 

What I’d like people to know about the art of Drag is that it’s for EVERYONE!!! Young and old, short and tall, wide and thin, male, female, and EVERYTHING in-between! It can be tailored and served appropriately to ANY audience.

Carmen

I struggled for a long time to find the perfect drag name for myself. I knew I wanted to be known with a mononym, much like Cher or Madonna. I tried out whimsical names like Confetti and Piñata but those didn’t seem to convey the deeply feminine essence that I was projecting. I settled on Carmen because it was the name I gave to myself when I came out as a Trans Woman. Carmen resonated deeply within me to reflect the strength and sensuality of my femininity. For many artists, there is a clear-cut separation between themselves and their drag persona. For myself, drag unveiled who I was inside, so bearing my chosen name on the stage is an honor.

I am 28 years old and drag was the first lifelong commitment I ever made. Ever since I can remember I was playing in my mother’s closet, finger painting on my face with her makeup and twirling in the flowing skirts of her Sunday best. The first time I left the house in drag I was 12 years old. It was Halloween and I had worked for months to recreate an outfit from my favorite character from my favorite musical: Angel, from RENT. I continued this tradition every Halloween until I moved out of my parents’ home at 18, where I practiced “bedroom drag” until I was old enough to share my art in the nightclub at 21. 

I have been very lucky to have been able to perform alongside countless artists from shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race and The Boulet Brother’s Dragula, but the most memorable moments for me have been the ones where I get to shine on my own in front of my community. One such moment was at a party called Twirl, a queer disco in North Porltand’s Kenton Club. Disco is my favorite genre of music, and it was an absolute honor to be able to perform for this party for the second time on my 26th birthday in late April of 2022. The beginning chords of The Boss by Diana Ross swelled inside the club and I hit the stage decked out in gossamer layers of pink. I twirled my heart out in front of that crowd and the way they cheered made me feel like a superstar. Afterwards, the producer of the event handed me a birthday gift and said that he had never heard the crowd get that rowdy for a performance before. I will never forget that night and the love I felt from my community. 

Drag has taught me so many practical skills, like how to sew my own costumes, and how to style a wig, how to make something out of nothing, and turn trash into treasure. It teaches to think on your feet and improvise when things don’t work out the way you planned. Drag has also taught me so much in terms of interpersonal skills, like how to conduct yourself in a professional setting, and how to deal with confrontation. How to work with anyone regardless of any history you might have. Ultimately drag teaches you how to persevere through adversity no matter how tough the going gets. 

Drag is freedom. True freedom. To break yourself free from the shackles of what is considered to be “normal”. Freedom to be your most authentic self in the face of adversity. Drag means community. It is finding your chosen family and finding solidarity within your own queerness. 

I want people to know that there is so much more to drag than meets the eye. That there is a rich and illustrious history that is constantly being added to. Drag gives life and purpose to those who need a guiding light. What I want people to know most of all is that drag is a sacred and safe space not just for queer folk, but for anyone seeking solace and community in a world that tells us that we don’t belong.

Sterling Ray MacPherson

My drag dad, Justin MacPherson, gave me his last name and also gave me the name Sterling. Ray was given to me by my drag Papa Stingray Slaughter. 

I started almost 16 years ago, took a long hiatus and am now back on stage. 

Each time I host the Black & White Ball, I’m floored by the outpouring of love of each person in the room.

Drag has taught me to see beyond what I see in the mirror and give to the audience everything that I truly am, and what they might not realize they are looking for when they come to a 

Drag is an extension of myself that I often don’t get to show anyone. I’m actually a shy person until I step onto the stage. So, for me, drag is a method of expression. 

I want people to know that not everyone lives inside the box of Drag you see on TV. We all come from different walks of life, and our Drag can be life-changing and life-saving.

Jaklyn St Claire Beauté

My stage name, which I use for more than just drag performances is Jakyln St. Claire Beauté. The story behind my name is a journey. When I originally debuted on the stage, I was Jaklyn Frost, in honor of the characters Jack Frost and Elsa from Frozen. However, there was already an established performer in town with that name, spelled slightly differently. So, to avoid confusion… I changed it, a few times actually. I’ve officially been Jaklyn St. Claire Beauté for over 3 years. 

As of May 10^th of this year, I’ve been a drag artist for 6 years. 

Something kinda crazy happened this last March! Over the last couple of years, I’ve started sewing all of my own drag, as well as custom garments for others and that skill has allowed me to network and meet some incredible people. Most notably thus far would be Governor Tina Kotek and her wife Aimee, The First Lady of Oregon.

Drag has taught me a lot. I’ve always been a creative person, but Drag has taught me more life skills than sewing, using a hot glue gun and applying a full face of makeup. My time management skills are a lot better now, budgeting, communication skills, and how to meet deadlines. It’s like managing a whole business. 

Ever since I was a child, I wanted to perform. I wanted to be an actor on stages and screens. Those opportunities to perform dwindled after high school and when I found Drag, I found life again! Drag is a way to escape the daily struggles of life. Drag is an outlet for creative types who might otherwise not have the ability to express themselves. Drag also allows people to truly find themselves. It allows for everyone to be authentically themselves. 

My biggest takeaway is that there is more than what you see on TV screens. There are an infinite number of ways that Drag can be done and none are incorrect. All drag is valid whether it is mainstream pop diva drag, clown drag, female impersonation, non-binary drag, show girl realness, celebrity impersonation, pageant drag, drag kings & things, monster realness, etc…. Drag does real good in our communities- we fundraise, we advocate, and we rise above.

Sister Lady Marmalaid Poundcake 

My drag name is Sister Lady Marmalaid Poundcake of the Scotland Poundcakes, owner of a 1×1 square foot plot of land, the jammin’ nun.  But my friends just call me Marmalaid. My name is an amalgamation of things that I bring into my ministry to community.  Marmalade is made from oranges, and the chewy, tastiest bits of marmalade are the orange peel. When marmalade is made, a transformation occurs where the parts that are typically discarded are carefully prepared, nurtured, and loved. Often queer people are discarded and “othered” by mainstream society. Instead of discarding and othering, I like to nurture, and bring folx into the circle. I’m also a nurse and on the original pride flag, orange represents healing, the natural calling of nurses worldwide. Finally, my name has a musical reference, as I have been involved in music almost my entire life. I like to bring song into my blessings to community whenever possible, as music has a natural healing property.

I started the process of becoming a Sister of Perpetual Indulgence officially in July of 2019. The process takes about a year and follows many of the same steps that a nun would go through in a traditional religious order. We start as Aspirants, and build relationships with existing Sisters in the house, which marks the beginning of our process. Then we become Postulants and begin wearing the habit of our order but do not paint our lips. This signifies the work of the Postulant is to look and listen, not speak for the House. Next we become Novice Sisters and the habit becomes more formal and recognizable as a traditional nun habit. They plan a Novice project for the House. Novices paint their lips as they begin to learn to speak for the House, and they wear a white veil, bin and scapular. Finally, a Sister becomes Fully Professed, and takes their vows to support the community, their fellow Sisters, and the House.

Sisters tend to look at our brand of drag as more of a vocation, rather than a career. As Sisters, we raise money for the community, so when you tip a Sister or attend one of our many events, that money is going to the House or back into the community.  I think a particularly memorable event I threw a couple of years ago was our (now annual) Easter Baskets and Bunnytails event. It was essentially an underwear party where the proceeds went to the Portland Sister’s grants fund. We invited PDX PAH to come and wear jockstraps and shake buckets for tips while selling Sister Merchandise and Jell-O shots. At the end of the night we had a live auction, auctioning the jocks off of the various PDX PAH members. The event is a highlight, because it sort of marked the end of traditional pandemic Sistering, and it was like the in-person Novice Project that I didn’t get to have because of the pandemic shutdown.

Drag, and for me, Sister drag, has taught me that drag queens and Sisters alike have a lot of power to positively impact community. When we think about Stonewall, the subsequent queer rights movement, and the AIDS crisis, it was trans folx, people of color, and drag queens taking the lead in organizing to effect change. There is so much power in putting on a face, doing the work, and making our community stronger, safer, and more inclusive. The work is constant and changes as our political landscape fluctuates. Never before has it been more important to protect the rights of trans bodies and trans/queer youth.

When I manifest by putting on my Sister face, something transformative happens, where I know that the best parts of myself are being expressed.  Sistering is about the interactions that I get to have with folx and being of service to my community. We get to have intimate interactions with folx where people share their hurts, their joys, and everything in-between. There is something about the Sister energy that brings folx in, and makes them feel safe to unburden themselves from some of the stigmatic guilt that they’ve been carrying. These interactions almost always culminate in an individualized glitter blessing that they can take with them and spread joy to others in community. Sistering is service.

I think that it is important for folx to know that there are many different types of Drag, whether it be bearded, Sister, pageant, camp, comedy, or drag kings and that everyone has a place under the Drag umbrella. All gender expressions can participate in Drag and no form of Drag is better than any other.  Drag can be about counterculture, community building and organizing, activism, or entertainment and often it is a combination of these. Sister drag is not typically seen as polished. I’m rarely going to be found in hip pads, 20 pairs of hose, and I’m certainly not likely to be tucked.  

With blessings from Portland Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and performances with Juno and Sterling Ray MacPherson