Inside of Drag

Inside of Drag is a project created to give drag performers a safe space to speak out about the stereotypes and constraints they face both within and outside of the community. In today’s society, drag stars are often silenced by societal expectations and prejudices. This project aims to break that silence, allowing these performers to share their experiences and challenge the limitations imposed on them, while fostering a deeper understanding of the challenges they endure.

The Visionary

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“I am getting more into being a thing and a king. But occasionally I will probably do some queen stuff.”

Why did you get into drag?

“For the past few years I've been very into drag, and one of my friends introduced me to it. But I just started doing drag here at Ringling. I also wanted to broaden the horizon of more disabled drag performers because there aren't many who are disabled in general but most of them are either wheelchair bound or use canes. That's the most often seen, but as a legally blind performer I just wanted to broaden everything.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“I'm still working on the character stuff with mine but honestly out of all my performances i think the one i am working on for T4T on friday is my favorite. It is a punk political statement act.

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“Honestly things like disabled people can't do drag or that people from different cultures can't do it because of x, y and z. Anyone can do drag, it doesn't matter who you are or what you are, you can do what you want. And drag can be an expression of gender or just an expression of who you want to be.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“Do what you want and do what you dream of doing. Honestly get yourself out there, get your name out there if you want to perform, if you want to do almost anything just do what you feel like you should do.”

Mister Midnight

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“I am a king.”

Why did you get into drag?

“It's actually really interesting because I joined the Ringling Drag Club under the assumption that I was only going to be a tech guy. I was going to be their lights and sound guy. And then I had an idea for a performance and I pitched to the officers at the time and they encouraged me to pursue it, that's when I did my first performance. Then after that I was just hooked. I immediately got the bug.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“It's a hard choice, I've done a couple characters and costumes I'm really proud of but King Midnight from the Dungeon and Dragons show was one of my highlights. And then my zombie cowboy look from T4T was another one of my favorites.”

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“I love her to death, she's a fellow florida performer but people kind of think we all look like Jewel Sparkles. I love her to death. She was on the most recent season of Drag Race, we have shared a stage before. She's a wonderful person but she is a glitz and glamor queen. My face is not helping my case cause I am very reflective but normally I am black and white, greasy, grimy, grungy, I've always seen Mister Midnight as a parody of masculinity. It's why I also sometimes consider myself a little bit of a drag because there's a certain point where I stop being a man in a costume and I start becoming an idea. It's why people can start to think that he's not a good man because he's a hyper parody of all the masculine figures I've had in my life. Is why he dresses up as a lumberjack, a cowboy, a priest, a politician, a very male centered dominated role.i love the level of expression that the glamour queens bring but its not for me. I like to be the exact opposite of the spectrum.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“Haha check me out of instagram. Mister__midnight__drag.”

Carson Fyre

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“Depends on the week. Depends on the idea. Depends on the concept. I kind of just go with the flow when it comes to when I come up with something that I want to present as an art, and then I make it happen.”

Why did you get into drag?

“So originally I started with Ringling, with the drag club here. A friend i don't talk to anymore is actually who introduced me to drag, they said it was so cool and dragged me to one of the Ringling shows. And i was like yes this is something i want to do. I'm gonna do this, I think. And then I proceeded to dive head first, I ended up treasurer of the club last year and after that I started to perform outside of Ringling. And I started to make my own shows outside of ringling and working with more performers, just really more engaged with the community itself.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“The Carson lore is very fun. For context Midnight and i have an entire lore that we have put together for anybody in our friend group that have been involved and has developed their character a little bit more. We have put it together where Carson essentially is like this robot character. Very much inspired by the original Stepford wives, where they were originally trapped in this situation where they have to come to the realization that they are in fact a robot, and proceed to run into the woods in a panic, and meet a weird little cannibal down the street over there. We have woven all of our main friend group into the general lore to the point that, I mean Edgar is involved, Midnight's drag wife is also involved. It's so fun to be able to develop that world because we eventually want to make it into a comic.”

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“This isn't even a political thing but the fact that anytime I talk to people about the community, people who aren't as involved or knowledgable, if I mention the concept of a drag king they are baffled. It is not well known, it is not something that is usually talked about or perceived by the general audience. It's become this sort of taboo thing to talk about in the community because with the rise of drag race it did great many things. It gave a lot of visibility to traditional drag and had that sort of authenticity and legitimacy to the art form. But it also destroyed a lot of the lives of performers that would be more non traditional. We are taking bearded queens, trans women, trans men, anybody who doesn't fit the standard cis male queen was not included for a very long time. And the same thing goes for drag kings, they would not even think about putting us on drag races. And I do mean that, they would not even get close to it because of the politics of it all and the fact that Ru Paul is not the biggest fan of drag kings as a whole.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“Go to local drag. Go to a local show. Find somewhere around you that is going to be a place where you can engage with a queer audience and a queer community because that is where something is happening. One of the biggest examples is the difference between Southern Nights and Spookeasy. Southern Nights is a very popular venue but it does not have the same level of heart and community that Spookeasy does. They do not have the same level of comradery, not to mention a lot of other issues I won't talk about. But engaging with local performers is where something is happening. When I think about the future of drag I think of Edgar Allen Hoe, I think about Sueside, I think about Apollo Infiniti, people who are doing things that nobody else is doing.”

Hi Jinkz

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“I'm a mix between a king and a thing, I kind of vary between the male impersonation acts and just kind of the critter aspect of it. I dabble in both and don't really constrict myself.”

Why did you get into drag?

“I got into drag because of a girl I was dating at the time, she was a queen/thing over at the Spookeasy. Things didn't really work out between us but it's ok cause now she's my drag mom. She was the main push, she saw me lip syncing in my room and she is like that drag honey. So I decided to go to my first open stage a little over a year ago at the spookeasy and I've been doing it ever since.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“Um when it comes to like characters they are all some iteration of Jinkz so its Junkz as whatever character is portrayed. One of my favorites that i've done is Jinkz as Edward Cullen from the Twilight baseball scene. That one was pretty camp, and then whenever I brought the alternative look to the last Ringling show I was a part of, I really enjoyed that look and that number.”

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“I feel like one of the biggest misconceptions about drag is that it is only like cis men doing it and that everyone is going to be a queen, a fem diva or whatever because there are so many different types of drag that don't get the exposure they deserve when these people are really working their butts off. So it's like I wish people would open their minds to all different kinds of drag and different people doing drag because as an art form that is very centered in the LGBT community we should be honoring and uplifting all kinds of identities when it comes to drag, not just the typical queen. I love typical queen don't get be wrong i'd like to just see more variety, there's plenty of times I've gone to the club in drag with full facial hair and still gotten misgendered or being told I can't do drag cause im quote on quote a girl, even though that's untrue.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“Keep going, just keep going because you're going to feel stupid until you do the thing. And whenever you do the thing everyone is going to have such complimentary things to say and even if something goes wrong just keep going. That's the difference between a seasoned performer you gotta roll with the punches when it comes to not only creating your craft just every step you have to trust the process. Everything will ultimately work out, you know that you're full of talent and that you have the potential so just ride it out,be creative, don't be afraid to be a little weird with it. Just having fun drag is about fun and making friends in the community before about bookings and money. Don't get discouraged if things go wrong, just keep going.”

Erebus Lust

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“I would say I'm mostly a drag king but I do sometimes do a drag thing.”

Why did you get into drag?

“I went to a Ringling drag show, Taz invited me. I saw the performance and was like wow, my self confidence was like not there. So i was like hey i wanna get into this to boost my confidence, how do i start? Things just kind of took off from there.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“So my favorite costume is the one I'm working on right now. It is a black light price. Character wise, the character of Erebus is honestly really special to me, he is kinda tied to the family lore and he is essentially a vampire who was turned in the 1920’s. He's fallen for mortal after mortal, he's been around for ages, and has fallen for a lot of mortals and watched them die, and is honestly kind of losing his mind because he keeps falling for people only for them to leave.”

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“So honestly what Carson said about how drag kings are kind of taboo. Everybody is just looking for a traditional queen, there are so many people who will refuse to book drag kings. Especially being a trans drag king like people are like you're just a guy being a guy and that's one of the biggest misconceptions. You don't have to be the opposite gender to perform the same gender. There are so many trans men and women who are drag queens and kings. And I think there is something really special about that because it gives us a chance to be honestly our true selves.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“If you want to get into something just go for it. That's what I did when it came to drag. I dived head first. I talked to Carson and was immediately planning for my first ever show. At Spooks I got thrown into one of Carson’s acts and then I immediately went to do my first ever solo act at Spooks. So honestly if you want to do something just throw yourself into it and everything will click into place.

Private Property

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“Thing”

Why did you get into drag?

“So I first got into drag when I watched a Halloween performance in my freshman year. And after that I thought it would be really interesting to at least try it one time. And I'm really glad I did that because through that I have been able to meet so many amazing people and friends and I just kept doing it because it's so fun to interact with all these creative people.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“So I personally love when we do Halloween because I do my Herbet West Reanimator and he's a big interpretation to me because he's chaotic. I just always love our Halloween shows. It's the biggest excuse to amp up our stuff.”

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“More so breaking the bounds of gender because i feel like people feel like you always have to do drag based off of their opposing gender. Which as a non binary person i really just go with the flow of creativity. Which I think is more appealing. People my generation tend to understand that a bit better, but people in the older drag crowd are still getting used to that and I wish there was more understanding about it.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“Support your local drag artists. Follow them. See what shows they are performing at. Repost their stories. All of that just support local drag, especially right now.”

Googly Moogly

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“Im kinda more of a drag thing, i like to refer to myself as a drag pet. I'm like your weird little dog that is shaking and needs help. Drag muppet is also another good example of where I fall on in the drag spectrum.”

Why did you get into drag?

“So i follow this king on instagram his name is MeepPuppet, he does this really cool like craft based drag. He crochets all of the head gear that he has and I have been wanting to do drag for a while and I didn't really have a space where I felt like I could do it. And then learning that Ringling had a drag club kind of inspired me to make that push to get into it, and now I'm staying because I love performing and being able to make characters like that.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“So the only two that I have done so far are named Licorice and Sardine. I love Sardine so much she is like this siren reverse mermaid, she's a little bit raunchy, a little lustful. I love her because I got to repurpose an old costume and like to add on to it, and it was the first time I got to build something myself out of cardboard. Two it's just such a ridiculous look, I'm usually wearing this like a giant fish shaped penis, i call it the codpiece, its like pasties and it's just like this really sultry number with this giant fish head and it just encapsulates all of my persona as Googly Moogly which is just ridiculous and clearly thrown together. I love her so much.”

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“I think generally understanding that drag kings and just generally more masculine drag performers have always been here. They were some of the first drag performers on the scene and I think that they need to be acknowledged and booked more than they are. And I also think that if you're not doing high masculine high feminine drag all the time and you're not doing super serious numbers that it doesn't diminish you at all as an artist. The whole point of Googly Moogly and why I started doing drag is I wanted to have fun and I wanted to be silly. And I think having fun and being silly is just as valid and should be considered just as much as someone doing a more serious number or a more classic drag look. We shouldn't pit two types of performers against each other, we are in it together.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“I think that understanding that anyone can do drag is super important. And again being given the opportunity by my school to perform and expand both being on the stage and who I am as a person is just an opportunity that I am just forever thankful for.”

Edgar Allen Hoe

Are you a drag queen, king, or thing?

“I am a king that leans into the thin category, usually I'll do more monstrous masculine looks. But when I'm out of drag I would consider myself a king.”

Why did you get into drag?

“So I actually started it in highschool for a charity event. They were like hey we are trying to raise money to go to our local pride and i was like i have nothing to do i have a wig and i can out on heels or something. And it just snowballed from there.”

What is your favorite character or costume you've made so far?

“Essentially with Edgar I have a bunch of different characters through him that are all his past possesses. Because Edgar is a ghost and has a bunch of different possesies throughout the decades. So usually I'll be genre specific and play into those tropes with them and give them all different personalities. But the one I've had the most fun doing was Dr. Sunshine, he is like a mad scientist. But yeah easily that's probably one of my favorites performance wise but costume and look wise would have to be the giant candlehead look.”

What is the biggest misconception about drag stars and the drag community that you wish people knew the truth about?

“Drag isn't about yourself. I've been in the Orlando scene for about a year now and Tampa for about three months. People like to think of it as a gloating type of deal when drag at its core is about community and bringing people together so they can feel welcome and accepted, share queer art, and create safe spaces. A lot of people that i know view it as i just want to look pretty and get money. Which you can't really do in this economy unless you are on a drag race and even shows like drag race commodify what drag is really about, they make it about im this one person and have to stick to this one brand, i need to get designer clothes, i need to make it about me. And yes it's sharing queer art but it's done in such a sterilized way where the public consensus does not really understand when they come into spaces that hold this it's very hard to really feel as safe because they are expecting something entirely different.”

Is there anything else you want to say?

“It's ok to do something out of the box. It's ok to take risks because being safe when it comes to drag is something we see a lot which is sad. Don't change yourself to fit a mold, i've done that before and it's made me feel dysphoric before, i've done queen looks and i'm miserable. Drag is about doing something you enjoy, it's about art. It's about taking gender and giving it a big old middle finger.”

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