PHOENIX — Phoenix Pride kicks off this weekend and as we celebrate and honor LGBTQ+ people here in the Valley, we wanted to highlight an important part of this community.
Drag queens have long been part of LGBTQ+ history, taking part in key moments like Stonewall, paving the way for immense change in the fight for equality, and at times, standing in the line of fire while being beacons of light.
But their contributions, artistry, and who they are remain under attack, so ABC15's Nick Ciletti decided to sit down with two prominent drag queens to discuss these issues and more.
Part I - What is drag?
Our candid conversation began at Fez, a gay-owned restaurant just north of downtown Phoenix at Central Avenue and Portland Street.
We brought in Richard Stevens, also known as "Barbra Seville," with more than two decades of performing in drag.
We also brought in Estevaun Lauro, a.k.a. "Lou Allure," who's only been doing drag for a few years but has already seen success as the reigning Miss Gay Phoenix America.
Nick Ciletti: How would you each define drag? What is drag?
Richard Stevens: It's sort of you tuned to an 11...Drag is taking tools and skills you have to just express yourself... It can run the gambit of a suit and tie to make you feel empowered and face the world and demand respect, to a beaded dress and feather boa to maybe bring out the fierceness or feminine side that's been pushed out of you your whole life.
"Lou Allure": Drag is not wearing a suit of armor, but who you are genuinely and who you want to express yourself to be or portray yourself to be.
For our conversation, we allowed each person to decide what to wear, and we soon found out, it had very little to do with the actual clothing.
Richard: I am someone's brother, uncle, son, and when someone tries to demonize me, I want them to realize that this is someone's son, neighbor, teacher, or bus driver, or the person who cooks your food. I want people to see the human behind what I do.
"Lou": I chose to be in drag because I remember being a little kid and getting ready for school and I would see the news and get my attention caught by something that interested me. I am being my authentic self being a drag queen and portraying who I want to express...whether you are a male or female, whatever you are, you can be whatever you want and look glamorous at it.
Nick: Is drag an escape from the real world? Or is it amplifying who you really are? Or is it both?
Richard: Any art gives you permission to express yourself in a way that you maybe you can't day to day. People who write. People who paint. People who play the drums - I'm sure there are people who play that rhythm and that passion inside them that every day can't express it - but when they get behind a drum kit they can and that's what drag does as well.
And now, every last piece of that creativity is on display for the masses; once relegated to bars, nightclubs, and pride parades, drag has gone mainstream in ways we've never seen before.
Richard: The ripple effect of it - it's incalculable, it really, really is...Drag has become an industry.
Although the exact impact of "drag-enomics" is unknown, one thing is clear: it's become big business. Richard says he could clone himself and still work full-time.
Richard: There are probably seven or eight drag brunches now and those are people who probably wouldn't be working that Sunday. Those are people in the kitchen who wouldn't be working. Those are busboys who wouldn't work, bartenders, security people. Drag is creating jobs in a lot of ways.
And it also goes beyond dollars and cents, especially as drag brunches and other drag-themed events pop up at traditionally straight venues.
"Lou": Whenever drag is in the queer bars, it feels so secluded. This is my community only. This is the only community that accepts me. But just being part of the brunches that are not queer or gay-based, seeing they're accepting as the people you are comfortable with, it's brought me to be enlightened, to think everyone is not "anti-us"...there are people who are more open-minded who want to help us without knowing they're helping us.
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Part II - Drag Under Attack
If you paid attention to the most recent legislative session, you may have noticed a series of bills critics argued were anti-drag.
One of them was SB 1698, a bill that would have made it a felony for someone to bring a minor to a drag show and, depending on the age of that minor, the penalty would have been up to ten years in prison.
This bill and three others were eventually vetoed by Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs.
During a February hearing in front of the AZ Senate Judiciary Committee, SB 1698 co-sponsor Sen. Justine Wadsack (R-Tucson) said, "I'm not here to hurt people's business because they teach dance. I'm not here to change people's livelihood; it's a matter of protection of the children."
During that same hearing, Sen. Wadsack admitted the bill was too vague - something critics had argued as well. Those same critics also worried the bill unfairly targeted drag queens and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
We asked our panel where they stood on this debate.
Richard: Drag isn't something you have to protect your kids from. Drag artists are just like any other artists. There are things we say at a Saturday night show with a 21+ audience and there is alcohol flowing through the crowd -- and there are things that are appropriate for 11 a.m. in a library.
Nick: So you feel like as performers, you can change things up depending on who is in the audience, even if there is a minor in the audience?
Richard: As an entertainer, you're always adapting to audiences...There are people voicing characters in animated Disney movies who do filthy nightclub acts and are in R-rated movies. It's possible for one person to be two things.
Nick: A common trope or misconception out there is that drag queens are trying to corrupt children. What do you make of that?
"Lou": We are not knocking on doors. We are not going door to door. We are not asking for people to pay attention to us who don't want to pay attention to us. I think everyone who is at the show is willing to go to the show...If anything, I see it as I wish I saw someone like me when I was younger because I was so shadowed and guarded from the community.
Nick: Drag queens are at the center of a major political debate that's happening in our country. Is that shocking to you that drag has become sort of thrust into that position?
Richard: I wouldn't call this a debate. I would call it a distraction...I think people are fishing in the wrong pond.
There are also concerns that legislation like this, even if it fails, could promote threats of violence against the drag community or the LGBTQ+ community in general.
According to GLAAD, drag events have faced more than 160 "protests and significant threats since early 2022." See more information here.
But despite looming threats, our drag queen panel says they are more determined to perform than ever.
"Lou": I've always been a person who underestimated myself, but once I really started to put my heart and my focus into my art, I thought, 'Okay, you can do this. You are enough and you will be enough.'
Richard: For me, being Barbra Seville, it's inspired other people to be themselves and to paint outside the lines and look at the world a little differently and that's the way the world grows and humanity grows.
ABC15 did reach out to Sen. Wadsack's office for comment but did not hear back.
