Legends of Drag addresses the lack of intergenerational connection within the community: a broken lineage that’s often rooted in loss
Coco LaChine. Photo: Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus On the night of the winter solstice in 2017, Brooklyn-based artist Harry James Hanson and floral stylist Devin Antheus, both 32, paid a visit to Aunt Charlie’s Lounge, a queer bar in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. They’d come for “church,” which is to say, a drag show.
That sense of knowing, of motherly love, features prominently in the portraits of the five New York queens excerpted below — Barbra Herr, Coco LaChine, Harmonica Sunbeam, Simone, and Witti Repartee. They are saturated in color and brimming with jubilation, in rich regional flavor: In Herr’s portrait, the Chrysler Building is foreground by sprays of purple and lavender florals; in a bright-red dress, Simone beams in front of Village Cigars, across the street from the landmark Stonewall Inn.
On performing, early on: “I was very old-school, but I never did impersonations. I used voices. My big go-to voices were Streisand, of course, and Shirley Bassey. I did a lot of disco divas and latin music, too. Most other queens [in Puerto Rico] didn’t know English, so being able to perform both brought me up quicker. Ironically, now living in New York and working in the Latin bars here, I started doing more Spanish songs. It kind of flipped.
Drag origin story: “It began on Halloween. Then it became Valentine’s, then Pride. Before you know it, I was beginning to do it on a more regular basis.”On performing: “When I put on the makeup and wig and dress, I’m a completely different person. I’m not Charles anymore. I’m Coco. It’s a switch in my personality. My whole being changes when I dress up … It’s not just a façade for me. I transform into a different entity; not just a character, but a complete being.
Affiliations: House of Adonis. Drag Queen Story Hour. Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Hyacinth AIDS Foundation. African American Office of Gay Concerns.Drag origin story: “Paris Dupree threw the Paris Is Burning balls. She was known for giving out the biggest trophies. She had a category called ‘Butch Queen First Time in Drags at a Ball,’ which is a gay guy getting in drag for the first time at a ball.
Photo: Harry James Hanson and Devin Antheus Stomping ground: Christopher Park, in Greenwich Village — the site of the Stonewall Monument. “When I’m here, I’m safe.”Drag origin story: “[In the ’90s,] I performed at lots of bars, lots of clubs. I was the first queen to perform at Lips restaurant and anyone who says differently is a fucking liar! Every night was wild. A lot of people were trying to make a name for themselves, trying to put an image out.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
GOP Candidate Says Drag Queens a Danger to Kids. But This Drag Queen Says She ‘Had Her Kid in Front’ of One“She’s friends with drag queens. She’s had her kid in front of a drag queen,” Barbra Seville said of Arizona candidate for governor Kari Lake, who has portrayed drag queens as a danger to children.
Read more »
Opinion | The right wants a war on drag? My money's on the queens.The outrage really makes you wonder what happened to the “parental choice” mantra Republicans have been pushing lately.
Read more »
Drag Queen Story Hour Isn't Going Anywhere -- But It's Getting Serious About SafetyDespite political attacks — and a Proud Boy invasion — Drag Queen Story Hour will continue entertaining and educating kids in libraries and community centers across the country
Read more »
Drag story hour hosts, under attack, dig in their heelsProtesters pray outside a library in New York City as Flame, a drag queen sporting a bright wig and a red gown, entertains the children inside by singing the ABCs, leading a coloring activity and reading books about how it’s OK to be different.
Read more »
Drag story hour hosts, under attack, dig in their heelsRhetoric against LGBTQ people is now targeting drag storytimes with interruptions and other protests around the country during Pride Month.
Read more »
Ross Mathews channels 'TRL' era Carson Daly for 'RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' - see the pics!.helloRoss hilariously channeled our own Carson Daly for Friday's episode of RuPaulsDragRace. AllStars7
Read more »