What should the community know about who you are?
I am a drag queen, fire dancer, producer, and graphic designer based in the Boise, ID area. I began doing drag in 2017 after moving to Boise from Moscow, ID. The drag community in Moscow (shout out to TabiKat Productions) was my first introduction to drag, even before I discovered Drag Race! They helped shape my passion for all types of drag artists, including kings, things, and monster/alien drag!
What passions do you have that you want the community to know about?
Dancing is a fairly new passion I didn’t realize I would love as much as I do now. As Boise’s fire queen, it only made sense that I try to learn some fire dancing. From there, I was introduced to Boise’s thriving belly dance community, where I have made some lifelong friendships and even joined a troupe!
Additionally, I discovered my passion for graphic design once I started to produce my own shows. Creating posters, flyers, and promotional materials has become a fun and fulfilling professional creative release for me. It allows me to combine my love for art with my dedication to the community, making each event feel even more personal and meaningful. Both dancing and graphic design have opened up new avenues for self-expression and have helped me connect with amazing people within and outside of the queer community.
What do you think your role is in the community?
My role, as with most queer performers, is to try and spread as much love in and out of our community as possible. We, as queer people, have to face so much hate, so it only makes sense to me to try and spread love and foster a sense of community wherever possible. With our current political atmosphere, especially in Idaho, we need to work together in the face of such blatant hate.
What does the community mean to you?
The community means a lot to me. Even through the lowest spots, when everyone gossips like middle schoolers, I want to see everyone thrive. When our community works together, we become an unstoppable force of love. We need that force to help each other and continue the work of the generations before us. That being said, I notice that even when we’re fighting, we will have each other’s backs.
How has the community helped shape who you are?
The local queer community has done a lot for me. I had some severe medical problems a few years ago, and our local community came together to not only raise money to help pay medical debts, but also helped physically take care of me when I felt alone.
Our larger general community has helped in other ways. I have made connections through queer people that have provided me with a network of friends across the country. This has helped me gain work for my graphic design business, get drag bookings, and assist friends by putting them in contact with other friends.
What would your wishes be for our community in the future?
More kindness. That is all I want both in and outside of our community for our community. Oftentimes, when we face a lot of external pressure, some members tend to focus that rage back on the community, whether they think it will help or not. That type of behavior weakens us and is exactly what those who want to hurt us are hoping for.
What does Queer mean to you?
Queer is an umbrella term to me. It fits all genders and sexual orientations outside of the general cis-het norm. But it is also a word of power. It wasn’t long ago that this word was used as a slur against our community, and we took it back! I remember my own grandfather calling me “a dirty queer” after I came out. While I didn’t necessarily enjoy being called “dirty,” I look back on that moment with pride, knowing that he used the one word that perfectly sums up who I came to be, and I am happy with that outcome.
