VERA SAUCY: The weirder side of drag

In this Documentary Short, ANTIMITY Productions explores Vera Saucy’s monthly show “What the Queer” and how the drag scene is beginning to expand into new absurdly amazing ways. The Documentary highlights the weirder side of Drag and makes us all question whether how we portray ourselves is worth mentioning…or just another boring afterthought.

 

“I don’t understand why people get so caught up looking like a normal, believable or real woman, you can walk down the street and see that. I try to make all of my drag looks and all of the things I create extraordinary and worth looking up.”
-Vera Saucy

Modern Drag fashion and culture is exploring and pushing limits in ways that are influencing even the most average of us. One such influencer is Vera Saucy. A Phoenix-born fashion designer, event promoter and Drag Queen, she is questioning the standards set for Drag Fashion as we know it. By combining elements that normally don’t belong and exploring more performance art in her shows, Vera Saucy is truly the punk rock side of Drag.

You can see “Vera Saucy” by following the link below.

ANTIMITY nonfiction – Vera Saucy

You can see more of ANTIMITY below:

@antimity_
@verasaucy
@whatthequeer

We’re Transitioning!

Drag Queens Galore is going through a transformation of its own.  We’ll be launching our new format in 2019 and would love for you to come with us on this new journey.

We get tons of inquiries from our followers for places to find things for queens, queens, people who do things for queens, and decided, it’s time for us to have the answer to it all.  Since we have the name we have, we realize it’s our responsibility to have it all!

So beginning January 2019, we will be your one stop shop to all things drag.

Do you need to know where your local drag queen can be found?
Yes, great, we’ll have that answer for you.  

Do you need to find some accessories for your drag outfit?
Yes, great, we’ll have vendors for you to shop from.

Do you need to find your inner drag queen and need someone to help you guide through the madness, while holding your hand, handbag, and shoes?
Beat it queen, we can’t do it all, but we can introduce you to some fabulous queens who have great tips.

So if you’re looking for it all, come here, if you’ve got some of what we need, CLICK HERE so we can get you on our new marketplace.

What’s Your Angle on Bert & Ernie?

Watch the video then chime in

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below

MOTHER: A Drag Musical!!

(Excessively Subtitled: The Battle Royale for 47 Wigs)

Book, Music and Lyrics by Julie Mains

Musical Direction by Mark Oleszko

Directed by Whendy Whaxwood

SUMMER, 2018

It’s the week everyone has been waiting for as MOTHER, the first, last, best and ONLY Drag Superstore is holding its annual pageant: The Alastair Wigtastic Wigstravaganza!

Six queens compete from rival neighborhood drag nightclubs, owned by two bitter bitches, which leaves every edge and wig snatched for the gods. And the pageant is the least of it… like DRAG itself, the show is EXTRA.

MOTHER: A Drag Musical!! will take you from gag to gasm, and just like your own mother, WILL GIVE YOU LIFE.

MOTHER: A Drag Musical!! whill be directed by New York’s own Whendy Whaxwood, whom GetOutMag.com recently referred to as a “Drag Dynamo”. “I’m excited to be directing this show,” said Whendy. “It’s definitely going to be almost a Xanadu or possibly even a Grease 2.”

“In all seriousness,” said Whendy, “it’s time for a show like this. The plot is centered around drag performers and their stories, which need to be told. It explores the different roads taken when becoming a drag queen and touches on the complex matriarchial relationships within our world.”

“The musical numbers are really catchy,” she continues. “and are parody homages to some of your favorite artists. The workshop will be a great opportunity to flesh out the concepts, but no stone has been left unturnt. The numbers are real musical theater showpieces and some lucky bitches will be bringing them to life for the first time this summer.”

Mother was written by Julie Mains – a virtual unknown – a never-was, if you will, but she is hopeful the show will be well-received. “It’s definitely better than Starlight Express and that thing ran for almost two years on Broadway and got like 7 Tony nominations, so who knows?” she said.

And about the striking resemblance to the most infamous bio-queen in the drag world? “It came as a surprise, definitely, but then I learned how many things we have in common and everyone around me said I was a fool if I didn’t seize the opportunity. I also realized I can do literally ANYTHING when I put those brows on, so I am. I graduated summa cum laude from the House of No Shame. The audience will not be disappointed.

MOTHER: A Drag Musical!! (Excessively Subtitled: The Battle Royale for 47 Wigs) will hold performances the first week of August and is auditioning now. For more indepth information, interviews, or an invitation to the performance, please drop us a line at MOTHERADragMusical@gmail.com or on any of our social media platforms.

AUDITION NOTICE

Staged Reading on the road to full production – performance dates: early August, NYC

Casting for a wide variety of roles including:

~ 11+ Drag Performers of **all** ages, ethnicities, gender identities, drag styles. Must be funny – there is only one “straight man” in this show and he is also funny. Must sing and dance well.

~ 1 Seasoned (over 40, under 60) Womanperson or facsimile thereof. Triple threat, capable of a stoic, dry funny that makes people laugh with just a look. Superb at spoken word lyp sink (wink).

~ 1 Straight Male Rocker. Must be a competent lead guitar player in addition to sing/dance/funny. Early 20s.

Submission info: Www.MOTHERADragMusical.rocks

FB, IG: @MotherADragMusical & Twitter: @MOTHERADragMSCL

GDPR Compliance Information

Hey there loyal Galoreans.  We’d like to tell you how much we love you and thank you for sticking with us.  You’ve probably seen tons of these already, but since you’ve subscribed to the Drag Queens Galore blog and submitted information to us, we are required to give you information about the new regulations from GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) that the EU is having updated.  PLEASE NOTE: Drag Queens Galore, has never, nor will we ever sell your information.  We take great pride and are extremely grateful that you’ve signed up to receive things from us and we don’t take that responsibility lightly.

Here is the notification we’re required to tell you: SOURCE WPBeginner

What is GDPR?

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a European Union (EU) law taking effect on May 25, 2018. The goal of GDPR is to give EU citizens control over their personal data and change the data privacy approach of organizations across the world.

You’ve likely gotten dozens of emails from companies like Google and others regarding GDPR, their new privacy policy, and bunch of other legal stuff. That’s because the EU has put in hefty penalties for those who are not in compliance.

Fines

Basically after May 25th, 2018, businesses that are not in compliance with GDPR’s requirement can face large fines up to 4% of a company’s annual global revenue OR €20 million (whichever is greater). This is enough reason to cause wide-spread panic among businesses around the world.

This brings us to the big question that you might be thinking about:

What is required under GDPR?

The goal of GDPR is to protect user’s personally identifying information (PII) and hold businesses to a higher standard when it comes to how they collect, store, and use this data.

The personal data includes: name, emails, physical address, IP address, health information, income, etc.

While the GDPR regulation is 200 pages long, here are the most important pillars that you need to know:

Explicit Consent – when collecting personal data from an EU resident, then we must obtain explicit consent that’s specific and unambiguous. In other words, we can’t just send unsolicited emails to people who gave us their business card or filled out our website contact form because they DID NOT opt-in for our marketing newsletter.

For it to be considered explicit consent, we must require a positive opt-in (i.e no pre-ticked checkbox), contain clear wording (no legalese), and be separate from other terms & conditions.

Rights to Data – we must inform individuals where, why, and how their data is processed / stored. An individual has the right to download their personal data and an individual also has the right to be forgotten meaning they can ask for their data to be deleted.

This will make sure that when you hit Unsubscribe or ask companies to delete your profile, then they actually do that (hmm, go figure).

Breach Notification – organizations must report certain types of data breaches to relevant authorities within 72 hours, unless the breach is considered harmless and poses no risk to individual data. However if a breach is high-risk, then the company MUST also inform individuals who’re impacted right away.

We appreciate your patience with us as we make sure all the “Opt-In” and legal changes that need to be met are done so correctly.  The good news is that you’re supposed to be safer in this digital world where selling you has become the norm.

Once again, Drag Queens Galore has NEVER, nor will we EVER sell your information.  We appreciate your loyalty and would never betray your trust for a buck. (Even though we’ve not made a dime in the 4 years since our start – anyone wanna pitch in on a donation?)

Fun Photos From RuPaul’s Drag Con LA 2018

We had a great time, but that’s a wrap on the 2018 Los Angeles version of RuPaul’s Drag Con.

“In this time of chaos and lies, for three days tens of thousands of big-hearted, super-creative, and sensitive souls peacefully gathered to celebrate their truth at RuPaul’s DragCon. Seeing all the young people and families and queens has filled my heart with gratitude and hope. The future is going to be fierce.” -RuPaul

We couldn’t have said it better.  The protesters outside of the event couldn’t touch all the love, excitement, and sense of community the event generated.

Take a look at some of the favorite moments of the event below:

 

 

Ru Paul s Drag Con Ribbon Cutting

Sharon Needles DragCon

Jinkx Monsoon DragCon

Alaska Billy Eichner Glam Up the Midterms Dragcon

Alaska Sharon Needles Jinkx Monsoon Trixie Mattel Be Be Zahara Benet Dragcon

Homophilia Dusty Ray Bottoms Dragcon

Emmy Award winner RuPaul and World of Wonder (“RuPaul’s Drag Race,” “Million Dollar Listing,” “Out Of Iraq”) hosted more than 50,000 attendees during the fourth annual “RuPaul’s DragCon LA” at the Los Angeles Convention Center this past weekend.  The massively successful convention, which welcomed the largest ever gathering of the world’s top Drag Queens in one place, has experienced explosive growth since its debut in 2015 – increasing total attendance by 500% in just four years.  

Created by RuPaul and World of Wonder Productions, RuPaul’s DragCon is a family-friendly event welcoming attendees – of all ages and background – to kiki with all of their favorite drag queens and stars in a creative, friendly and accessible environment. The three-day event included extensively curated panels and live runway performances, talent signings, more than 30 Instagrammable moments on the floor, including the actual Werkroom from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” and over 350 exhibitor booths offering attendees some of the most sickening shopping around.

“In this time of chaos and lies, for three days tens of thousands of big-hearted, super-creative, and sensitive souls peacefully gathered to celebrate their truth at RuPaul’s DragCon,” says RuPaul. “Seeing all the young people and families and queens has filled my heart with gratitude and hope. The future is going to be fierce.”

“The overwhelming success of this year’s DragCon is a testament to the talent and creative vision of the hundreds of drag artists who attended the convention,” says World of Wonder co-founder Randy Barbato.  “Drag has become a cultural force that is here to stay.”

“As we wrap up another DragCon on Mother’s Day, it is especially exciting to see all the families that come to share the experience,” says World of Wonder co-founder Fenton Bailey. “DragCon is about life, love, laughter and inclusion. It’s about tearing down walls, not building them.”

Badges and VIP Packages for the second annual “RuPaul’s DragCon NYC” went on sale May 14, 2018 at RuPaulsDragCon.com.  

Tune in Thursdays at 8 pm ET to “RuPaul’s Drag Race” on VH1.

IT’S DRAG CON TIME!

 

RuPaul’s Drag Con is the uniting of queens from around the world to celebrate diversity, art, shade, and cuntiness!  This is the fourth year running for the event and as has been true for the past years’ events, this one promises to be the best yet!

It’s like ChristmaHanaQwanzakah and the drag world is a flutter.  And guess who’s going to be there this year?!  ….. RuPaul!!!  Oh yeah and Drag Queens Galore – I mean us, not the literal version, although, both are true… double entendre!

But we’re heading to the convention of the drags, the Los Angeles version. And we’d like to see who among you are going too.  We’d also like to see who is paying attention to what we’re pushing out these days, so we’d like to run a bit of a raffle.

Our friends at DRAGS have just sent over a copy of their book and instead of keeping it like the greedy parts of us want to, we’re going to give it to one of you who shares this on social media outlets and then sends us some comments letting us see you “raise your hand”.

Alright, galoreans… do your stuff.  We’ll see you at the CON!

DRAGS – Because Reading Is What?

DRAGS is a photo series documenting drag queens and drag kings from New York City, shot by photographer Gregory Kramer. Presented in the style of classic fashion portraiture, the collection features legends – and up-and-coming legends – in glamorous black and white, full-length studio portraits. The Ali Forney Center, a New York-based not-for-profit, will be the recipient of Mr. Kramers’s profits from sales of the book.

Visit the Drags site today and get your copy!

DragCon LA Update – Billy Eichner Brings “Glam Up the Midterms”

Billy Eichner – Vanity Fair

Billy Eichner x Glam Up the Midterms:  panel with Alaska 5000 and Peppermint, activations on the floor

On Saturday, May 12th, comedian and actor Billy Eichner will be joined by drag queen superstars Alaska 5000 and Peppermint for a panel in conjunction with the “Glam Up The Midterms” campaign, a program launched by Eichner and Funny or Die earlier this year dedicated to energizing young people to vote during the November 2018 midterm elections. In addition, HeadCount will have a voter registration booth on site at the convention throughout the weekend.

 

Billy Eichner x DragCon Panel Description:

BILLY EICHNER WANTS YOU…TO GLAM UP THE MIDTERMS! Billy Eichner, Alaska, and Peppermint join forces to bring you all the T you need for the 2018 midterm elections. This is the most important event of the year, so don’t f%ck it up! Because voting is whaaaaat?!? FUNDAMENTAL!

You can learn more about ‘Glam Up The Midterms’ at GlamUpTheMidterms.com.

 

For tickets:

Tickets for RuPaul’s DragCon LA are available at rupaulsdragcon.com, with convention events taking place May 11th, 12th, and 13th at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The Race Versus The Reality

Images courtesy of Google Search

In 2007, there was buzz around the drag community that RuPaul was shooting some kind of show in her garage for drag queens.  I remember queens like Jewels talking about it after a Sunday Brunch drag show in Long Beach at Hamburger Mary’s (although it wasn’t called that at the time it was Mick & Mack’s).  I remember thinking… “her garage?”

Fast forward to 2018 and the 10th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race hosted by Emmy Award Winning RuPaul Charles, there is no doubt the Race has risen like a Phoenix or a penis (let’s get real, who knows about any other Phoenix than Season 3’s Phoenix O’Hara – who didn’t rise too far in the competition, unfortunately).  But never would anyone have thought the Drag would have so greatly influenced mainstream media.

The problem with this influence is the responsibility that comes with it.  A group who had previously been so looked over as “too-feminine”, “wannabe girls”, and even “trannies” had been given a stage much larger than they were used to being on.  They were put in front of potentially billions of people.  Anyone with access to a TV and eventually an internet connection could see what they said and did.  Those who identified with their favorite queens were living on every word.  “Throwing shade” “reading” “cutting a bitch’s wigs” while in a competition was the light they were seen in.

But what about the parts of drag that we don’t see?  The charitable events drag queens attend and throw to raise money for kids, or those with HIV/AIDS, or any other great cause.  The shows they put on at clubs that are near empty, but they’re up in that gig with the hopes of their event getting some exposure and gaining momentum.  The hours they spend to get ready to make tips, or if they’re lucky $50 – $100 bucks.  The messages of love, persistence, and inspiration they convey to their audience is ever present.

RuPaul calls Drag Race the “Olympics of drag” and tells the girls they need to bring their all when they’re on that show.  The thing is, some of these girls have been grinding and pushing and going through the struggle for years and years.

The girls who haven’t been on that show or even other competitive drag shows like Dragula, don’t have the luxury of booking managers, recognition, thousands of followers on social media, and whatever else we deem as “success” in drag.  In my opinion, they’ve been running a triathlon, an iron-man even, without so much as a medal at the end of the race. The Olympian has been going long before their appearance on the show.

While Drag Race, Dragula and shows like them, give the queens selected for the shows “success”, their responsibility to their audience and fans is an example of kindness, love, and caring for each other.  The title gained as a “star of the show” is not a relief of responsibilities as a leader of the community.  These queens must be mindful young people are watching, seeing mentors, role-models, and aspirations to be similar. The influence of Drag is awesome, let’s ensure the influence includes inclusivity, support, and encouragement.  Remember where we come from.

Ours is a community that has been (and still is) judged, condemned, spat on, beat up, and even bombed all for loving who we love. There are enough external forces attempting to tear us down. Value each other.  Value life. Value that people are struggling with things we cannot imagine struggling with.  Be grateful for what you do have and be encouraging because when one of us is successful, we’re all successful.

Know that your success is our success, your voice is our voice, if you’re saying bad things, we’re saying bad things.  If you’re threatening someone’s life over their opinion about your favorite drag queen, we’re threatening someone’s life. It’s not fair that we’re all judged by the actions of a few, but let’s make those actions positive ones.  If we unite, be positive, and agree to disagree when we differ, we’ll be a beacon.