Shantay, They Stay: 28 Houston Drag Queens You Must Know (2023)

Trans people have been around forliterally thousands of years. WilliamDorsey Swann, a black man born into slavery in 1860, is the first known person to refer to himself as "slavery.""Queen of Drag".In Greek theater and in Shakespeare, men regularly took on women's roles.

PRIDE GUIDE: Drag, baseball, dance parties and more to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community

And to the haters?

Houston's drag community, one of the most diverse in the country, continues to thrive. There are performances in the city seven days a week. There's drag karaoke and trivia, brunch and beauty pageants. Here's a rundown of some of the city's most royal queens, each with their own unique charisma and talent.

Roxanne Collins

Roxanne Collins has been entertaining audiences for more than three decades. She is a trans showgirl and celebrity impersonator known across Houston for dating Tina Turner. This illusion is all the more important in the course of thisTurners Tod. "I want everyone who comes to my shows to be a little bit happier than when they arrived," says Collins. You can see her weekly at Barcode where she is show director.

Tommie Ross

The word legend may have been invented for Tommie Ross. The trans actress has been crowned Miss Black America, Miss Gay USofA and Miss Continental, among others. She was instrumental in desegregating the competitions. But she says her proudest moment to date was becoming the first black trans woman to be named a female Pride Houston Grand Marshal in 2020. When she's not traveling, you can catch her performing at Hamburg's Mary's in downtown Houston.

Alexye'us Paris

Glamor and supreme beauty are the calling cards of Alexye'us Paris. She has been doing drag since 1997 and can be seen weekly at Hamburg's Mary's and the Houston Eagle. Paris, who could be described as a beauty queen, has won many titles over her more than two decades of performing. She's also smart and funny on social media.

Jazell Royale

Originally from Florida, Jazell Royale now makes her home in Houston. The transgender icon became the first black woman to win the Miss International Queen pageant, a Thailand-based competition for trans women. In 2020, her lip-synching rendition of CeCe Peniston's "He Luvs Me Too" went viral. She has long been an advocate for HIV treatment and safer sex.

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Ondi describes himself as "pugnacious, glamorous, fun and fashionable. A little weird, a whole lot queer — the chameleon of drag.” She started in 2015 in Lincoln, Nebraska. before being served in Houston. You can catch Ondi at several locations in Houston, including JR's and Ripcord.

Nyx Laraye

This dark beauty queen has done everything from host karaoke to sharing the stage with Houston's Drag Kings. Laraye started drag-drag in 2015 and is known for her wacky sense of humor - with a touch of pop princess.

Leilani Jackson-Ross

Leilani Jackson-Ross, also known as "Texas Tornado", is a queen with kick. She was created in 2015 for the So You Think You Can drag competition at the now-defunct Meteor. (We're still sad about that.) The first song she sang was Beyoncé's "Schoolin' Life." And she's been teaching us ever since. You can see them at Hamburger Mary's, JR's, South Beach and in Galveston.

Muffy Blake Vanderbilt III

MBV3 began dragging as part of the Dessie's Drag Race competition. She has quickly become one of the busiest and most ambitious queens in town. The Bubblegum Princess Disney Unicorn is show director at Buddy's Houston and can be seen at clubs across the city. She is also part of„Camp Wannakiki“,a drag reality competition soon to be aired on OutTV. Each episode follows a day at "camp" with daily activities and nightly talent shows.

Kofi

If you don't know Kofi, you don't know Houston Drag. She is the grand dame, the queen bee. call her mother You can see her on Sundays and Tuesdays at JR's, where she has been entertaining audiences for more than 30 years. She also hosts the weekly So You Think You Can Drag competition held on Thursdays in South Beach. Her entire drag career spans 40 years. "Your off-stage personality makes you successful on stage," says Kofi. "If they love you as a person, they will love you as an entertainer."

Blackberri

Blackberri is a "bearded lady who is the funniest girl in the room and loves to make people smile." She first took the stage in 2016 during a local drag competition. Since then, Blackberri has grown into one of the most popular queens in town and has worked hard to build a national profile. She can be seen in the Pride 2023 campaign for Yitty, Lizzo's shapewear line. You can catch Blackberry on Tuesdays at JR's, Fridays at Hamburg's Mary's and Sundays at ReBar for the Sunday Service Drag Brunch. Also, every second Saturday of the month at The Room Bar during Spring; and the first Thursday of the month at the Ripcord for "Bussypop," a '90s-2000s-themed show.

Herrin Isabelle Brooks

Mistress Isabelle Brooks, the first Houston queen to compete in "RuPaul's Drag Race," made it to the season 15 finale. The Houston native has been doing drag since she was 16 and calls her style "over-the-top traditional drag with a modern twist." She is a regular at JR's, South Beach and Hamburger Mary's but will be touring with the Werq the World Tour throughout the summer. This includes a July 2nd stop at the Smart Financial Center in Sugar Land.

Adriana LaRue

LaRue, who started dragging in 2015, says she'll "always be sexy and glamorous, she'll always give you the fantasy,Dahling." But you'll still never be quite sure what she's going to do. A slow and sexy ballad? A fast-paced male rap? A 20-minute Selena mini-concert? Yeah, yeah, andyes queen. Join her at Ripcord every third Tuesday of the month for The LaRue Takeover and every third Wednesday of the month for Adriana's Dungeon. Wednesdays in South Beach for Millennial Dolls; Thursday at Buddy's Houston for Chingona Jueves; Sundays alternate bohemian and rebar for brunch; and Sunday nights at JR's Super Sunday Drag Show.

Lana Blake

Lana Blake is a Houston icon. She has been performing for more than three decades and is a former Miss Texas USofA Classic. You can see them weekly at Barcode (Thursdays) and Michael's Outpost (Fridays and Saturdays). The Eyecons Saturday performance is Houston's longest-running celebrity illusion show. Blake appears as Cher, Madonna, Barbara Streisand, Lady Gaga, Cyndi Lauper, and others.

Queen Angelina

Angelina is possibly a strong performer. But she's also working to "make visible what it means to be a drag queen in the Bayou City." To that end, the non-binary artist has expanded her reach beyond the stage. She works with MyGayHouston, the city's official LGBTQ+ guide; and a drag-arts proponent of Stages theater. Watch Angelina host Sunday karaoke at JR's and The Neon Rouge, a monthly burlesque show at Hamburg's Mary's.

Dessie Love-Blake

DLB is not just a drag queen. She's a drag mogul. She was crowned Miss Gay Texas America in 2014, placed first in the 2019 Miss Gay America pageant, and is the host of the long-running Dessie's Drag Race competition. (Every Houston queen worth her sequins took part.) Her repertoire includes illusions by Janis Joplin, Pink,Taylor Swift, Lucille Ball, Lady Gaga and Stevie Nicks. Catch her performances Thursdays and Sundays at Hamburg's Mary's, Fridays at KiKi' and monthly at Electric Feelgood, Eureka Heights and Katy Vibes.

Cara Dion

KaraDion is one of Houston's most enduring queens. And one of the most versatile. She can crack a joke. She can host karaoke. She can dance to a country number or a pop classic on stage. And she can make you cry when she pours herself into a ballad. You can see them regularly at popular spots around town or at special events.

Wilhelmina guess

In addition to her burgeoning drag career, Wilhelmina Guess is a singer and make-up artist and performs mainly in Galveston. She was crowned Miss Spookums 2021 and Miss Sweetheart 2022 at Robert Lafitte. "In my eight years of dragging, it's become everything to me. I live and breathe drag.” When she's not performing, Guess volunteers with the Salvation Army in Galveston.

Persephone

Persephone started doing drag on a whim in 2017. She worked at Hamburger Mary's and signed on for a turnabout show where staff who've never done drag try to take the stage. But her fascination with dressing up started earlier. “As a kid, I would run around the house covering myself with blankets and towels and tights on my head, which I would tie in a bun. I called myself Cinderella,” she recalls. Persephone is a "hyper-femme queen with poise and elegance". She performs at Winnie's in Midtown on the last Sunday of the month for a drag brunch; once a month for their quiz show at Tiny Champions in EaDo; bingo once a month in Wicklow Heights; and every Friday and Monday at The Nook Cafe at the University of Houston.

Carmina Vavra

Vavra is a queen of many faces. Literally. She loves cosplay, Broadway, Hollywood glamor and "totally nonsensical comedy". She began doing sporadic drag with the Houston Gaymers, an LGBTQ+ gaming group, in 2015 and has been actively pursuing it since 2017. You can see her at Michael's Outpost for The Broad's Way and the comedic drag show Laugh Track.

Chloe CrawfordRoss

ChloeCrawford Ross brings urban swag to everything she does, mixing it with glamour, fashion and cool sensuality. She made her drag debut at Bayou City Bar and Grill in 2010. (Who remembers those days?) You can catch them weekly at Boheme, JR's and South Beach. As a trans woman, the meaning of Pride has evolved for Ross. “Proud now means continuing to fight to be heard. It means believing in the light that shines within all of us. It means speaking as a united force and representing the entire alphabet when you need it.”

Dey'Jzah Opulent Mirage

From her name alone, this queen was born to be on stage. She was only 13 years old when she started dragging in 1994, little knowing that this was the beginning of her journey as a trans woman. Mirage describes her drag aesthetic as "crazy, sexy, cool with an African and Caribbean flair." You can catch her weekly across the city, including at Barcode and Grand Prize.

Reign LaRue

Goofy and glamorous, LaRue is always ready to kill. "I love to dance," she says. And I also love just having a great time and connecting with my audience.” Catch her host Snatch'd Tuesdays at Ripcord and Wednesdays with the Millennial Dolls at JR's.

Violet S'Arbleu

Even casual Houston drag fans know Violet S'Arbleu. The "thinking man's drag queen" has performed all over the city, to every audience and in every possible venue. She's a former Miss Gay Texas America who knows everything from pop culture to politics. (We love an educated queen.) Catch her on Wednesdays at The Dollhouse in the Grand Prize Bar for The Dollhouse; Thursdays have karaoke at JR's; Fridays and Saturdays at Michael's Outpost.

Chloe Knox

"Drag uses society's aesthetic concept of gender to create art," says Chloe Knox. She started in 2012 and has grown into one of Houston's most creative queens. She is a two-time winner of Dessie's Drag Race, a long-standing local competition. "It's an incredibly blessed life," she says. "I know it won't be like this forever and I wouldn't have it any other way. Knox performs at Michael's Outpost twice a month and at Barcode every last Friday of the month."

Laisha LaRue

Everyone hail the queen! Laisha LaRue is the newly crowned Miss Gay Pride Houston 2023. She has been doing drag since 2010 and loves to gag the girls in beauty pageants. She hosts "Diamantés," a Latin American show, on the second Sunday of every month at Kiki. and is part of the LaRue Takeover Show at the Ripcord on the third Thursday of every month.

Marsha Mellow

Marsha Mellow started dragging in 1996. "I remember the time we were called female impersonators," she says. "I have a lot of sass and guts." She has appeared on Katy Vibes, Buddy's and On the Rox and has plans for a cabaret show. She's also known around town for her deadly Adele illusion.

in front of the city

Her name suggests a bit of heat, but Cyn City has glamour, too. She was Miss Gay Texas USofA Newcomer 2019 and is a celebrity impersonator. You can catch them on Sundays at Boheme's outdoor drag brunch.

Kiki Dion of Wales

In the words of Drag Race favoriteHeidi N Schrank, Kiki Dion Van Wales is "busy, busy, blessed and very popular." She co-owns the annual Galveston Pride celebration and runs shows at the First Christian Church of Katy and Scotty's Pub on the Bay. Van Wales also works with #ActOutHTX, an LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group.