Three Drag queens from Newton, New Hampshire, and Boston, performed and answered questions at a “Drag Extravaganza” that took place at the United Parish of Auburndale (UPA), Saturday, Sept. 21, at 4 p.m.
The event featured Missy Steak, a former performer at North who sparked controversy with her April 2023 performance, to advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and celebrate queer culture.
According to Cheryl Karr, the pastor of the UPA, the church community hosted this event to advocate for LGBTQ+ peoples’ rights and celebrate their culture.
“We believe that every human being is infinitely and equally loved by God as there are,” said Karr.
Steak, performed dawning a fluffy pink dress with glittery strawberries and sang a rendition of “Born This Way”, by Lady Gaga.
During her question and answer period, Steak spoke about her experience performing at North, and the backlash that she faced.
According to Steak, the controversy surrounding her performance was caused by a hateful article explaining that Drag shows do not belong in educational environments. The story was eventually covered by Fox News, sparking further backlash on the drag queen and North’s community.
“We as queer people have to always be on guard,” said Steak.
According to a former school committee member Matthew Miller who helped to arrange the performances, the event strived to show Newton and its surrounding communities that drag is considered an art, and is not inherently sexual or inappropriate. Miller performed at the event as drag persona Jean Chandler.
Chandler, while being a contributor to this event, is also a parent of high school students at South.
According to Chandler, she felt she was able to make a bigger impact on the community as a drag queen than as a member of the school committee.
“With drag, I do think there’s an inherent call to action and direct impact with your audience,” said Chandler.
The earnings from this event were donated to the Boston Alliance of LGBTQ+ Youth, more commonly known as BAGLEY.
According to Karr, the church community was completely on board and supportive of holding the event in their place of worship.
Prior to Steaks performance, Clara Divine, a drag queen from New Hampshire, decked out in a pink bedazzled dress, pink raincoat, and tall blonde updo, performed a choreographed dance with lip-synching to the song “Popular” by Kristin Chenoweth.
Divine created an interactive performance through making eye contact with the audience and directing herself towards people.
Following her performance was a question and answer session with Divine where audience members asked questions about Divine’s makeup process, her wigs, and her inspiration.
Audience members learned that Divine’s interest in makeup was sparked through drag, she’d designed her wig, as well as her own wig business, herself, and other interesting facts about the drag queen’s career.
Divine said she hopes to create an environment where people recognize that others are just enjoying themselves and not judge one another for the way they express themselves.
“It’s important to know that even if you don’t share the same beliefs, you can still respect each other,” said Divine.
The final performance was done by drag queen Larissa Montes, who wore a sequin leotard, and performed an impressive dance number, complete with a “death drop.”
Montes spoke on her extensive dance experience, and when asked about her choreography process, Montes revealed that she in fact improvised the dance on the spot.
When asked what advice she would offer to students at North, Divine said, “Don’t stop being creative, do what you love, enjoy life while you have it.”
