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Drag queen Kristina Kelly performs at Apex last weekend. Drag has continued to thrive despite some obstacles. (Blade photo by Henry Linser)
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HOME > OUT IN DC > COVER
By: ZACK ROSEN
COMMENTS
 
A drag star for all tastes
Whatever your personal style, there is a drag performer for you. Here’s a guide to some local drag standouts.
For The Wannabe Beauty Queen: Miss Gay D.C. 2008
 You might be the hottest thing at Cobalt, but where’s your sash? Those with crown-and-scepter fantasies will enjoy the Miss Gay D.C. pageant, where one lucky dragster is chosen from the District to compete for Miss Gay America. The pageant will be held on July 6 at Town, leaving you plenty of time to get geared up or even prepare your own act. (www.missgaydc.com) (Photo by Barbara Berry)
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YOU CAN’T KEEP a good drag queen down.
The closing of the O Street clubs to make way for the new Nationals stadium shook D.C.’s drag scene to its foundation, as Ella Fitzgerald’s “Ladies of Illusion” would be no more. More recently, Club Chaos’ drag entertainment took a hit following a licensing dispute. Despite these setbacks, the art of drag remains surprisingly vibrant in Washington.
Town offers four shows each weekend, BeBar’s Friday drag night kicks off on Feb. 15 and a host of other events and entertainers abound to keep the tradition alive.
“Everyone does it for different reasons,” says Andre Hopfer, current “queen of hearts” for venerated local drag institution the Academy of Washington. “I always wanted to be a performer, my dream was to be a singer or dancer. I didn’t have the talent, but now I can create that feeling, that expression, using someone else’s voice. I enjoy the creation that I’ve become.”
The Academy is known as the old guard of D.C. drag. It was formed in 1961 by Alan Kress to provide a social outlet to the area’s drag enthusiasts and create a safe space and educational system for those just starting out. Though Hopfer says the institution has a lot of older members, it’s also true to its name in that its members foster performers new to the art. The drag offered at the Academy is a “polished, pageant” drag, which is different from other sorts of “club drag” offered around the city, but Hopfer believes that more options are a good thing.
“I’m a firm believer that there’s room for everyone, I believe in the diversity of drag,” he says. “I encourage people to do different forms of drag as long as it’s done well. Each show should have people that do different things, that’s what makes it entertaining.”
For The Diva: Xavier Onassis Bloomingdale
 Proving that talent and a larger than life personality will always draw an audience, Xavier Onassis Bloomingdale is a professional drag queen, dividing her time between shows in D.C. and appearances in Seattle and South Beach. Though her 10-year tenure at Chaos had to be put on hold, she can still be seen Saturday nights at Apex and Sundays at Perry’s drag brunch in Adams Morgan. When asked what separates her from the city’s other drag queens, Bloom’s answer is simple: “I’m beautiful, I’m fabulous and I can fuck.” (www.perrysadamsMorgan.com) (Photo courtesy of Zavier Onassis Bloomingdale)
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The Academy performs at Apex almost every Sunday, after being priced out of its previous home at the Almas Temple.
ON THE OTHER SIDE of the spectrum is D.C.’s drag king community. The kings have faced difficulties of their own in the last several weeks, after the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board shut down Chaos’ live entertainment because it reportedly lacked the “entertainment endorsement” in its licensing, which is required to feature dancing or entertainment. A crowd of kings gathered at the bar last week to show support and gather signatures for petitions, as they believe Chaos is an important space for the D.C. gay scene.
“Chaos invited everyone to be part of their evening; it’s really unique because of that,” says Kendra Kuliga, who performs under the name of Ken Vegas. “[We] would lose a place where transsexual people, people of color, Latin folks, women, straight and gay men [come.] I haven’t been to a club anywhere in the city that makes nights for the different groups that exist here.”
There are few bars in the city that cater to D.C. lesbians, so ...
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