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Some use it as a semantic excuse for prejudice; many dont even bother to fake it anymore.
Here, Zimmerman preaches on hookups, identity, and Alyssa Edwards.
The Walmart attendant looked on in dismay.
A few hours later, they entered a college drag competition with too little clothing and too much Everclear.
Youre never fully dressed without a shot.
Inebriated and uninhibited, they took to the runway.
A nipple reveal in the final round clinched the title.
I had just moved to New York, where drag and my dodging of it seemed to matter more.
A chance choice gave way to inertia; unchecked inertia became identity.
I learned this fun fact when he woke me up at 3 a.m. to kick me out.
I quickly learned thered be no talking during the feature presentation.
Chitchat was self-policed by a hundred people trying to hear the show projected onto a small screen.
I couldnt keep up with her references.
I oversympathized with the villain, who was a high school mascot like I had been.
I also made a point of mentioning that Id seen an episode of Mama Rus program.
Youve only seen one episode?
There was no second date.
Alyssa Edwards, a contestant on the fifth season ofDrag Race, quickly became a fan favorite.
The smooth southern talker and trained dancer had a penchant for non sequiturs and a signature tongue pop.
I learned all this in the twenty-four hours before opening for her.
I arrived at the venue a half hour before the first show.
The cavernous, underground three-hundred-seat theater just off Broadway in Times Square hosted headliners.
Tonight would be Alyssas stand-up debut.Would she make a reference I wouldnt get?
A beautiful southern belle (from the waist up) greeted me.
Hi, Im Zach, your opener.
Oh, hi, Zach.
Alyssa was midcostume change.
We stood in awkward silence.
Is there anything you want me to say?
you’re free to say youve seenAlyssas Secret, and now its time to see Alyssa.
My research had not covered the web series.
I said thank you and closed the door.
I wasnt sure if Id been made.
The venue started to fill up with gay men, straight women, and their very supportive husbands.
I started to worry Id be outed as aDrag Racedenier introducing a god I didnt worship.
When my ten minutes ended, I introduced a video.
Alyssa appeared from backstage in high blond hair and a long fur robe.
The audience sprang to their feet and clapped and hollered.
The slower she walked, the wilder they became.
I thought I was on Broadway.
They got me in a diner!
All I understood was that she was killing.
Before the final show, Alyssas assistant came over to me.
Alyssa wants you to wear this.
He handed me a blue 8-foot boa.
The blue, queer snake around my neck resurrected my knowledge of good and evil.
When Alyssa Edwards asks you to wear a boa, you wear the boa, I told the audience.
They applauded in agreement.
After the show, I snuck back to the dressing room.
Where we going out tonight?!
Oh, baby, I got a 6 a.m. flight.
Alyssas things were being thrown into suitcases by two assistants.
Oh, I dont drink, baby.
An assistant felt bad and did one of the shots with me.
How do you come down after a show like this?
Oh, I take a long bath.
Ive got this down to a science.
I started to leave and saw the assistant to the booker.
I was tipsy enough to ask, How did I get this gig exactly?
We wanted someone gay, she said, not too fabulous.
All year, a friend had hyped an upcoming drag fest to me as an accepting, queer utopia.
I bought my ticket and saved the date.
Nina West, recently baptized into RuPauls TV empire, took the stage.
The festival was mostly edgy local queens, but no one is immune to celebrity.
Recognizable chords and color patterns awoke a secular chorus of queers in the Queens warehouse.
I was also pretty drunk.
So I started crying.
I cried at the coming together of people who were left out.
I cried for the nostalgia I missed out on because of the culture Id banished.
