Humble beginnings. My drag debut was the very first performance of the very first @bushwig in 2012, and I’m elated to be hitting the stage at the festival again this Saturday at 6:30!! I heard about Bushwig three weeks before it launched from my friend @janira_martinez. She sent me a Facebook message with a link to the event saying, “You betta werq!” I was nervous, curious, and cautious. I had only just come out of the closet and had yet to really uncover myself from the mounds of shame piled on by family and society, but something told me try it. I sent Babes LaBeija, one of the organizers, a message saying I’d like to do a recreation of the @shakespearssisterofficial’s iconic music video, ‘Stay.’ She thought it was a cute idea and said to be ready for the outdoor stage by 4:15 in the afternoon the day of the event. For weeks my friends Janira and Vanessa Gill, a very supportive stylist, talked about how to make the performance perfect, but never actually began working on it until three hours before curtain! I snatched a wig from a Ricky’s, and a pair of size 11 sequin sling back kitten heels from Payless (I’m a size 15), and a generous and hungover Vanessa pulled the dress, fan, leggings, and even did my makeup. I remember putting red tape on the bottom of the shoes in an effort to convince folks they were Louboutin’s...because we ALL know how famous Louboutin is for their sequin slingback kitten heels. 🤪 We got ready backstage and I’d never experienced such wonderment! So many characters, so many colors, so much kiss/kiss, love/love - and all total strangers. The community was automatic. Everyone was an alien who’d crash landed on Earth and they were there to celebrate one another! The time came for them to call me to the stage. I walked across the gravel ground of what was once Secret Project Robot, @fcaphotonyc who was stage managing told me to kill it, and the madness began! The day turned to night with one baby legend after another turning it out on that tiny broken stage. I wondered home to change and in a rare moment found myself alone. I finally got a full look at Madame Vivien V, and for the first time, I felt beautiful. #bushwig #drag