Sydney WorldPride 2023: Meet NSW’s drag queens setting the scene

Drag queens are so much more than the bright lipsticks, tall wigs and showstopping lip-syncs. The performers behind the characters have overcome their own battles to bring joy to their audiences and shine a light on issues impacting the LGBTQIA+ community.

Sydney is getting ready to welcome half a million visitors as the final preparations are made for WorldPride 2023.

The seventeen-day festival will see the return of Mardi Gras Parade to Oxford Street, the creation of Pride Villages in Surry Hills and a Coming Back Out Ball at the Sydney Town Hall, along with hundreds of other events and a sea of rainbow murals, banners and flags.

“WorldPride coincides with the 50th anniversary of the first Australian Gay Pride Week, the 45th anniversary of the first Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and the fifth anniversary of Australia saying yes to same-sex marriage,” the Lord Mayor Clover Moore said.

“This is the first time the event will be held in the southern hemisphere, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to show off our vibrant and inclusive city and invite people from all over the world to develop a deep sense of belonging here.

“We want everyone coming to feel confident in themselves and connected to their neighbours, to celebrate, build relationships and discuss the ongoing fight for equality, especially in the promotion of trans rights.”

It wouldn’t be Pride without drag queens, and their lesser known but just as talented counterparts drag kings, who are busily preparing to celebrate LGBTQIA+ culture.

But, drag queens are so much more than the bright lipsticks, heavy eyeshadow, tucking, fabulous costumes, irreverent humour and showstopping lip-syncs.

They have often overcome their own adversity and work hard to shine a light on important social issues through their art, even during a time when the world was less than welcoming.

In honour of WorldPride 2023, meet just some of the drag queens setting the scene across NSW.

CHARISMA BELLE: SYDNEY

Charisma Belle has been a dancer since eight years old, and drag seemed to be a natural progression after she graduated from high school.

She has been performing for more than 20 years with her fashion inspired by the glamour of old Hollywood.

“People coming to see Charisma, they can expect some entertainment, to laugh, to dance a bit with me and to have a good time,” Charisma said.

“I do it because I love to make people smile.

“People are coming in because of a bad day or because they are lonely and you get take them away from that situation by being able to buy them a drink, give them a hug, and put a smile on their face.”

Charisma Belle.

Charisma said Covid sent the entertainment industry into a tailspin and left drag queens in the lurch. But, she rose to the challenge and found ways to adapt.

“I am really lucky that I have space in my house, and I turned my dining room into a studio,” Charisma said.

“We did bingo and trivia online, and when the rules relaxed a little we created a drag talk show where I would invite a drag queen and we would chat and perform.

“I still worked to provide a service to people and make it special despite everything that was happening.”

In the 20 years Charisma has worked in the industry, the scene has changed a lot as drag has become more mainstream with queens branching out.

It is no longer just about performing in clubs, Charisma now does corporate events to share her experiences and also loves doing drag story time at local libraries.

Charisma said drag story time could often garner negative attention, but said it was due to a lot of ignorance.

“I am about to do one in Manly and I just love doing them, there is always one kid in the room that realises what happening and says ‘oh that's a man’ and that invokes a couple of questions,” she said.

“You answer simply and tell them you love dressing up and things that sparkle, and then they get over it and then we get to the story and the parents love it as much as the kids do.

“I love being able to show kids that they can be who they are.”

JOJO ZAHO: NEWCASTLE

In 2015, Jojo Zaho started her drag career in Dubbo as a political response to a council member stating that homosexuality was not part of the indigenous culture.

“It was during the time of the marriage equality debate and he said ‘I know what it’s like to be discriminated about’ but ended off like that,
she said.

“I was not even going to wear drag to the Central West Pride March and then I decided to do it wearing a dress made up with the Pride and Indigenous flags as a way to stick it to him.

“That’s where it all began.”

Her career took off in 2017 when she appeared in the inaugural Miss First Nation Indigenous drag queen pageant and appeared in the documentary Black Divaz.

A proud Biripi and Worimi queen, Jojo said she finds way to incorporate her culture and heritage in her drag whether through costumes and performance or elevating other First Nations artists on her platform.

Jojo Zaho.

Pictured at Nobby's Beach in Newcastle. Picture: Tim Hunter.

“I am very fortunate to have the platform I have and to not showcase my culture through my drag would be a missed opportunity for me,” she said.

“I have about 36,000 followers that watch my stuff and I get to share my culture with, and while that might not seem like a lot on social media, imagine if you were in a room with that many people.”

Jojo also appeared on the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, and while she was sent home in the first episode she still shared important messages on the show.

One of her runway outfits was a stunning gown bedazzled with the Aboriginal flag, complete with a cape that lifted to reveal the words, ‘Always was, always will be’ on the cape’s inside.

Jojo said the misconception with drag was that it was a limited art form.

“It’s more than death drops and splits, I mean more power to the queens who can do it because the athleticism is amazing, but there is more to it,” she said.

“Drag is whatever is the artist wants it to be.

“It is for both cis men, cis women, nonbinary and trans people. It is for everyone.”

DAKOTA FANN’EE: SYDNEY

Dakota Fann’ee first got into drag 13 years ago after linking up with a LGBTQIA+ group, and a pub crawl was organised where they spotted a performer on stage who was both empowering and comedic in their hosting.

“I instantly had FOMO and wanted to try that, so I contacted them on myspace, where I was told ‘shave everything and meet me at my place’,” they said.

“I ended up moving in with this drag queen where they styled my first wig and painted my face, put me in a pair of their ill-fitting shoes and pushed me out on the stage.

“I was completely new to the scene where I blindly followed everything that they said to do. Who was I to know any better.”

Drag queen Dakota Fann’ee.

More than a decade into performing, Dakota describes their style of drag as the “perfect mix of step mum and cool aunty vibes” mixed in with a comedic charm and dry wit.

They are very prominent within the burlesque and cabaret environments where they have the opportunity to express their passion for live singing, body positivity and impersonations.

Dakota said they grew up as a loner who was severely bullied verbally and physically by school peers because of their soft demeanour and natural feminine tendencies.

Dakota left school early due to the harsh environment, but soon found support within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Dakota has been performing for more than 10 years.

“I was welcomed and felt immense love and light by my new family and even more so learning about how truly similar most of our paths were,” they said.

“I saw through my own eyes individuals that had harsh and terrible upbringing had overcome those struggles and were strong icons of power.

“Drag was something I felt empowered to do to prove to myself that it gets better, and I can say after all this time – It does.

“I knew I wanted to be proud of myself and my journey in the future and its why now after all this time – I know that younger me would be extremely proud of how far I have come.”

Dakota explained the biggest misconception about drag that has affected them is that “Drag = Transgender”.

“I grew up in a strict Greek Orthodox household where my only options as a ‘cis gendered, same sex attracted individual meant’ I had to settle down, get married and produce children or keep it a secret - as it was a sin,” they said.

“My first barrier was always around ensuring I was out and proud. The second barrier was to help change my mothers homophobic views to [help her] become my biggest ally

“For me - and I can only speak for myself on this is – my performance art does not mean I’m transgender. I express my femininity through various alliterations that I bring to the stage: I am foremost an entertainer and impersonator first.

“I emanate all the powerful woman that have inspired me through my years and mould my characters around that. I use my stage to tell a story and hopefully empower others to do the same.”

PRADA CLUTCH: SYDNEY

Prada Clutch is a familiar face across regional towns, with the drag queen well known for bringing her fabulous shows to smaller towns and cities across NSW such as Wagga and Goulburn.

She started drag after seeing a show when she was studying musical theatre at the Australian Institute of Music in 2007.

“It was the night I came out, I was taken to a drag show and I saw the queens on stage and the drag queen said to me ‘I give it six months, and you will be in drag,” Prada said.

“I think it was two months later and I had bought a wig, a dress and heels and I was trying it all out, and six months later I entered a drag competition.”

Cher, Celine Dion and the “classic divas” have inspired Prada, but sometimes she will pull out a modern act with an orchestral version to keep the audience on their toes.

“Drag these days, you have to put your taste on it, so it’s more Prada,” she said.

Drag queen Prada Clutch.

“When I first started drag it was literally to have a bit of fun and to see how it felt and I enjoyed confusing people … then when I was touring with my shows I saw how it made people happy, so now I take drag to the rural areas so we can educate and show them what drag is and bring joy to them.

“Early on, I had a lady come up to me after a show and she said ‘my sister just died, my son has just been diagnosed with terminal cancer, I have been evicted from my house and I just sat through your show and forgot about all that’.

“That, to me, means you have done a good thing in life - you have helped someone forget their troubles and that, to me, is what drag is about now, taking people away from the chaos in their life.”

Prada said while RuPaul’s Drag Race had done a lot to catapult drag art into mainstream culture, she reminded people there was so much more to the art form than what was seen on the show.

She encouraged people to get out and support their local drag queens, who each bring their own talents to the table.

ROSE QUARTZ: WAGGA

Rose Quartz had a vision to help create a drag scene in the Riverina so she did not have to leave the country for the big smoke to chase her passion.

The queen from Wagga first started drag when she dressed up for a friend’s birthday, and she soon started travelling to Albury to be a part of the scene there.

She initially quit drag after finding she was a part of a toxic group, but another opportunity rose a few years later.

“I participated in Miss First Nation Competition and that is where I really became a professional,” she said.

“My boyfriend helped me get back into the scene and I won Best and Fairest.”

A proud First Nations person, Rose said her style of drag had morphed over the years.

“She used to be a little floozy and now she is a wicked stepmother,” she said.

Rose Quartz.

The drag queen originally from Wagga is now based in Melbourne.

“She wants to rose tint the world, it’s an effervescent show you are going to get a fabulous lady who will entertain the hell out of you.

“I am like the love child of Marilyn Monroe and Stevie Nicks, with the glamour and sex appeal of Marilyn and the sex appeal and the freedom of Stevie.”

After getting back into drag, Rose made it a personal mission to create a scene in Wagga.

“I refused to have to leave. I was making it happen there,” she said.

“It is so important to support regional talent because without the local queens, drag doesn’t have a voice. People should not need to run off to the cities to do something they love.”

While she now lives in Melbourne, Rose still travels regularly back to Wagga to visit drag babies and host events like the Wollundry Drag Pageant.

She said despite what people thought, drag had been part of culture for “as long as society has been a society”.

ROXEE HORROR: ILLAWARRA

Illawarra queen Roxee Horror is well known for her campy and spooky play on drag. It all started in 2016 when she would work as a “Tupperware lady”.

“I would travel from home to home dressed up and hold parties under the alias Crystal Clearmate,” she said.

“This was so liberating for me and I was asked to perform on stage in drag for a dinner theatre show.

“I loved it and I knew I had to take it to the next level, so I started contacting venues and changed my drag name.

“I would totally fall into the category of comedy queen, I love the horror element of my name as well and totally play that up where and when I can.”

Roxee said representation in drag was essential as the art form had helped knock down barrier.

“Drag has become very mainstream in the last few years and I think it is about time,” she said.

Roxee Horror is a drag queen based in the Illawarra.

She describes her style of drag as campy and spooky.

“We have always been here, so it’s important to feel seen and have a bit of light shed on the drag communities around the world.

“The influence of drag in pop culture has been growing as of late and it’s phenomenal to see the representation in shows or movie franchises that I used to grow up watching.

“A change is coming and it’s so amazing to be part of that.”

Roxee said the reason she loves and continues to perform in drag is it allows her to express her creativity.

“I have always been into anything creative, whether that be theatre, painting, sculpting etc, so drag kind of helped me mix that all into one, it’s powerful as well,” she said.

“Sometimes I feel like it’s similar to a superhero, when I am out in drag I am like superwoman, but when I am at home I’m Clark Kent.

“I used to be a doll-maker as well and this way I get to become the dolls I used to create.”

CARMEN GEDDIT: SYDNEY

Carmen Geddit grew up on the Mid North Coast in Grafton, and was considered by many to be “too camp to be taken seriously”.

But, after moving to Sydney, all the facets of her personality people used to look down on were the perfect reasons to become a drag queen.

“I do mainly hosting these days and lip syncing,” Carmen said.

“I just love it. It’s my job to make people happy whether it's a hens or at a nightclub, but I get to get in front of people and make them laugh and make them forget their problems.”

Carmen Geddit.

Being a drag queen is not always easy, especially when it takes three hours to get Carmen ready - two hours for makeup, thirty minutes to get dressed and thirty minutes to fix any issues.

Covid was a particularly tough time, however Carmen found ways to adapt.

“I initially started doing livestreams and doing zoom parties which was great because I didn't have to wear heels for a while,” she said.

“Then when the world opened up a little, we converted the upstairs at Universal into a dinner theatre show which was special.”

Carmen said a real “pinch me” moment for her was hosting the pre-parade entertainment at the SCG for Mardi Gras.

“Seeing all those people so happy and excited during the smoking ceremony was incredible,” she said. “I started crying, I am not ashamed to admit it.”

CONCHITA: SYDNEY

The first time Conchita got dressed up in drag was when she was 20 years old and living in Chile.

“I saw drag queens performing and very arrogantly I thought ‘I could do that’,” she said.

“I had done a makeup course so I knew what I was doing with that and I got up for a competition and I performed Proud Mary by Tina Turner. I didn’t win but I loved performing.

“That was 20 years and I have loved it ever since.”

Drag queen Conchita.

Conchita moved back to Australia two years later and continued performing in drag, with her stunning outfits influenced by famous pop stars such as J-Lo and Beyoncé.

“I like to say, I am expensive-looking at the very least,” she joked. “I like my outfits to be my look, that it is distinctly Conchita.”

While at first, being a drag queen was about performing, her reason for getting up on stage has become about entertaining and bringing joy to her audience.

CHARLAMAINE: SYDNEY

Charlamaine discovered drag in her teenage years after growing up watching shows about modelling and beauty.

“You could transform into something fun and a bigger version of yourself,” she said.

“I realised that you could live your life as a man, but then you can dress up and be this character and be a woman.”

Born in Thailand, the queen has travelled across regional NSW to bring drag culture to towns that might not be used to her larger than life presence.

Drag queen Charlamaine.

Influence by old Hollywood and the great dames of that era, Charlamaine described her style of drag as “classic beauty”.

“I love the idea of lights, camera, actions and being able to transform from a simple boy to glam drag queen,” she said.

“What I enjoy about drag is being able to change peoples lives … you don't know what each person is going through, but you can give them a small amount of enjoyment.

“We do a lot of shows in regional towns and to perform in a crowd of people who might not feel accepted you can show them that who they are is amazing.”

Charlamaine said a common misconception is that drag performers had the same personality in everyday life as their characters.

“That is not always the case, a lot of us are introverted but when we get into drag we transform,” she said.

“The character is like a superhero cape, we can be invincible, but we are not always a drag queen.”

KITA MEAN: NEW ZEALAND

Kita Mean might be a familiar name to drag fans after winning the first season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under 2021, but she has been performing for more than a decade.

She started drag in 2009 after wearing it as a costume for a New Year’s Eve party, and said the rest was “herstory”.

Kita described her style of drag as quirky, kooky and kitsch.

“I absolutely love it. Drag saved my life and helped me live authentically as the fabulous human being I am,” she said.

Drag queen Kita Mean.

Kita Mean won season one of RuPaul's Drag Race Down Under.

“The biggest misconception about drag it that it is just men dressing as woman. Drag is the ultimate act of self expression. Everyone’s drag is personal to them. It can be whatever you want it to be.”

Kita said drag was more a part of pop culture than it had ever been thanks to Rupaul’s Drag Race.

Despite being from Auckland, New Zealand the drag queen has been performing across NSW since her win.

“I think people really resonate with the act of relentless self love and self expression. It’s punk AF,” she said.

“It’s defiant, but beautiful and raw and polished all at the same time.

“I am so proud to have won Drag Race Down Under to represent Australasian Drag to the rest of the world. I take the duty very seriously and have had more fun than should be legal spreading love, positivity and our unique brand of kindness around the world.”