For LGBTQ youths, Des Moines' all-ages drag show is about more than just performing
The lights are about to dim over a stage that's been graced by some of the East Village's biggest mainstays and up-and-comers. The sun's still up outside.
Dozens are gathered to watch: friends, advisers, family — whether blood or chosen — as performers dash backstage to perfect their elaborate outfits and makeup looks.
The bass is pumping, and the colored lights are standing by.
This stage is where Alexander Blu Midos, 15, doesn't have to hide.
"It feels like I'm free. I have no worries," he said. "I have nothing holding me back. Just free."
Dozens of LGBTQ children and young adults from across the state perform monthly at an all-ages drag show at The Garden in Des Moines. The youths involved say the gatherings are like family and help build important bonds in a space where they can find safety and simply be who they are.
Alexander Blu Midos is the name for Collin Duncan when he's dressed in drag and dancing on stage to carefully curated songs, complete with lip syncing and choreography.
In one recent and emotional performance, Duncan draped himself in the transgender pride flag of blue, pink and white stripes while performing to "The Village" by Wrabel, a song that, according to Billboard, was written as a tribute to the LGBTQ community after former President Trump removed federal protections for trans students in public schools.
Duncan, who is trans, travels with his cousin, 13-year-old Nathan Braun, from Davenport to Des Moines for the monthly show.
More:A national debate over LGBTQ books has divided this Iowa town. Two library directors have quit.
Drag is an art form where performers exaggerate or play up gender presentation. It often incorporates elaborate makeup, costumes, dance and music. It's a major part of nightlife, and self-expression, in the LGBTQ community.
"Being on stage, it makes me feel like I'm myself," said Braun, who is bisexual and goes by the stage name Kole Alexander Monroe. "It doesn't matter what I do. I'm there and I'm happy and anyone that's there isn't going to judge me for the way I am."
Though some in the group travel far, they say it's an opportunity to embrace their true selves in a supportive environment without judgment or fear.
And for many, the meaning goes beyond just a performance.
They say they find a sense of community amid national and local attempts to ban books with LGBTQ content in school libraries, new laws and policies around the country that target transgender people, questions about whether federal LGBTQ rights could be abolished after the Supreme Court limited abortion rights, and an onslaught of harassment directed at people and organizations involved with drag shows, including one flare-up involving a performance at Ankeny High School.
"It's the outward expression of the art that is inside of you," said Ethan Burgess, 18, who performs as Shae GiveMorre.
Ankeny youth drag performance sparks attention, online harassment
Youths in the all-ages group say drag has had a major impact on their lives and wanted to share their stories after a controversy in Ankeny started a burst of online harassment.
In May, the school's Gay Straight Alliance hosted an after-school drag performance as part of an end-of-year meeting with performers from the Iowa Youth Pride Pageant. School administrators did not authorize the show, which was an optional after-school event for students in the organization. A graduating senior went on stage alongside two 20-year-old performers.
More:Photos: First-ever Pride of Ankeny showcases LGBTQ community and more
Right-wing activists and sites like those hosted by "Iowa Mama Bear" Kimberly Reicks, the Iowa Standard and Libs of TikTok posted about it. Online comments compared the performances of those involved to sex work and likened the performers to school shooters and pedophiles.
In reality, said 18-year-old Carson Doss, who helped organize the show, it was about being able to stand in front of the students in the organization and say to them: We are here for you. We understand you. And we love you.
Doss, who graduated from Ankeny High last school year and is now enrolled in college out of state, has long been involved in musical theater. He said he used to feel different from others, especially when his classmates would talk about their crushes on girls.
During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Doss watched a lot of "RuPaul's Drag Race," a drag competition show, which he said touched something in his heart. He started experimenting with makeup over Zoom with his friends and tried something new every day. That turned into buying a wig, and then buying clothes and then attending all-ages shows in drag. Once, he was asked to do a number on the spot, and soon enough, Doss was performing as Vivian VonD.
Doss said he has found greater confidence after starting drag, and, after experiencing the joy of expressing himself through clothing, changed his course of study in college to involve costuming.
"It's allowed me to realize that I don't have to feel the same as all of the peers around me or all the people that go to my school," Doss said. "I'm allowed to be different because that's what makes me, me, and that's what is going to bring me farther in my life and help me live a happier life."
Organizer: 'I kept asking why there weren't any youth opportunities'
Doss, as Vivian VonD, is the reigning Miss Central Iowa Youth Pride, part of a competition that has grown out of the looser youth network.
Its organizer is Ann Squier-Hammond, who has become a mother figure to queer kids in Des Moines. She helps coordinate the monthly shows.
Shortly before the COVID pandemic, Squier-Hammond started working to bring youths into the drag scene. She said she realized there were a lot who wanted to do drag, but there was no organized club or activity.
"I kept asking why there weren't any youth opportunities," she said.
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She started connecting with local establishments and bringing in interested performers. A full community of young performers, from pre-teens to young adults, and their champions quickly formed.
The monthly all-ages drag shows are held in the late afternoons at longtime gay club The Garden, 525 E. Grand Ave., in Des Moines. Organizers have adults stationed around the club to make sure performers are safe and away from alcohol.
Anyone is welcome to take part in events with any kind of talent — not just drag.
Performers said it's a big deal to them when a close connection or a loved one comes out to see the show, whether a mom, a boss or a best friend-turned-boyfriend-turned-ex-boyfriend-turned-best friend. Squier-Hammond said that events like the monthly all-ages show can bridge gaps and help family members see the performers in a positive light for who they are.
"It's the level of excitement when you look out into the crowd, and you see somebody there who means something to you, and you have no idea they're coming," said performer Marcus Blake. "Literally, it stops you in the middle of your performance, and you freak out."
The teens and adults say the broader network functions like a family, as adults take on the role of a mentor, a confidant or a role model. Blake, 26, who performs as Majesty Diamond, serves as the cool uncle or auntie.
Blake said that he was in a bad place with his mental health, but finding the community helped pull him onto a new path.
"It has definitely saved my life," he said.
Like Squier-Hammond was for him, Blake is now a role model for younger performers like Atlas Midos, the stage name of Isabel Fagen, 20.
"It's come full circle and I really appreciate that," Blake said.
Fagen, who uses they and them pronouns, said if they had these kinds of connections in high school, things might've been easier. Fagen has quickly become a mentor to other performers.
"Because I didn't have that, I had to go and do it for other kids so they could have it too," they said.
Fagen said they would not be living as their full self without drag. In fact, it was through performing they discovered their identity as nonbinary. Being a part of the drag community allows them to "unmask" — or stop hiding their autistic traits in order to fit in.
Squier-Hammond said the drag shows are not just about making a happier life for youths, but a healthier one, and keeping them away from bad influences. She said that they can figure out who they are without judgment while being around others who have similar experiences.
"These families are sometimes the only things that save these kids," she said.
For example, Fagen said their peers knew to step in when they were displaying signs of struggles with their mental health. They said their peers' concern helped them move forward in a new way.
More:An Iowa county banned conversion therapy hoping to shift the conversation on LGBTQ youth
After starting to do drag, performer's life 'went uphill'
Braun's mom, Kelly Sproston, said drag is a way for the kids to have fun, express themselves and enjoy a sense of freedom.
Her other son, 8-year-old Jesse, also does drag — just like his dad — and told the Register that he likes to brighten the days of the other kids with dance (while getting to stay up late). He likes to skateboard as well.
Sproston said the network that has been built — the reason she drives all the way from Davenport for her children — shows them that there are other people like them and there is a community to support them. Knowing you have that kind of support as a child makes things seem less hard, she said.
"Being able to see them blossom, there are no words for it," Sproston said.
Of course, drag isn't the only thing that defines their lives. Braun also likes to play sports like football and basketball and draw. Duncan likes to draw and make costumes.
Duncan said performing always brings a smile to his face, especially when he hears people cheer and want to take pictures with him after.
For Braun, it was nerve-wracking at first, but now he takes the opportunity to be himself on stage and make clear to others that they won't be judged for who they are, either.
"Coming out of my shell, it was pretty hard. But I came out, and I realized that if they're real friends, they'll stick with you through whatever," he said.
After starting drag, he said, "it all went uphill."
Here are some of the songs that help young Iowans express themselves on stage
Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: How drag shows help Iowa LGBTQ kids, young adults find community
