Louisville drag performers: Seven you should know

Drag shows have come into the spotlight as a controversial topic regarding queer rights, but Kentucky's performers are still thriving.

The queer community has historically been marginalized. From 1969's Stonewall Riots to the 1980s AIDS epidemic to the 14 states that proposed drag ban bills in 2023's legislative sessions — including Kentucky's Senate Bill 115 — and mass shootings, LGBTQ+ people are no strangers to violence.

Legislation attacking the queer community in Kentucky — and across the county — moves beyond drag shows by restricting the rights of the most vulnerable of the community. Kentucky passed Senate Bill 150 in this year's session, and that bill will ban gender-affirming care for transgender minors, among other provisions.

Louisville's drag performers, however, have managed to carve out spaces for themselves at venues including Play Dance Bar, Le Moo and Art Sanctuary. Here's a look at how a few performers have built their legacies.

Elijah V. Halston

Drag is Elijah V. Halston's "safe place."

"It’s a home where I can go out and share a part of myself and express who I am to others to show that everyone is free to be who they wish to be and they know there’s always a safe place to go to whenever they need it," they said.

Play Dance Bar is where Elijah said they were inspired to start drag after seeing drag parents, people who mentor other performers, Leah Halston and Mykul Jay Valentine perform on a Friday night.

Elijah has a special place in their heart for the venue since it's where they got their start in an eight-year drag career, but they have performed across the city — and the river — including Pride Bar and Lounge, The Whirling Tiger, Vernon Lanes, and Mile Wide Beer Co..

"I always wanted to do what they do," Elijah said.

Catch Elijah as the Leading Man of Thursdays at Play and in upcoming shows that can be found on Instagram.

Gilda Wabbit

Gilda Wabbit has become a nearly decade-old institution in the Louisville drag scene after moving here from New York City.

What started as a love of theatre grew into a career, "a natural extension" of performing that Gilda said allowed her to explore her own gender identity as a transgender woman.

"It's the medium I use in order to celebrate everything about myself that was made fun of and that folks tried to punish me for — my femininity, my exuberance, my sensuality. I hope that when I perform on stage, folks in the audience feel they have permission to be more themselves as well," Gilda said.

Gilda has gathered something of a cult following performing on cast at Play every weekend, but her career has spanned across other venues such as Le Moo and Art Sanctuary and Louisville Slugger Field.

In the wake of growing political pressure on queer and trans people, Gilda wants the public to remember she's greater than the sum of her parts.

"I’m someone’s daughter, I’m an aunt to four wonderful children, I’m a colleague, a friend, a neighbor. Just as much as your bank teller, your grocer, or your local news anchor — I’m a whole human being," she said.

Catch Gilda performing every weekend with The Play Mates.

Kitty St. Vincent

For Kitty St. Vincent, drag comes without labels.

Kitty's gender identity is also closely tied to their expression. As a nonbinary trans man, their style is inspired by everything from Britney Spears to "creatures from your deepest nightmares," and can't be contained by words such as "king" or "queen."

"I do it all. I love seeing people from all walks of life show who they are through drag," they added.

Find Kitty's upcoming shows on Instagram at @kittystvincent and @haus_louiville, a monthly drag and burlesque show at The Whirling Tiger.

TB Sparrow

TB said performing has offered him solace from a "not-so-healthy childhood," and at 63, feels they are "living proof that you are never too old to be who you need to be."

"My chosen family is always there and supports me through thick and thin. That's what really matters. And yes, it does get better," he said.

TB's resilience has helped them gain titles such as Mr. Bowling Green Pride 2022, among others.

They are "astounded" and "honored" when they are able to connect deeply with their audience.

"The younger ones really relate to some of my characters, and I've actually had several tell me that I'm an inspiration to them," they said. "It doesn't get any better or more meaningful than that."

One of TB's turning points was meeting Alice Cooper a few years ago, a character they have been emulating since the 1970s, but their cast of characters has been growing since the 80s.

"I had a singing telegram business," they said. "I performed as Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin and anything else I had hanging in my closet!"

Umi Naughty

Regulars at Le Moo might recognize some of Umi Naughty's performances as Olenna Tyrell from "Game of Thrones," Yzma from "The Emperor's New Groove" and singer Madonna.

"The shows at Le Moo truly hold a special place in my heart," she said. "The work that everyone puts into our themed shows — both from the entertainers and the restaurant staff — has really made it such a fun, creative, and immersive environment for our audience to enjoy."

And trying out new, creative characters in her performances is one of Umi's favorite parts of doing drag as a way of commenting "on both gender and culture," she said.

"You can create a persona that enhances your day-to-day gender presentation, experiments with the opposite, or explores the absence of gender," they added. "Drag takes those societal expectations and shows us that you are to be you."

Vic León

Drag helped Vic León build his creative expression and livelihood but, above all else, build a community — with his audience and his castmates.

"I don’t take any of it for granted," they said. Drag "gives us purpose."

Vic echoes the reminder that drag performances are as diverse as members of the queer community themselves.

"Drag, to me, is bending the idea of what people think we as humans are capable of — whether it’s going outside of the boxes society has placed us in, or the boxes we see ourselves in, or digging into what makes us beautiful, sexy, alien, dangerous, thrilling, hilarious, or effervescent," he said.

And the thrill is part of what captivates Vic about drag.

"It’s live performance art, so surprises can come, but I hold onto the ride and trust that it’s going to be a good show. And it usually is," they added.

Vic is on a rotating cast at Play, performing Wednesdays and Sundays. He also performs at Pride Bar in New Albany, Indiana, Saturday nights as well as at venues around the area.

Zsa Zsa Gabortion

Drag is Zsa Zsa Gabortion's "primary creative outlet." It has helped them understand their gender, but she doesn't want to take anything too seriously "because life isn't very serious."

Zsa Zsa's drag career spans, well, her entire life. It became a "major and necessary part of my life," she said.

After "the better part of a decade," even Zsa Zsa's habits have started to "revolve around things that contribute to my drag." Of course, they do all their own makeup, but she designs and sews all her own costumes as well as most of her wigs.

"I joke that I spent most of my life in drag without realizing it before I understood who I really was," they said.

Drag enthusiasts can catch Zsa Zsa regularly performing at Le Moo and in HAUS.

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Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Meet seven Louisville drag performers