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Editor’s Note: Over the subsequent few weeks, we’ll be introducing you to a few of our favourite native drag queens. While there are many queens in Houston, it takes a Texas-size dose of expertise for a queen to actually set up herself. The six drag queens we’ll profile have all accomplished simply that in their very own distinctive type. While a few of them are nonetheless within the early phases of their careers and others have been at it lengthy sufficient to have wigs which can be youngsters, all the queens we’ve assembled have one thing particular—no tea, no shade—that makes them stand out from the remaining.
Houston’s self-professed “Heavyweight Champ” has ascended to the top of drag competitions and is able to symbolize H-Town. Hometown hero Mistress Isabelle Brooks brings her fabulosity to the fifteenth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race as the primary Houston queen to compete on the present.
Having began drag on the ripe age of 16, Brooks has made a reputation for herself within the Bayou City. “I was one of the original cast members at Hamburger Mary’s, and I’m also at JR’s and South Beach on Mondays and Wednesdays,” she stated. “I also host a Drag Race viewing party on Fridays at JR’s.”
The daring Latina self-identifies as a “plus-size dancing diva,” a moniker she adopted from her drag mom. Being bigger than life is the secret for Brooks, and it matches her aesthetic to a tee. “The best way to describe my drag is big, bold, and beautiful,” she stated. “I’m gonna have all the feathers, beads, and rhinestones. I’m gonna look glamorous, I’m always gonna look good, and I’m always gonna entertain.”
As the primary Houston queen to be featured on Drag Race, Brooks has her eye on the prize and got here to slay the competitors on drag’s fiercest stage. “Houston drag is so rich and traditional. Up until recently, it has been run by the legends. So for me, the biggest part of my drag is carrying on the legacy,” Brooks stated. “It’s not about the money. It’s about carrying the prestige and sharing what inspired me and hopefully I’ll inspire someone else to carry on the legacy. It means the world to me to represent Houston.”
While drag has at occasions been villainized within the mainstream media, notably in Texas—and Brooks admits she has skilled a few of the repercussions of this narrative at her exhibits—she troopers on. “In Houston, drag is what brings our community together,” she stated. “We cannot live in fear. If we stay home, that’s when we lose our community, and people don’t realize how much we need this. We need to continue to support drag, keep drag alive and well, and be that light that shines in the community.”
As for the subsequent class of queens, Brooks affords sound recommendation from somebody whose opinions carry specific weight at present. “If you truly love drag, there’s no correct way to do it. You just have to jump into it,” she stated. “You just have to experiment, and soon you’ll meet the right people. Drag can take you so many places. Before Drag Race, while drag brought me financial security, it also brought me friends that I consider family. You never know where it will take you. You do it because you love it.”
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