Queen of the Court
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[blockquote type=”left, center, right”]Finding inclusion through drag[/blockquote]
PHOTO STORY BY JAKE PARRISH
(above) Drag queens Victoria Eyesil, left, and Diamond Tyde apply makeup in their hotel room in preparation for the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire’s Coronation 2015 on Jan. 17, 2015. Victoria has been in the drag community for 23 years, while Tyde recently became a part of the culture. “Our biggest goal in the drag world is to foster, raise awareness in, and support our community, and raise funds for charity,” Victoria says. “Drag saved my life when I was 17.”
[dropcap]D[/dropcap]rag allows a certain sense of freedom to be released from those who are seeking an outlet for self-expression and for giving back to the community. Drag, or “Dressed As Girl,” is becoming more prevalent, although it has been practiced since the time of Shakespeare. The drag queen, graced with elegance, gives the person beneath the wig and eyeshadow a chance to reveal their inner selves in a community where judgment is extinct.
[/text_output][feature_headline type=”left” level=”h3" looks_like=”h4" icon=”external-link-square”]Click photos below to view in lightbox (with captions)[/feature_headline][lightbox selector=”.x-img-link” opacity=”0.875" prev_scale=”0.75" prev_opacity=”0.75" next_scale=”0.75" next_opacity=”0.75" orientation=”horizontal” thumbnails=”true”][vc_row_inner padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none” class=”man”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2" fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px”][image type=”thumbnail” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”7548" alt=”Drag queen looking at her nails” lightbox_caption=”A queen looks over her nails before the start of the Seattle Coronation Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle, Washington. More than 200 people attended the event, making the largest coronation in Washington State. The coronations are a end of the year party to celebrate the past year, the events leading up to it are held to fundraise for charities and scholarships, as well as promote awareness and tolerance of LGBTQ communities. Noteworthy achievements by courts in the United States are celebrated at coronations as well. “Our biggest goal in the court world is to foster, raise awareness in, and to support our community, as well as to raise funds for charity,” Victoria Eyesil says. “At the end of the day, the queen wants to put community first, and be loving and kind.” Jake Parrish | Klipsun Magazine” class=”x-img-link” link=”true”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2"][image type=”thumbnail” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”7545" alt=”Diamond Tyde brushes on makeup” lightbox_caption=”Diamond Tyde brushes on makeup to give her skin a smoother look. Jake Parrish | Klipsun Magazine” class=”x-img-link” link=”true”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none” class=”man”][vc_column_inner width=”1/1" fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px”][image type=”thumbnail” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”7547" alt=”Madison Lane Weston lip syncs and dances” lightbox_caption=”Drag queen Madison Lane Weston lip syncs and dances as she performs at the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Evergreen Empire’s Coronation 2015 on Jan. 17, 2015 at the Mount Baker Theater. Drag events typically have performances from a number of queens and kings. Jake Parrish | Klipsun Magazine” class=”x-img-link” link=”true”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none” class=”man”][vc_column_inner width=”1/2"][image type=”thumbnail” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”7546" alt=”Mulan inspects a silicon breast” lightbox_caption=”Mulan, 32, inspects a silicon breast in her hotel room before she places it in a bodysuit Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015 in Bellingham, Washington. Queens such as Mulan who do female impersonation typically wear body suits underneath their drag clothes to define a more feminine form, although drag is practiced by people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. ``(Drag is) a way for me to put on a different face and interact with people without being judged,`` Rouge says. ``It doesn’t matter how old you are or what you look like — you are still loved. I sometimes lack self-love, and by being a drag queen, I can feed self-love to other people.`` Jake Parrish | Klipsun Magazine” class=”x-img-link” link=”true”][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1/2"][image type=”thumbnail” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”7550" alt=”Mink Marche silhouetted by a stage light at a drag show” lightbox_caption=”Drag queen Mink Marche is silhouetted by a stage light while performing at the Seattle Coronation Saturday, February 7, 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle, Washington. The high-energy drag shows are performed from small bars to large-scale productions, with dancing, skits, lip syncing and monologues performed. Cash from audience members is gathered by the performer during the performance, as either an ``appreciation tip`` or a donation to the queen’s charity of choice. “It started as a party,” Mulan Rouge says. “People getting dressed up to have fun. Then the AIDS epidemic hit, and (the queens) wanted to make the events to raise money for those affected.” Jake Parrish | Klipsun Magazine “ class=”x-img-link” link=”true”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_row_inner padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px” border=”none” class=”man”][vc_column_inner width=”1/1"][image type=”thumbnail” float=”none” info=”none” info_place=”top” info_trigger=”hover” src=”7549" alt=”Drag queen with a hand on her back” lightbox_caption=”A queen rests her hand on the back of a fellow queen at the Seattle Coronation Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 at the Renaissance Hotel in Seattle, Washington. Hand-made dresses are not a rarity in drag shows, as queens often take dress making into their own hands to give their appearance a more unique look. In conjunction with community, drag culture celebrates individuality by means of appearances and persona, and the dresses and elaborate make-up are methods of dignified self-expression. Jake Parrish | Klipsun Magazine “ class=”x-img-link” link=”true”][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][text_output]
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