Bertha Baby’s Day Out
A photo gallery extension of the story “Let Them Reign,” featuring Bellingham drag queen Bertha Baby
Photos by McKenna Hunt
Local drag queen Bertha Baby is a top-notch performer when the sun goes down, but during the day she’s just a grad-student in need of a spontaneous taco stand like the rest of us.
“I have always been a performer but it took a long time for me to understand that I was a gay person. It wasn’t until I moved here to Bellingham that I really felt comfortable with that.”
“I’m finishing up my master’s degree in music education. My thesis is on the inclusion of non-binary and transgender students in secondary classrooms.”
“Basically, what are we doing to make sure that trans and non-binary people are being supported and welcomed so that they can express themselves fully?”
“My whole family has come to my shows before. They have all come to support me, which I think is absolutely incredible.”
“I feel beautiful but I am not the one who the eyes naturally go to, so I am not expecting that everybody is going to come up and be like ‘Oh my god, you’re so gorgeous.’ I don’t think that’s what success is. I think success is: Are you able to make people happy? And for the queer community, I think it’s so much more important for people to come in and feel joy and feel safe.”
“I don’t want to hide who I am. I don’t think anybody wants to hide who they are. I think people are very scared to let the world in because who knows how people can react. Even as a young gay kid, I wanted to tell people, I didn’t want to hide. I would love one day to be able to walk into a high school with my hair and my heels and my hips and say ‘Who cares?’ because it doesn’t matter — I would love to be able to break down those barriers. I just don’t think we’re there yet as a society but I really hope one day we are.”
“I am not scared of showing my body when I am in drag. I am not scared of saying something political when I am in drag because I have this armor on. There is something about having the hair and the makeup and the dress that makes you feel powerful and secure.”