By: Gregg Wynn, David Atlanta Female impersonators are true royalty in our Empire of the South. Perhaps no other American city has influenced the diverse world of drag culture quite like Atlanta. The pageant system, in which cross-dressed performers fiercely compete for titles and tiaras, got started in the late 1960s. This post-Stonewall Riots blossoming of glamorous boys-as-girls was just one exuberant example of joyous personal expression during the birth of our gay rights movement. Atlanta’s drag queens quickly emerged as leading contenders. Some are now celebrities. A few are legends. One is an icon.
QUEENS RULE!
Early stars like The v, The Lady Chablis, and Mr. Charlie Brown made the first advances as national titleholders. They soon became beloved headliners at Atlanta spots such as Backstreet, Club Onyx, and the Celebrity Club; later at places like LipStixx and Illusions. Brown recalls a career begun in 1970. “It was my first paying gig,” he said, “But, if you did the right number, you could pay your rent because drag was new and everybody lived for it! In those days we had to come in as ‘men’ and leave as ‘men,’ carrying our wigs and costumes in trash bags.” Through the ‘70s and ‘80s, the nationwide drag pageant movement rapidly gained momentum. Major shows were established all across the country. At nearly every contest, Georgia gals garnered great results: Miss Continental, Miss USofA, Miss World. Almost every month new notable nobility emerged: Dina Jacobs, Tina DeVore, and so many others. The Armorettes were created in Atlanta in 1980. Named for their birthplace at the Armory night club, the cross-dressed squad was recruited to perform as live halftime entertainment during the bar’s lackluster weekend football broadcasts. With Greg Troia at the helm, this whirlwind of wigs developed the now-familiar tongue-in-cheek style called “camp drag.” With numerous high-profile alums, the Armorettes continue to rule the Sunday scene. In 35 years, the group has donated over $2-million to local charities. Beginning in 1993, Atlanta phenomenon RuPaul scaled mainstream dance music charts with a sudden and surprising string of hits: “Supermodel” (#2 on Billboard’s Dance Chart), “Back to My Roots,” and “A Shade Shady.” Frequently headlining at the Celebrity Club, RuPaul set superior standards of elegance, ever-evolving style, and uncompromised determination. Groundbreaking appearances in worldwide media established this Southern belle as an international icon. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” today brings drag-drenched entertainment to millions of viewers each week. Now in a seventh TV season, the landmark contest show has featured numerous Atlanta hopefuls. In the newest videomusic single, “Sissy That Walk,” released in May, RuPaul sings lyrics summing it all up – “If I fly or if I fall, at least I can say I gave it all.” The campily creative Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, that uniquely queer non-profit group of gender-bent nuns founded in San Francisco, celebrated its thirtieth anniversary with the 2009 arrival of an Atlanta chapter. In just five years, the twisted sisters from The Order of The Flaming Sugarbakers have raised thousands of dollars in donations for numerous local charities, including Youth Pride, the Philip Rush Center, Jerusalem House, and StandUp For Kids. Lips, the unabashed drag queen cabaret-restaurant concept, has become a distinctive regional commodity. With other locations in New York, Fort Lauderdale and San Diego, the opening of Lips Atlanta in 2012 cemented our city’s reputation as a sizzling hotbed of talent as scores flock to see Atlanta’s finest femmes sashay with a tray. The heavenly Lips Gospel Brunch grows as a Southern Sunday institution. Further fueling the fires of Atlanta’s modern explosive drag queen scene is now Dragnificence, a showcase founded early this year at the landmark venue Jungle nightclub by famed local director Phoenix. In Atlanta, you can proudly bet that no matter how you shuffle the deck or cut the cards, queens rule!
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