14 minute read
Queens, Queens, Everywhere! Multicultural Drag Queens Make Vallarta Their Home
Queens, Queens, Everywhere!
Multicultural Drag Queens Make Vallarta Their Home
By Salvador Dominguez
Thanks in part to the popularity of RuPaul Drag’s Race, the art of drag has become exponentially popular throughout the world, and Mexico is no exception. Of course, a magical place like Puerto Vallarta could not be left behind, and today it offers some of the best drag shows in the country. The city offers an amazing variety of great drag shows - so many in fact, that it would be almost impossible to see all of them in one visit.
Let’s do some history. The origin of the word “drag” dates back to Elizabethan times, as this is how men who acted as women were called. During that time, in England, women could not participate in the theater, so all female roles were also performed by men. A tradition of genre personification then emerged, as can be seen in The Merchant of Venice and Twelfth Night. However, it was not until 1930 that the term was linked to the LGBTQ + community in the United States, especially during the prohibition of alcohol. Drag, then, becomes a safe space for the community, where they can freely express their sexuality within a heteronormed society.
Nowadays, not only people in the community can drag, but also trans and cis people who are curious and above all the creativity to exercise this difficult art. O&APV presents to you our selection of the Top Drag Queens of Puerto Vallarta that are making an impact on the community and providing great entertainment.
Mizz Peaches
May 2019 was when the drag scene turned to see Mizz Peaches and from there until now they have not stopped admiring and following her. Henry González is the one who gave life to this wonderful character, who began to take shape in the Pulpito Drag Derby Contest 2019. She was the winner and later obtained second place in the Dragaton of Bar La Noche, and so, Mizz Peaches was officially born. Mizz Peaches’ drag is a mix of Amazon and sporty spice girl. She is an athletic drag that not only does lip-sync and incredible shows but also prepares herself physically with disciplines such as jazz, hip-hop, acrobatics and ballet to look spectacular and complement her artistic preparation and give a very professional show. You can enjoy her performance at La Noche every Saturday after Midnight and every weekend at Hamburguer Mary´s. www.facebook.com/theoneandonlypeach
Karma Da´Bitch
Drag is free, above all. And that is known to Karma who everything he has created around drag is merely self-taught, always with great professionalism. Mitchell Rivadeneyra is the one who gives life to Karma Da´ Bitch. Karma has been part of the creative scene in Puerto Vallarta. Her drag character was born more than eight years ago but it wasn’t until recently that she decided to take her persona to the stage and share her art with us. Her first public performance in drag was at Incanto, where she began her act in drag and ended completely naked. The public was going crazy and it was where he decided to take Karma to the next level.
Karma Da’Bitch comes from the inspiration of her mother and grandmother, who she says are both strong and brave women. Karma knows what it is to earn the place where she is, she has worked in almost all the bars and clubs in Vallarta until now arriving at her residence in Act2PV, where she is the only Latin drag doing a live show singing in Spanish and English. Her show for the 2021-2022 season is Karma Chameleon, a show that represents community diversity and drag, has five dancers on stage and six costume changes. The show is a total party, filled with music and spectacular acts of dancing and juggling. All conceived and written by Karma. It will be in season until May at Act2PV on Wednesdays and Sundays at 9 p.m. Keep track of her because this girl is going up!
www.facebook.com/karmalaperraofficial www.instagram.com/iamkarmadabitch www.facebook.com/iamkarmadabtch
Sutton Lee Seymour
If we talk about Drag Queen experts in comedy we have to mention Sutton Lee Seymour, better known as the Robin Williams of drag. This queen is one of the most recognized drag singers in New York, not only on stage but also on screen. She has toured different places with great success such as the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Europe. Her drag art is very theatrical, full of glamor, but also a lot of comedy. Seymour displays a variety of talents at each presentation. She sings live, parodying both great musicals and Disney movies. Her show is full of adrenaline, singing quietly next to the piano and then transforming into a super cabaret singer or serenity all in a matter of minutes and with great ingenuity when interacting with the public.
She recently wrapped up a great season at The Palm Cabaret, her home every time she performs in PV. If you have the opportunity to see it, do not miss it, the Seymour show will be a bomb of laughter and unforgettable music! www.instagram.com/suttonleeseymour
From Toronto, Canada comes this great drag artist with more than twenty years of career. Kevin Levesque plays the hilarious Miss Conception. If you have never seen her live, you cannot miss it. She has always a great seasons here in Puerto Vallarta, where she already has us used to doing residencies for big shows.
With the Miss Conception shows you will leave full of energy since from beginning to end the laughter will not stop. Within the show she skits and celebrates some of the best characters, movies, and television shows of our time, featuring stage transitions from one character to another, with extraordinary costume changes.
It is a pleasure to be able to delight ourselves with her art, her wit and talent. Miss Conception is a drag chameleon who knows how to combine different disciplines such as theater, singing, cabaret and comedy.
Miss Conceptions Brand show is a Puerto Vallarta Tradition. Packed full of comedy, dance, classics and costume changes before your eyes. This show will leave you laughing and you want to go back to see Miss Conception! A limited run so don’t miss out on this fabulous show.
Your 2021-2022 residency drag show will be at The Palm Cabaret, Monday 8pm | 9.30pm and Thursday 9.30pm. www.thepalmcabaret.com/miss-conception-happy-holigays
Mama Tits
Naya Quetzal
This queen is full of energy, originality and sympathy. Naya Quetzal has risen like wildfire this past year. She has performed in the strongest venues of PV’s drag show. Naya is a baby drag queen, since she has not been a performer for long. However, her charisma has made her quickly place herself in the public’s eye, with fans looking for where her next performances will be. Naya’s show is eclectic - you can see her perfectly doing a Queen B song and then performing one by Lila Downs incredibly. The hallmark of her persona is a beard that she wears well and that makes this magical character stand out more as she sings in the late nights of Vallarta. Her show is a must that you should not miss.
Here are the places she is performing: Paco’s Ranch - Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. La Noche - Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays Hambúrguer Mary’s - Friday Chachalaca Bar - Saturdays www.instagram.com/nayaquetzal/ www.facebook.com/naya.quetzal A great artist full of charisma, talent and humor is Mama Tits. From the age of 16 he started dragging “just for fun” and later turned pro in Seattle. His drag went through many stages and even names, but for 12 years Mama Tits has always been around. His drag is not only an entertainment show, she always seeks to send a message to the LGBTQ + community of support for each other. That is why he firmly believes that drag cannot be defined with a single definition, “Drag is drag, it is unique, drag is culture, drag is art.” Admiring all the growing Mexican drag scene currently in Puerto Vallarta, she said “the expression of your own culture through the art of drag is crazy and I love it, particularly here in Mexico.” As Mama Tits, she is an accomplished storyteller who uses the stories from her life to inspire audiences everywhere. That talent, coupled with her passion and matching vocal skill set, is sure to delight and inspire you. Mama Tits weaves poignant live voices into her stories, along with incredible comedic drama, creating a great show of joy, with a strong message of love.
Each Mama show is an experience, they do not resemble each other. Always inspired by her own life, telling great and funny stories, one of the great pluses of Mama is that her live singing is excellent. It is a delight to see her on stage accompanied by Mexican musicians. You can find her doing season on ACT2PV with two amazing shows until May 2022: “Confessions of a Ho!” Comedy cabaret with a twisted version of life, laughter, love and sex, on Saturdays 9.30 p.m. and the second show is “Mama Tits and the Underwires”, a live band show, Mama’s Rockshow! Mondays 9.30 p.m. www.instagram.com/themamatits www.facebook.com/TheMamaTits
Police Commissioner Responds to Concerns Over Police Extortion
WhatsApp Line Established to Report Harassment, Victims Urged to Report Cases
By Salvador Dominguez and Jerry Jones
(Editor’s note: You can read an extended version of this story with additional interviews and more information at www.outandaboutpv.com) complaints to internal affairs through the Honor and Justice Commission.
After an outcry on social media over police extortion of nationals and tourists, Puerto Vallarta Police officials urge those affected to report any LGBTQ+ harassment, including police insisting on being given money. Additionally, police said they were meeting with some local LGBTQ+ leaders to discuss the situation.
It’s not a new issue in Puerto Vallarta and has been reported on before. In November 2018, O&APV reported on a community meeting that was held to address similar concerns. That meeting was held at the request of the Colectivo Vallarta LGBT group, with specific concerns of an increase in LGBT couples’ harassment.
But new leadership may help change previous police practices. In October 2021 a new government took control in Puerto Vallarta. O&APV reached out to Profe Luis Michel’s office (Michel is the Presidente Municipal de Puerto Vallarta) and spoke to Police Commissioner Luis Fernando Muñoz Ortega, Director of Citizen Security, Policia Municipal Puerto Vallarta. Commissioner Muñoz was appointed as the new police commissioner in Oct. 2021.
The police commissioner said that officials had not had any recent registered complaints, and needed those affected by such acts to file a complaint so that an investigation could take place. Nationals or foregin tourists are urged to make this report in person at the Security Police Station, on their website, or through a QR code that was created for this type of situation. The QR code opens up a chat on WhatsApp to report the cases. The WhatsApp account is labeled, Comisaría de Seguridad Ciudadana Puerto Vallarta Jalisco, and you are urged to add it to your contact list in case it’s needed.
Commissioner Muñoz said that the actions carried out when a robbery involves a member of the police is to channel those “On the part of the Vallarta Police, we are not allowing any type of abuse of this nature, unfortunately the foreign tourist who has been affected does not report it, probably out of fear, ‘’ he said. “They then return to their place of origin and from there he makes it public in social media. In those cases it does not allow us to have a basis or complaint from those affected to be able to open an investigation.” The cases reported on social media all have a similar theme - they were intercepted by Vallarta police patrols asking them what they were doing at that time on the street, and then began to inspect them wanting to verify if they were carrying drugs or were intoxicated. After finding nothing from them, they demand a certain amount of money or else they will arrest them, using their authority to extort tourists.
The recommendations made by the Vallarta Police Station when one of these events occurs is to immediately file a complaint, through the Police Station in person or on the website; the QR Code, or dial 911 or 089 - all these reports are anonymous and the most important thing is that they are made when the events occur and before leaving Vallarta. Be prepared to report the date, place and time of the event and, as far as possible, the name and characteristics that identify the police units or individuals involved.
To make complaints in person: Camino Viejo al Canton 101 Col, Santo Domingo, 48280
MAP AND INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
zona romAntica
1. Act2PV Pg. 38, 55 2. Alfredo Sanchez, Real Estate Agent
Tropicasa Realty Pg. 19
3. Arriba Bar and Restaurant Pg. 15, 31 4. Atelier 2020. Arte de hoy Pg. 27 5. Blue PV´s Boutique Bar Pg. 12, 21 6. Brett Rowe, Real Estate Agent
Coldwell Banker La Costa Pg. 8
7. Casa Cupula Pg. 35 8. Cassandra Shaw Jewelry Pg. 56 9. CHB Clothing Store Pg. 27 10. David Hoffman, Real Estate Agent
Tropicasa Realty Pg. 43
11. Decoraciones Suarez Pg. 18 12. Dr. Omar Hernandez - Doctor Puerto Vallarta Pg. 5 13. Elixir Mixology Bar Pg. 13, 35 14. Francisco Salazar, Real Estate Agent
Ron Morgan Realty Pg. 47
15. Frida´s Kitchen Pg. 31, 35 16. G & G Real Estate Pg. 56 17. Hamam Turkish Spa Pg. 20 18. Hamburger Mary’s Pg. 32, 33, 34 19. Incanto Pg. 30, 40 20. La Chachalaca Bar Pg. 2, 13
21. La Catrina Cantina
22. Lix Ice Cream Pg. 17 23. Louis Whitaker Pg. 6, 7, 8, 13 24. Miss Conception Pg. 51, 53 25. One Six One Pg. 14, 45 26. Papi Chulo Sauna PV Pg. 41, 26 27. Reflections Bistro Pg. 21, 34 28. Rentals PV Pg. 67 29. Rosie´s Kitchen Pg. 27 30. Samson Waters Pg. 22 31. Spartacus Pg. 41, 51 1. Pg. 14 32. SETAC Zona Romantica Pg. 63 33. Tamale’s Tours Pg. 27 34. The Palm Cabaret & Bar Pg. 23, 38
35. The Mixer Bar 1. Pg. 12
36. Timothy Real Estate Group Pg. 68 37. Yamada Pg. 17 38. Xocodiva Pg. 10, 49 39. La Cappella Brunch Louis Whitaker Pg. 7, 13
40. Monica Miller
Real Estate Agent, Ryan Donner & Associates Pg. 9
OUTSIDE ZONA ROMANTICA
A. Contractor PV Pg. 3
B. Dr. Luis Dominguez Zuñiga Pg. 39
C. Lix Ice Cream Pg. 17
D. SETAC Versalles Pg. 63
E. Vallarta Medical Center Pg. 28
F. Vallarta Food Tours Pg. 21
Others
• David MacLean
International Property Specialist Pg. 17
• Dr. Aurelio Jimenez
Doctor at Home PV Pg. 11
• Expat Insurance Pg. 25
• Guey Design Studio Pg. 59
• Marco Hernandez, Massage Therapy Pg. 31
• PV Now Entertainment Guide Pg. 57
• Sweet Treats by Rosie and me Pg. 24
