‘Drag Race’ Star

by Denny Patterson

As a queer, Latinx Libra who has hustled to become a beacon of light within the Los Angeles drag community, Salina EsTitties is looking forward to bringing some of that joy to the Mile High City. She will be a headlining performer at this year’s Denver PrideFest, taking place June 24-25 at Civic Center Park.

The self-described Cholita, plus-size, ghetto superstar has received tremendous acclaim by creating original drag productions and parody videos, appearing in TV shows such as Modern Family and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, and leading commercial and national print campaigns for high-profile corporations including Sephora, Nintendo, and Calvin Klein, but more recently, she became an LGBTQ icon by competing on the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Although she didn’t take home the crown, or win a single challenge, Salina continuously tore up the stage with her lip sync smackdowns and became one of the most memorable queens in the show’s herstory. Authentic and unapologetic, she has provided visibility for the queen Latinx community across the world.

Salina sat down to talk more about her upcoming Denver appearance and Drag Race experience with OFM.

Let me begin by asking, how excited are you to be headlining this year’s Denver Pride?

I am so excited! I've been in LA for 15 years, and LA Pride is one of the biggest Prides out there, but I’ve never been asked to be a part of it. And I’m such a hard worker in the community! So, the fact that Denver wants the titties, it’s very exciting.

Without giving too much away, what can we expect from your set?

I’m working and curating it right now, but there will be some original music that I’m very excited about, and we did a little comedy challenge on Drag Race. I hope to tickle your titties while on the microphone.

What does Pride mean to you?

Oh my God. For me, personally, Pride is not only having pride in being who you are sexuality-wise, but it’s having pride with all parts of who you are. For me, that means having pride for being Latino, having pride for being a little thicker. Everything about yourself; there’s pride to be had, 100%.

Do you remember the first Pride festival you ever attended?

Yes! I was 18 years old in LA, a tiny little twink baby, and I was just blown away with how free everyone was. It was funny because I grew up in San Francisco in the Castro with my gay uncles for the most part, so seeing gayness was always a part of my life, but to be thrown into this world where it was being celebrated all day every day, that was very exciting and really cool. I felt like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.

What is one of your crazier Pride moments?

Uh oh (laughs). The Pride parades are always so much fun, but as the years have gone by, I’ve been getting on some crazier and crazier floats, but one of the first floats I ever got on was literally just a little pickup truck. We were dangling off the back of it trying to raise money for HIV/AIDS. It was just so cute, but I think the craziest would probably have to be when we got to go on stage and dance with Troye Sivan.

For those who don't know, how did your journey with drag begin?

I was a male dancer in LA, and they always make you take off your shirt. That’s, like, the first thing they do at auditions, and I always had man titties. Well, a friend of mine started doing drag, and I was helping her choreograph and do all the mixes. She wasn’t hitting the choreography right whenever she performed, and the lip syncs weren’t as tight, so I was like, “Girl, let me do this.” Once I started doing it, they were throwing money at my titties. I was like, “OK, I can make money like this. Let’s go!”

Now, you are a drag superstar thanks to your run on this most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. How did it feel making Top 6?

So good. It was so satisfying because I had to claw my way up there, you know? I didn't have any wins, so each time I got further and further, I was like, OK, this is good. Then the fact that I got to Top 6, and I possibly could have even gotten to Top 5, it was amazing. Maybe if Anetra didn’t say my name, I would have been Top 5 (laughs).

Why did you initially want to be on the show, and was this your first time auditioning?

It was my fifth time auditioning, and I’m happy that I got on when I got on because I don't think I would have been prepared or had as good of a run had I got on earlier. I always believe every girl wants to be on Drag Race, and it's such a great launchpad for the rest of your career. If you plan on doing something with it, and I plan on doing something with it, it was a dream come true.

What would you say was the most rewarding and challenging aspect of your Drag Race experience?

The most challenging was, I went in wanting to represent my culture and my experience as a POC in the queer community. I feel like I did a really good job at that, but the challenging part was having the judges picking up what I was putting down. I don't feel like they were. Then the most rewarding part for me is the fans who connected with what I put down and connected with the titties.

Looking back, is there anything you would have changed? Oh, maybe my fashions (laughs).

But you had such iconic looks though!

Thank you! That's what I thought too, but it's so hard preparing for this show. You don't have a lot of time, and I had several grand ideas. So, we didn't have enough time to execute the grand ideas, and it ended up being what it was. If I had a little more time or maybe edited down my ideas, I may have had a better run in the eyes of the judges.

Which challenge was your absolute favorite?

I loved the Rusical challenge. I felt like it was just perfect and so good.

Wigloose: The Rusical! is going down as one of the most iconic Rusical challenges in the herstory of Drag Race, and it’s so unfortunate that you went home that episode because everyone received pretty good critiques. Were you surprised to be in the bottom?

I don't think I deserved to be in the bottom, but at that point, it was coming down to splitting hairs. That’s why Ru asked, "Who should go home, and why?" Of course, some of the girls said my name because I've been in the bottom so many times. It was shocking, but I wasn't surprised.

I appreciate you letting the girls who said your name know exactly how you felt about being picked to go home. I can't imagine what was going through your mind at that moment.

Like I said, I had to claw my way as far as I could, knowing I was going to be at the end. It was a matter of time. I kind of had a feeling.

Many fans also disagree with your bottom placements, and as we all know, the Drag Race fandom is very passionate. How are you navigating your newfound fame with the online fandom?

Oh, it's very scary (laughs). People can be very nasty, but I have to remind myself that one negative comment, there’s 17 other positive ones. It’s very hard to not focus on the negative ones, so it’s just going where the love is all the time.

How meaningful has it been for you to connect with so many Latin people around the world?

Like you said in the beginning about having pride, I get to have pride in being Latino, and I used to be very ashamed of being Latino because I lived in white West Hollywood around muscle studs since I was 18 years old. I used to hate being brown and chubby, so I always battled to own my heritage. Now showcasing that on Drag Race and seeing people receive it, it feels beyond. It’s crazy to me.

What is your message on how to push back on the rhetoric that is being pushed onto our community and the drag community right now?

I think we just need to keep getting louder and wear bigger wigs, more glitter, and bigger titties! You cannot let these people scare us away!

If asked to come back for All Stars, would you?

I would. I don't think I should anytime soon, but maybe later down the line. I would love to.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your drag and platform?

Yes! I'm working on my own little sitcom right now, a little mini-series, and I hope to have more down the line. I have scripts that I've written for movies for myself, and I also have a little music stuff. I'm not trying to be a vocalist or anything, but I have music in line to help create shows. People are so used to regular shmegular drag shows, and I have always been like, "How can I take a regular shmegular drag show and make it an event and experience for someone?" So, I am excited to curate those experiences down the line.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you'd like to mention or plug?

Yes, I have a telenovela series that came out in April called Amigas y Amores, starring Saline Estitties! You can find that on Producer Entertainment Group’s (PEG) YouTube page, and I'll be posting it on my Instagram as well.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Salina by following her on Instagram @estitties. For more information on Denver Pride, visit denverpride.org.