Drag performers in Missouri, Kansas and beyond have come under fire over the last year from conservative activists and Republican politicians, who claim that the age-old art form is inappropriate or obscene.
But the drag scene in Kansas City has been thriving since the 1960s, according to Tajma Stetson, a Kansas City queen who's been performing for 17 years.
"It's important to me to be a part of that history," Stetson said.
Drag is an exaggeration of gender, something that can be therapeutic and self-assuring for performers.
EV, a Kansas City drag queen, has been performing in the Kansas City scene for six years, since she was 16.
"If I walk into a room as myself, out of drag, people will they might think I'm confident," said EV. "But in drag, if I walk into a room, I'm seen as powerful... I'm seen as like something that's like, 'whoa.'"
That empowerment that drag performers experience can also extend to their audiences — especially in smaller towns, according to Heather Fellas-Stanwyck.
Stanwyck is currently serving as Miss Gay Kansas United States 2023.
"I've met so many people that will come up to me after a show and say, 'Please keep doing what you're doing,'" said Stanwyck.
- Tajma Stetson, Kansas City drag queen and Miss Gay Missouri America 2022
- Heather Fellas-Stanwyck, Kansas City drag queen and Miss Gay Kansas United States 2023
- EV, Kansas City drag queen and winner of "Drag Survivor KC Season 1"
