DENVER — Drag shows used to be performed mostly in gay bars and clubs for the gay community. Now drag queens perform in clubs, and at charity events, and even on the street for Buskerfest.
When Gabriella Butzin started doing drag, 20 years ago, the shows were nowhere near mainstream. Now, she performs for all kinds of people, young, old, gay, straight, and otherwise. Gabbie credits RuPaul's Drag Race on VH-1 for the change, along with the acceptance of gay rights in society.
"I think that's where we started seeing the coming out of the underground, coming out of the bars, and being more widespread," Gabbie said.
Gabbie was my Drag Mom for a charity drag show I was in this summer. It was called "Drag Eye for the Straight Guy", and was a blast. It raised a ton of money for the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and 9News was a sponsor. The audience was diverse, and cheered all the contestants, who were straight!
Thanks to Gabbie, I don't think I made a fool of myself. She says these days "once people get past the look, or past the thought, they just start to enjoy the performance". That's a big change from 20 years ago when she was doing a show at the closing of the Cinderella City Drive In Theater.
A 9NEWS photographer covering it, wouldn't put the queens on TV. Gabby says "fast forward to now - when a TV anchor is a drag queen and a TV station is a sponsor". Thing have changed.
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