By Kalena Reynolds | Reporter
Waco’s drag community began to pick up in 2021 when many notable drag queens from surrounding areas in Texas came to Waco to perform.
In June, Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 12 “relating to the authority to regulate sexually oriented performances and to restricting those performances on the premises of a commercial enterprise, on public property, or in the presence of an individual younger than 18 years of age.” While the law didn’t explicitly say it was meant for drag shows, many drag performers feared they would be shut down since the statement of intent had multiple mentions of drag being a threat to children.
On Tuesday, a federal judge struck down the law, deeming it unconstitutional in a 56-page ruling. U.S. District Judge David Hittner wrote that the law “impermissibly infringes on the First Amendment and chills free speech.”
Charlie Jay is a 23-year-old nonbinary drag queen in Waco who performs under the name “Cheyanna” and is known for unexpected skits and Broadway-inspired performances. Despite the prior restrictions, Jay said the drag queen community has been able to continue doing shows.
“The restrictions [had] definitely hindered the drag shows in Waco, but we have been able to move forward in a positive direction,” Jay said. “I think education is really important and helping people understand what drag really is.”
Jay said they always loved performing, but they really found their love for drag after putting together a performance inspired by Carole Baskin called “Eye Of The Tiger.”
“I love how fluid it is,” Jay said. “Everybody is so accepting and open to anything. I don’t wear wigs, and I thought I would be judged for that, but honestly, everyone has been accepting.”
After booking their first drag show, Jay borrowed prosthetics and costumes from the theater department at school. Since then, Jay has developed their performances and identity through experimentation and inspiration.
“Expect the unexpected when you’re watching Cheyanna,” Jay said.
Jay said venues like Rogue Media Network and the Brazos Theatre of Waco host regular drag shows, and Waco has regular pride events that support not only drag queens but all areas of the LGBTQ+ community.
Brit Lavergne is a Baylor graduate whose drag persona is “C’Tonya Faze.” Lavergne said she grew up doing competitive dance and loved doing drag makeup, but it wasn’t until she got to Baylor that she decided to combine the two and start doing drag.
Lavergne was a member of Gamma Alpha Upsilon while at Baylor and first dressed in drag in April 2021 for a prom put on by members of the group. After that, she said she contacted a professor at Texas Christian University who was doing an online “Queer History of Drag” class and asked if she could sit in on the Zoom classes.
“I was just unofficially auditing this class, and he had us essentially create our own drag persona because the professor was a drag queen,” Lavergne said. “I had thought about it before, but it was more like a pipe dream, and then my friends started putting my drag name in their phones as my contact name.”
Lavergne said another drag queen in Waco who was performing regularly reached out to her and asked if she wanted to perform.
“I was like, ‘I’ve never really done it,’ but the last few months, I had been building a drag persona and really delving into it more — and not only using it as a form of artistic expression, but it also combined with what I was doing on campus for Gamma Alpha Upsilon and being the president of that,” Lavergne said.
During her last year at Baylor, Lavergne said she performed once a month and spent her free time planning.
“Drag in Waco is so different,” Lavergne said. “You get a mix of outwardly queer people and also your semi-conservative, older white couples. I think people believing that drag is just entertainment is a good way to get people in the door, and it helps people get exposed to the message.”
