7 Produced by ST Content Studio | Drag king Ceasar Hart moved to the Seattle area from Texas 20 years go. “I didn’t know anybody. Queens helped me get through.” “Drag is a part of our LGBTQ history. It helps connect you with your community. It’s a!orded me the life I have today. Drag has supported me financially and mentally. We’ve always used it to help support our community members and LGBTQ-focused nonprofits. That’s something I’m providing to people in my community now thanks to drag.” His performance persona is all about positive masculinity. “Ceasar likes to make sure once you step through that door, you forget about all your problems. That’s the point of everything I bring to the stage.” Drag kings are less known and less promoted than queens. “It can be hard to get bookings of more than one per show. We have come from ground zero with no help, no tutorials. Queens have RuPaul to look up to. We don’t really have that. There’s only a handful of kings. But now there’s a genre of drag king expressions that aren’t always just manly, some are gender-bending.” Ceasar considers performance an act of resistance. “We’re not just going to give up and you can’t erase us. Support local drag.” Sylvia O’Stayformore hosts the Drag Queen Story Time and Rainbow Bingo at Brewmaster’s. She says the kids love someone reading them stories — and “your outfit has to be fun and interesting.” To keep their attention, she reads award-winning books and teaches them songs like “Free to Be … You and Me” and “The Rainbow Connection.” Drag is her creative outlet. “It allows me to be theatrical and share my love of art, song, dance and comedy.” “To be shiny and bright and a beacon to the world is the best feeling. It’s fun. You can’t hate on fun!” – Ceasar Hart “The costumes, the extravagant makeup, the songs and stories – I love it all. Drag is pure fun and joy. I love being a spectator for it.” – Megan O’Malley Joost Sarah and Ben Oliver are regulars at The Brewmaster’s Taproom in Renton, which hosts Drag Queen Story Time. Their kids love the drag events – so much that when Sarah was on vacation in New Zealand, she tuned in on Facebook Live and 3-year-old Smith watched Story Time until the end. Their son Cooper, 8, loves drag queen bingo night. Sarah says it teaches valuable lessons: “We learn acceptance, respect, honesty and to be comfortable with who we are, not what others want us to be.” Megan O’Malley Joost works at Brewmaster’s. She loves drag “because I grew up a theater kid and it’s an extension of that. It’s only made a positive impact on our lives and gives my kids a broader view of all the bright things the world can o!er. There’s so much darkness and despair in the world, why not come and enjoy something colorful and hope?” “I’m just an extra character to make reading and listening to stories fun and hopefully promote inclusive ideas.” – Sylvia O’Stayformore “I like that it allows everyone to be who they want to be and is a space that people can feel safe. I think it is important and I wish everyone else could see it that way.” – Cooper, age 8
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