BARtab :: Drag

Drag artist Stefan Grygelko, aka Heklina, dies

Drag artist Stefan Grygelko, aka Heklina, dies

  • by Cynthia Laird
  • Apr 3, 2023

Stefan Grygelko, better known as her drag persona Heklina, has died, her longtime friend Joshua Grannell (Peaches Christ) wrote on Facebook April 3.

Sasha Velour's 'Big Reveal' - drag artist brings new show to Palace of Fine Arts

Sasha Velour's 'Big Reveal' - drag artist brings new show to Palace of Fine Arts

  • by David-Elijah Nahmod
  • Mar 28, 2023

Drag artist Sasha Velour takes to the stage of the Palace of Fine Arts Theater on April 6 with a new show that's also a celebration of the publication of "The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag," her first book.

LGBTQ Agenda: DeSantis administration seeks to revoke hotel's liquor license after it labels drag show a 'public nuisance'

LGBTQ Agenda: DeSantis administration seeks to revoke hotel's liquor license after it labels drag show a 'public nuisance'

  • by John Ferrannini
  • Mar 21, 2023

The administration of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) is trying to revoke the liquor license of a Miami hotel for supplying the concessions for a Christmas drag show where the state claims minors were present.

New SF royalty crowned

New SF royalty crowned

  • by BAR staff
  • Feb 28, 2023

A new empress and emperor for the San Francisco Imperial Council were crowned last weekend during Coronation 58.

Spotlight shines once again on the late drag artist Doris Fish

Spotlight shines once again on the late drag artist Doris Fish

  • by Matthew S. Bajko
  • Feb 16, 2023

A new book released this month and an upcoming museum exhibit in San Francisco are once again shining a spotlight on the late drag artist Doris Fish, who dazzled the Bay Area and was the grand dame of Sydney's Mardi Gras Parade during the 1980s.

Betty Fresas: repping Latin culture in the Castro

Betty Fresas: repping Latin culture in the Castro

  • by Christopher J. Beale
  • Feb 7, 2023

"Betty's look is very regular girl, very approachable, very easy," said San Francisco-based drag performer Betty Fresas, host of Media Noche at the Midnight Sun. "But she's super colorful!"

LGBTQ Agenda: Artists and others speak out as bills advance in 3 states that would criminalize drag

LGBTQ Agenda: Artists and others speak out as bills advance in 3 states that would criminalize drag

  • by John Ferrannini
  • Feb 7, 2023

LGBTQ civil rights groups and drag artists are sounding the alarm about bills in three states that if they became law would restrict drag performances.

Lady Bunny - New York drag star lands at Oasis

Lady Bunny - New York drag star lands at Oasis

  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Feb 3, 2023

Fans of Lady Bunny, the New York drag star known for giant wigs, can look forward to her song parodies and routines in her new show, "The Greatest Ho on Earth," at Oasis on February 10 and 11.

Harvettes: One Last Night at Harvey's

Harvettes: One Last Night at Harvey's

  • by photos by Steven Underhill
  • Jan 30, 2023

It was the last dance, the last night, and last call for Harvey's bar and restaurant on 18th and Castro on January 28, as drag queens and singers entertained the audience at a benefit for the now-unemployed staff members.

Commentary: Make drag queens illegal? It's happened before

Commentary: Make drag queens illegal? It's happened before

  • by Michael Yamashita | NewsIsOut.com
  • Jan 5, 2023

Today drag queen storybook readings for children have been opportunistically subverted by the far right using an old and recurring slur that it is a ruse used by pedophiles to "groom" children for abuse.

Starr-gazing - 'Remember Me, Vicki Starr: The Visual History of a Trans Renegade' uncovers an unknown history

Starr-gazing - 'Remember Me, Vicki Starr: The Visual History of a Trans Renegade' uncovers an unknown history

  • by Michael Flanagan
  • Dec 13, 2022

The 2021 photography book "Remember Me, Vicki Starr: The Visual History of a Trans Renegade" by Albert Tanquero and Lewis Rawlinson definitively answers the question of whether LGBT performers worked in historic North Beach nightclubs.

Drag Queens on Ice @ Safeway Holiday Ice Rink

Drag Queens on Ice @ Safeway Holiday Ice Rink

  • by photo by Steven Underhill
  • Dec 2, 2022

Union Square lit up with holiday fun on Dec. 1 as the 13th annual Drag Queens on Ice returned to Safeway Holiday Ice Rink. Donna Sachet hosted as Dusty Porn, Jota Mercury, Khmera Rouge, Mahlae Balenciaga, and others skated, sang and some did both!

A kiki with Herb: Kenny Mellman on breaking up and reuniting with Justin Vivian Bond

A kiki with Herb: Kenny Mellman on breaking up and reuniting with Justin Vivian Bond

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Nov 29, 2022

"In retrospect, it had to be a violent end," says Kenny Mellman, recalling the demise of "Kiki and Herb" back in 2007, not long after the locally-formed twosome's last San Francisco performance. They've now reunited for a holiday-themed tour.

'Aunt Jack' - Big laughs with unexpected complexity

'Aunt Jack' - Big laughs with unexpected complexity

  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Oct 4, 2022

'Aunt Jack"' is full of surprises. Playwright Nora Brigid Monahan's enjoyably overstuffed comic family drama, now in its premiere West Coast production at New Conservatory Theatre Center, has several genuinely unexpected narrative twists.