The impact of pop culture on the open-mindedness of society is undeniable; in fact, we could say that it is the most effective way of introducing concepts that would otherwise have no place in certain social circles. And one of those concepts is the drag queen scene.
Until a few years ago, drag queens were limited to performing on small, underground stages, only for a handful of people who valued their talent on stage beyond labels. Now, many of them have the status of superstars, nationally and internationally known divxs thanks to social media and TV shows like RuPaul's Drag Race (which in its 14th season in the US, has been the largest platform to bring the art of drag to the entire world, and perhaps the one that started the craze for this scene); or in Mexico like La Más Draga, which after a modest start in its first seasons, is now about to premiere its 5th edition with international drag artists and a lot of noise from its followers. Drag as art / performance is already part of our popular culture.
In Mexico, the first thing you heard about drag shows was clearly happening in CDMX and Monterrey; before, you had to be there or visit those cities to witness one of these shows. Fortunately, it has been decentralizing and there is already an important drag scene in other parts such as Guadalajara, León, Baja California, Veracruz and more, with a couple of venues that constantly fill their capacity by booking more well-known drag artists and offering memorable nights for increasingly diverse audiences, and by diverse we mean hetero/cis, especially women who are total fans of this type of shows.
In San Miguel de Allende it is surprising and not surprising at the same time that it was not until now that we started having parties and events with drag queens. Gamma de Denisse Baca, the space that brings together party misfits, bohemians and eccentrics, is perhaps the first to start lending its spotlight to local drag queens and those from neighboring municipalities. With their #Tuesgays, they gave a boost to a day when not much happens, to present artists like Cash Kween. Cash is originally from Chiapas but has been sheltered by the Bajío community, successfully performing on Tuesdays at Gamma or La Queen in León. For Cash, drag is his way of expressing his wildest fantasies and giving life to a character that goes beyond social norms. We had the opportunity to talk to him and see what his creative process is like, from the preparations for his transformation like makeup, the wig and getting the outfit on, to the moment when we see him on stage giving it his all. You can watch the video here! And don't forget to follow Gamma and Cash on Instagram as @gamma.sma and @cashkween.
