The Queens of DRAG-A-LICIOUS

We are GAGGED! Palm Springs Pride promises to be the biggest yet for GED as they join LE Parties for not one, not two, not three, but SIX major events. Pool parties, hot boys, after-hours, amazing DJs, and drinks…oh, did we mention DRAG QUEENS? The weekend kicks off at Margaritaville on Friday, Nov 3^rd at 7 p.m. with DRAG-A-LICIOUS.

This iconic drag show, the most monumental drag event to grace Palm Springs Pride, guarantees an experience like no other with glitz, glamour, and camp extravaganza as stars from RuPaul’s Drag Race, including Angeria Paris Van Michaels, Willam, Jorgeous, and Kimora Blac, sashay and slay upon the stage and in the aisles. Your enchanting host, the one and only Ethylina Canne of Palm Springs, will lead you through a night of unforgettable performances, perhaps some lip-sync battles, and boundless energy.

Here’s why we are obsessed with our cast:

Kimora Blac

Kimora has that booty that doesn’t quit. Neither does her hustle, she has established her brand far beyond reality TV. Born in Kansas, she was meant to slay and started doing drag when she was just 15. She instantly killed her looks on the 9^th season of Drag Race and quickly became a fan favorite. Beyond her TV appearances, she has been a fierce advocate of the drag community, calling on our community and allies to come together to support, especially during these trying times. In or out of drag, she celebrates both her feminine and masculine sides, challenging societal norms regarding gender identity.

How can we best support our drag community during the latest political attack on our community?

Our community has always been under attack. I think when it comes to this question, it’s especially important that all of our allies and people in our community do what they can to support us in any way. Whether it’s showing up at our shows to support us, whether it’s showing up at gay-owned businesses, or even just reposting anything that needs to be reposted. We’ve come a long way in what we fought for and it’s important that we keep the fighting going!

You celebrate the marriage of the masculine and feminine. How did you deal with that growing up when it was far from being the norm?

I feel like masculine and feminine is already a war between people in our community and how people only look for certain things or qualities in people to make them feel either masculine or feminine. It’s a toxic trait that I’ve been fighting for because being feminine myself, I never viewed myself as feminine until people started calling me that. I think what matters the most is if you can find someone who’s living their authentic self to the best they can, bringing them down because people dress a certain way, act a certain way, or even walk a certain way is the worst thing to judge because it’s only going to affect your insecurities more than anything else. I’ve always fought for feminine men and women because we are looked down upon as weak and we don’t have the ability to have that ‘masculine’ trait. Being a full-time drag queen, I know it is extremely hard for us to even find love and the fact that I accidentally found it is one of the biggest blessings in my life because I found someone who is completely secure in himself that masculine and feminine doesn’t matter. I feel sorry for the people who only strive for either masculine or feminine because they’re closing so many doors on finding love and good people out there.

What do you love most about being Kimora?

I love inspiring the new generation of drag. Growing up, my sources to figure out what ‘drag’ was limited. I had to figure out my art and be true to who I was and came to find out that there were so many other people like me with my creative mind. Thanks to Drag Race for airing this life to the entire world to educate people and to let people know that this is another art form that people were born to do.

What was your first Pride like, what was your biggest takeaway?

My first pride was San Francisco Pride, and I was in high school. I remember specifically going to Pride, as a sophomore, and knowing that these were my people. Finding your tribe is important because that’s how you know you belong, especially if you grow up in a household or have family members who do not accept you. Finding your family is important because those are the people who understand you and know what you’re going through and will help you get through life.

What is your message to the Palm Springs LGBTQ community this Pride season?

Keep the momentum going. Support your brothers and sisters of all kinds and remember that we all started somewhere. The one thing that we have in common is trying to navigate through life and do something right. We all want love in many different ways and it’s important that we all show love in many different ways, whether you’re attracted to someone or not. I challenge you to say hi to someone who looks completely different from you with different experiences because you don’t know that one simple ‘hello’ can mean the world to that person.

Angeria Paris Van Michaels

Angeria Paris Van Michaels, also known simply as “Angie”, is the epitome of southern charm, high glamour, and Atlanta drag pageantry at its absolute finest.  From the country roads of Sparta, GA to the main stage of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 Angie is conquering the world with her sweet spirit and unwavering love, and passion for drag.  You’ll see The Southern Belle of ATL captivating DRAG-A-LICIOUS and that’s one performance you don’t want to miss.

Jorgeous

Inspired by Selena and JLo, this pocket-size queen has a fiery personality that is three times her size. Raised in San Antonio, Texas, she celebrates her Mexican heritage with her looks and performances. She started performing at clubs at the age of 16, and I bet she still gets carded to this day. Billboard called her “the season’s undisputed lip sync assassin” for her appearance alongside Lady Camden in season 14 of Drag Race. She hasn’t rested from her appearance on the show and went on to join the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live!, Werq the World tour, and a long list of club appearances around the globe. Fun fact: did you know she had a bit of a romance with her fellow cast member Orion Story? Aye aye aye!

Photo by John Paschal

Ethylina Canne

Palm Springs local queen of bingo, Ethylina Canne, will serve as emcee for Drag-A-Licious, holding her own against the Drag Race alumni. Her road to glamour started with a childhood being raised on a modest farm in Central California. Right after high school, she packed her bags and headed to San Francisco, making a splash in the drag scene in the mid-90s at the legendary Trannyshack (now called the T-shack). She is a renaissance queen as an actress, hostess, comedian, officiant, and iconic ball caller who has been working in the industry for the past 30 years all around the globe. In addition to keeping audiences in stitches, she is an avid philanthropist supporting DAP Health, Alliance for Housing and Healing, HRC, and many other organizations that help communities and their members in need. Her community work includes GED’s monthly charity drag bingo “Ethyl’s Place,” which has raised over $30,000 for local charities.

This year she is named as the 2023 Community Grand Marshal of the Greater Palm Springs Pride Parade. “I am truly honored and bursting with PRIDE that I have been chosen as this year’s Community Grand Marshall and I’m simply over the moon with joy,” Ethyl told us. “I LOVE the community we have here in our little desert oasis and the experiences I’ve had since moving here 10 years ago are priceless. We need to step out, step up, and show the world that DRAG IS NOT A CRIME!”

Willam

Last, but certainly not least, is one of our faves. Willam Belli is a chameleon of entertainment and you never know where he is going to pop up next whether it be on a TV show, in a major motion picture, hosting a podcast, releasing an album, going viral on social media, launching a makeup line, writing a book, in a play, or in an alleyway of West Hollywood. He did drag for the first time at the age of 13 and three years later he would get his first paying drag gig. Her relationship with Drag Race can be considered a bit rocky, but she went on to prove that her brand and success were not dependent on his time on the show. New York magazine placed him ninth on their list of “the most powerful drag queens in America.”

You have established yourself as a powerhouse brand outside of the Drag Race world…how did you effectively do that?

I may not have won or been declared the best at anything, but I consistently upload videos to YouTube for a decade and a half. I put my footprint and wigstink on any kinda media that was out there. I did a best-selling self-help book, wrote the bottoming national anthem “Boy is a Bottom,” tried to take down Chick-Fil-A with “Chow Down,” started my own makeup line Suck Less Face & Body, collabs with American Apparel, walked runways in NYFW twice, and established a podcast femmepire. I just throw a buncha shit at the wall and see what sticks. My motto is: do something for my career every day cuz no one else is gonna hand out free cookies for dreaming. Gotta put in the work.

You have appeared in just about every type of medium – film, web series, stage, TV, music, – what is something that you’d still like to work on that you haven’t yet?

I think A Star Is Born sequel would be nice. I’m honestly living my teenage dream of being in a hit show (Titanique) in NYC eight times a week. they’re on their 500th-something performance and it’s the most fun I’ve had upright in years. The only thing I really want now is an Emmy. I lost my first two nominations for Eastsiders on Netflix. I really like shiny gold stuff so the third time’s the charm hopefully.

How can drag queens best support each other?

I think drag queens and kings can support each other by showing up to each others’ shows. I will always do a lap at a show and throw some coins. Showing face and being present in the places and spaces you want to be booked is important.

Why is this Pride year so important for our community?

Without visibility, we risk being discriminated against and losing the ground that the generations before us gained. We need to keep our footing and keep marching forward now more than ever for our trans brothers & sisters and the BIPOC members of our community. Marsha P Johnson said, “No pride for some of us without liberation for all of us” and she was right. Being out, proud and loud is setting the perfect example for the rainbow children coming up to leave the world a better place than they found it.

Don’t miss this all-star cast Friday night, November 3rd, and secure your place with Pre-Sale Tickets, offering the choice of General Admission, Priority Seating for prime views, or the VIP Experience has special seating, a drag-swag bag, and delightful hors d’oeuvres before the show. But the excitement doesn’t end there – VIP ticket holders will also gain exclusive access to a meet and greet with the star-studded cast as the final curtain falls. But the excitement doesn’t end there – VIP ticket holders will also gain exclusive access to a meet and greet with the star-studded cast as the final curtain falls.

See you at Pride!