I’M AN ARTIST IN THIS FORM | Drag queens stand out and proud for VC Pride 2020 – Ventura County Reporter

PICTURED: Cooper helped organize and will emcee the Ms. VC Pride 2020 Drag Queen Pageant, taking place on Saturday, Aug. 15. (Photo by David Paul Leighton)

by Nancy D. Lackey Shaffer

Ventura County Pride 2020 takes place Aug. 15-16, a (mostly) virtual event that will provide the same sense of community, frivolity and inclusiveness as a live festival. Saturday will feature speakers, live music, celebrity guests and more, presented on the YouTube channel of Diversity Collective Ventura County (DCVC) both in the early afternoon and the evening, to give as many people a chance to participate as possible. There will also be a Pride car caravan from DCVCs Community Resource Center on Portola Road to Ventura City Hall, taking place Sunday evening.

One of the most anticipated events will be the Ms. VC Pride 2020 Pageant, emceed by drag queen extraordinaire E. Cooper Jr. known as Cooper to friends and in the biz. Texas-native, Utah-transplant Cooper moved to Ventura County in January 2019, and wasted no time getting involved with DCVC and organizing last years Pride pageant the first one in Ventura County history.

We had three participants last year, Cooper recalls. Karma Limbs, Serenity Aciid and Sheba.

The event was a huge success particularly for winner Sheba, who returns this year as a co-host and Cooper was determined to bring it back in 2020, pandemic be damned.

Even with all the changes, we worked hard to make it as special as we could, he says.

Even in its virtual format, the pageant has doubled this year, with six queens entering. Teaser videos of each went up on YouTube and viewers voted to select the top five that will go on to compete on Aug. 15. Cooper sees this as an indication that drag is growing in popularity in Ventura County.

This is only the second year; having six contestants originally was great, he says. Having such a strong top five is wonderful for this organization.

There will be no stage to walk during the virtual Pride. Instead, each contesting is presenting a 7-10 minute video, created with the help of videographer Rob Echanique at 12 on the Wall Studios and featuring a runway presentation, interview, talent segment and best drag runway look.

Cooper says judges will be rating contestants on understanding who you are as a performer, an ability to demonstrate what inspires your drag and . . . art and a glam look what Cooper describes as a contestants most elevated version of themselves.

In addition, every competitor will be asked, In this moment especially this day and age when were concerned with social justice what does Pride mean to you in your art?

Ms. VC Pride 2020 contestants, from left: Serenity Aciid, DollA$$ign, Pam Cakez, Angel DMon and Regina St. James. Image courtesy of Cooper/Diversity Collective Ventura County

Im so excited! Cooper says of this years contestants. We have everything from seasoned queens to baby queens just getting their start. Im excited to see from year to year artists growth.

Theres a lot of growth, theres a lot of potential, theres a lot of star power, he continues. I dont think that drag queens get enough credit for saying, Im an artist in this form. Its an activism in its own right.

Ventura County may not be known as a hotbed of drag talent, but there are places where these performers could showcase their art (and activism). The Harbor Queens Drag Show was a staple at Ventura Harbor Comedy Club for months, and the Dragtastic Bubbly Brunch at Levity Live in Oxnard was popular as well.

Even so, Cooper says that theres still limited space for artists of our caliber to perform. There are still venues that dont see drag as a viable art.

He credits reality show RuPauls Drag Race with helping to challenge that perception, and bring greater visibility to drag queens as individuals and artists. But he says theres still plenty of room for improvement particularly where financial compensation is concerned.

Ive known some organizations that say theyre embracing our queens . . . but they dont pay our queens what theyre worth, he says, adding that there are some local venues that I have worked with that are glorious. Paddys Cocktail Lounge its the home Ive had since Ive been in Ventura. The Tavern a great venue for drag.

Of course, none of these establishments are offering live entertainment for the time being. And like musicians, actors and comedians, drag queens have felt the pinch. Coopers own drag performances netted $600-1000 a month income lost practically overnight in March. Recent incidences of racism, police brutality and violence directed towards people of color and transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals have taken their toll as well.

We as queens of color especially were hit hard by all these social justice moments, he explains.

The need to express and create has been greater than ever, and in the absence of performance venues, Cooper says that drag queens had to create some space.

Space found, ultimately, on the Internet.

Drag is as innovative as it has ever been, Cooper says, noting that performers have turned to Twitch, Instagram, YouTube and other online platforms to present their work. When we saw our outlets shutting down . . . that artistic outreach that we do . . . having us go digital has allowed us to reach a broader audience. . . . Thats what the digital world has done for us.

With VC Pride 2020 going digital on Saturday, it has also been able to tap into some phenomenal celebrity talent. The judging panel for Ms. VC Pride 2020 is possibly as exciting as the contestants: Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye for the Straight Guy), Kevin Cahoon (Glow) and renowned Australian drag performer Bebe Gunn. In addition to speakers and politicians, several RuPauls Drag Race contestants including AKeria Davenport (Season 11), Heidi N Closet (Season 12) and Silky Nutmeg Ganache (Season 11), just to name a few will make appearances.

Theyre all doing the same thing were doing, Cooper says. Theyre all doing digital videos. Were all in the same boat.

And without the digital world, there might not have been a VC Pride 2020 at all something that Cooper feels would have been a big loss, especially now. He recalls one of the first 2020 Pride planning meetings at DCVC.

We sat down as a group and said, We cant have a traditional Pride. Do we scrap it or go for the gusto?

As a LGBTQ+ person who grew up in a conservative area, he recognized how powerful a visible Pride experience even online could be.

What if I had had something like this that I could have turned on in my living room? Cooper says. So he told organizers, We have to do this.

Reflecting on the struggles he overcame, as well as the sociopolitical climate were all in right now, Cooper says that, Now that were in a very dark time, its more important than ever to shine a light and to stand out and stand proud.

VC Pride 2020 takes place on Saturday, Aug. 15, 1-3 p.m. and 6-8 p.m. on the Diversity Collective Ventura County YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/c/DiversityCollectiveVenturaCounty.

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I'M AN ARTIST IN THIS FORM | Drag queens stand out and proud for VC Pride 2020 - Ventura County Reporter