Sunday, March 10, 2013

Peaches Christ!

The diva, the inspiration, the person herself.  Last night, she hosted a pre-mini-ball in honor of the screening of Paris is Burning at the Castro theater, with special guest judge Latrice Royale.  Watch the following video of Latrice's entrance while I regale you with the story of the rest of the evening.

A Ball, for those who don't know (I didn't), is an old institution formed when Drag Queens and Queers couldn't express themselves on the streets comfortably.  They would therefore meet at clandestine locations to perform as themselves among a welcoming community.  A ball involves several rounds of queer competition, from a Drag Queen runway-style walk through, then a queer boy vogue-off, to, in this case, a segment of men dressed as men but wearing heels otherwise (last night's victor was a burly gentleman in a football uniform and Dorothy-style red sequined heels).  The Drag Queen victor[ix] had papier mache-d herself a whole Roccoco-style queen of hearts outfit, headdress and all - very impressive.  To ensure that it was dramatic, the judges would occasionally bemoan that the contestants were showing for the audience and not for them, a screaming match would break out, and then Peaches would settle everyone down with her gravitas.  Peaches, it appears, can make anything a good time.

Latrice's entrance was particularly compelling given her attire - a full dress and bodysuit comprised of spandex silver and orange sequins - but the real treat came as her music began, when she stripped off her outer layer to reveal her bodysuit (she looked like a gargantuan lollipop, ball on stick, fantastic) and proceeded to do the drop splits.  Well done, lady. 

So, after the show I walked upstairs to where she and Latrice were, picked up a now-vintage poster of Silence of the Trans, and told Peaches I'd named a chapter after her sexy ass.  She smiled, and told me that was cool, and for this I am thankful (starstruck).

No comments:

Post a Comment