With support from the California Arts Council, Queens of the Castro will expand their Dragtivism program by recruiting more drag mentors and partnering them with middle school and high school queer and trans youth in order to learn about the art of drag, which will culminate in an intergenerational, public drag show. They will also develop strategic partnerships with local schools in order to incorporate more drag artistry into the curriculum and school culture.
We have worked closely with LGBTQ+ youth and drag performers to organize and implement drag shows as school-wide assemblies, which showcase students’ drag fashion and dance moves, knowledge of queer history, and coming out stories in addition to empowering on-campus LGBTQ+ students to educate their peers and teachers about the vast spectrum of gender and sexuality. We have also established a scholarship fund, which has awarded almost $200,000 in scholarships, that gives LGBTQ+ youth in California the financial freedom to pursue a variety of post-secondary opportunities. Our newest program, Draglab, partners queer and trans youth in the Bay Area with adult drag performers in order to learn about the art and history of drag, and to catalyze intergenerational mentoring opportunities and activism through drag.

