Growing up, I loved summer camps, no matter what kind. I would beg my mom to send me to Camp Orkila, where all the cool kids went, on Orcas Island in Washington. I went to single-day cooking camps at the local community market. In the first grade, I began attending Camp Coyote, a place where I made best friends — and so many s’mores — year after year, eventually becoming a counselor myself. Then, of course, there were the Mormon summer camps. You might think a closeted young lesbian would have hated them, but I looked forward to going every time — yes, even the year that I had to participate in Trek, a multiday reenactment of the pioneer trail, which included pulling a heavy wagon through the woods while wearing a dress and bonnet. The most important thing was I got to be outside — and yeah, maybe I flirted with the girls a little. Keep Reading →
In 2018, RuPaul famously posted what he thought was the transgender flag to Twitter but was, in fact, the 1953 Ellsworth Kelly painting Train Landscape. The Drag Race host was roasted for the error — which was likely the result of a misspelling on Google — but as a trans woman who’s obsessed with trains, I didn’t mind too much. I feel equally represented by either ensign. Keep Reading →
Catalina Island sits just an hour off the Southern California coast, but its main town of Avalon feels worlds away from the mainland. Palm trees sway along the harbor, colorful hillside homes overlook the bay, and golf carts outnumber cars on the narrow streets below. But one of the first things you notice on Catalina Island is what’s missing. Keep Reading →
Emmy-winning drag artist and Dragvestigations creator Lushious Massacr
Courtesy Emily Eizen
Lushious Massacr doesn’t just walk into a place; she “dragvestigates” it. The Emmy-winning drag artist, born Martin De Luna Jr. and raised in Brownsville, Texas, has built a devoted following through her wildly entertaining Dragvestigations series, where full glam meets fluorescent lighting in local supermarkets, big box stores, and anywhere else she feels called to roam. It’s chaotic, distinct, and entirely her own. Keep Reading →