drag queens at hollywood casino bangor maine

Through both word of mouth and promotion on Facebook and Instagram, along with the fact that Lady D keeps ticket prices as accessible as possible, the shows have come a long way in a relatively short amount of time, ballooning to an attendance of 250 to 300 people per monthly show. Nowadays, folks come from all over Maine and nearby states like New Hampshire and Massachusetts-a testament to Delicious Drag Divas’ singularity, considering Boston isn’t lacking in LGBTQIA+ spaces. It quickly evolved through popularity, word of mouth, and a clear demand for drag, proving the need for safe LGBTQIA-friendly spaces beyond those confined to gay bars in larger cities.

My other half wanted to do drag and since there was no space to do it, I created a space,” says Lady D, who started Delicious Drag Divas as a small production company putting on intimate drag shows in rotating spaces in and around Bangor. “I and my other half went to see a drag show. About three hours northeast of Portland, the much smaller and quieter community of Bangor is getting loud thanks to Delicious Drag Divas, a community of queens-led by Lady D-putting on shows that defy stereotypes, draw attendees from all over New England, and ultimately create an oasis of comfort, fun, and solidarity in a drag-deprived desert.ĭelicious Drag Divas originated six years ago out of sheer necessity-and a void that needed filling.

A prime example is Bangor, Maine, a small city in one of the least populated states in the nation, with a grand total of one gay bar in Portland. This is particularly true since drag is still largely regarded as a big-city pastime, confined to the blue-bubble comforts of famously queer-friendly metropolises, like San Francisco, Miami, and Chicago, leaving small towns overlooked and in need of a gender-bending sanctuary that allows guests and performers alike to proudly be themselves.īut from Anchorage to Arkansas, drag continues to pave the way forward, even in the unlikeliest of places. Even in 2022, with homophobia and transphobia still running rampant across the US, safe spaces for the LGBTQIA+ community are more important than ever-havens that drag shows, and pioneering drag performers, provide. Loud, proud, and unabashed in boundary-pushing pageantry, drag has long been at the forefront of social progress.

Drag queens at hollywood casino bangor maine