Stonewall would not have been the landmark riot and subsequent birthplace of the gay liberation movement without every letter and every person represented in “LGBTQ”. That definitely includes the fabulous, diverse, and splendid drag queens and trans women, which this new #DragRacePride campaign definitely showcases, courtesy of The Stonewall Inn & the fabulous Marco Ovando’s photographic eye.
The riots at The Stonewall Inn in New York City in 1969 marked an act of rebellion by members of the LGBTQ community, and within those few days, the modern day gay rights movement was launched.
Now fifty years later, eight of the legendary queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race gathered at Stonewall to celebrate the ancestry of their LGBTQ family as well as to pay homage to the history of this historic establishment. With photographs courtesy of the uber-talented Marco Ovando, each queen is represented in a unique and particularly prideful way.
Each queen is dressed to represent a color of the original Pride flag, originally created in 1978 in San Francisco by queer artist Gilbert Baker. The colors of the original flag all symbolize something integral to the community, as does the flag; sex, life, healing, sunlight, nature, magic/art, serenity & spirit.
The queens chosen for the campaign, each in their own way, represent the diversity and vibrant hues that our community itself showcases. Milk, Bob the Drag Queen, Sasha Velour, Detox, Tatianna, Jujubee, April Carrion and Peppermint are all showcased at Stonewall by Ovando at their most stunning, representing both their community and themselves gloriously.
I have always said that drag queens are the superheroes of our community. As they look back at us through Marco Ovando’s lens dressed in the colors that represent our glorious community, for just one second, we believe that these dynamic superwomen could truly save the world.
I still do…
(All photography courtesy of Marco Ovando)