Global Courant 2023-05-19 02:04:15
The city of San Francisco – with a long history as one of the nation’s most progressive communities – has declared the nation’s first drag laureate.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed gave the new position Thursday to D’Arcy Drolligner, 54, a San Francisco drag performer and business owner who runs Oasisa club near Civic Center.
The job description for the new role?
“I’m going to have to be very, very fantastic,” Drollinger told The Times. “I see this job as an ambassador, building bridges between the drag community, LGBTQIA+ communities with other community organizations and businesses.”
San Francisco won’t be the only city with a drag laureate for long. West Hollywood’s application deadline to become that city’s Drag Laureate passed at the end of April, meaning the city will soon be selecting an individual for the role.
Drollinger’s nomination as a drag laureate comes at a time when drag performances have become increasingly politicized, with politicians – including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis – targeting drag shows with legislation aimed at keeping children away of the performances.
In Los Angeles, the Dodgers announced this week that a street performer organization that uses humor, cross-dressing and religious imagery to draw attention to sexual intolerance will not be honored with the team’s Community Hero Award at a pregame ceremony due to pressure from conservative Catholics . organizations.
Meanwhile, the San Francisco drag laureate will receive a stipend of $55,000 over an 18-month period from the San Francisco Public Library. The laureate is intended to serve as a spokesperson for the city’s LGBTQIA+ community and “embody San Francisco’s historic, diverse and inclusive drag culture, elevating the entire community on the national and international stage,” according to the mayor’s office.
D’Arcy Drolligner will continue his drag performances in addition to his laureate roles.
(Courtesy of Rachel Ziegler)
The stage is exactly where Drollinger likes to be.
He said he plans to continue his drag performances at Oasis while he is the city’s drag laureate.
Drollinger’s hall now has a parody of ‘Sex And The City’.
“I play a mean Samantha Jones,” Drollinger said.
Drollinger opened Oasis in 2014 and has continued to operate the nightclub during the pandemic.
“I worked really hard during the pandemic to stay afloat and provide jobs for drag performers,” Drolligner said.
