Jujubee takes the stage at Freddie's and performs her heart out
Interview: Ebone Bell Video / Editing: Aram Vartian
July 29, 2010
On Sunday, July 25 at 9 p.m., Freddie’s Follies ushered in a special sweet treat — Jujubee, a contestant on season 2 of RuPaul’s Drag Race and a “professor” on RuPaul’s latest show, Drag U. Prior to the performance, Jujubee spoke with Ebone Bell, and then took to Freddie’s stage with a vengeance, driving the crowd into a veritable frenzy. Let’s just say, Jujubee was a showgobstopper. Here are some highlights from the evening.
Drag artists and advocates fighting back in the culture war against drag and LGBTQ rights have seen triumphs and setbacks this summer. Two recent federal court decisions -- one in Florida, the other in Texas -- illustrate opposite shifts in the war being waged over anti-drag laws in states around the nation.
In August, a federal appeals court upheld Florida's law that bans performers or venues from conducting any "adult live performance" in the presence of a minor. The law defines "adult live performance" in terms loose enough to apply to practically any performer who appears in drag in a public space -- from a drag brunch to a Pride parade -- where a minor could be present, even with their parent or guardian's consent.
Reality TV works in mysterious ways. An ostensible loss can quickly and unexpectedly be transformed into a win, especially in the hands of a queen who's prepared. RuPaul's Drag Race favorite Salina EsTitties, a.k.a. Jason De Puy, was heartbroken, she says, that her run on the recent All Stars season 11 came to an end in her first round of competition.
The feisty Latina performer, who first competed on Drag Race proper three years ago, returned for All Stars with fierce new looks and a fierce attitude, but still missed the cut of queens who made it out of their bracket to the Merge, where finalists would compete.
