From 'Garbage Plates' to glam, celebrating Rochester, NY's drag scene

Not many people can give thanks to drag queens & kings for building their careers.

It launched my professional journey and helped create the woman I am today.

New York, Los Angeles, and other larger cities may have their fair share of drag. But there's something different about the artists in Rochester, NY.

Tucked away at the tips of the Finger Lakes region, on the shores of Lake Ontario, Rochester has a vibe between the concrete jungle of New York and the folksy atmosphere of a New England town.

The city is known for where suffragette Susan B. Anthony called home, abolitionist Frederick Douglass founded his Morning Star, and George Eastman launched his Kodak empire, among others.

Not to mention the city's most delectable dish, the "Garbage Plate."

Still, few outsiders know of its drag culture.

Rochester has also birthed drag stars like RuPaul's Drag Race's Pandora Boxx, Darienne Lake, Mrs. Kasha Davis, and Sapphira Cristal.

Miss Gay Rochester is the city's blue-ribboned drag beauty pageant, one of the nation's longest-running competitions since 1971, with winners venturing to beauty competitions like Miss Continental.

The performers and performances range from the cinched and ballads to the unpadded and punk.

I found community when I needed it most. Starting my brief drag career in 2014 (though isn't life all a drag?), I was dealing with the pain of losing three loved ones in six months. Not to mention finishing grad school.

Through drag, I found myself once again. And also found a part of myself I had hidden away so long ago.

While my journey shifted as a Black trans woman, my love for drag never wavered.

I launched Flower City Queens as a calendrical celebration of the individuality and history of drag in Greater Rochester.

Over the past three editions, it has been an absolute honor and privilege to capture the beauty and grace of these fab performers.

With the work shift, some have wondered why I chose to stay Upstate (or Western New York, depending on who you're talking to)

But I've come to love this city that gave the world Susan B., George E., and those damn delicious garbage plates. And the community—drag or otherwise—who allowed me to imagine and shape my world.

Arranged for Out.com by Nikki Aye, Digital Photo Editor

Marie-Adélina de la Ferrière serves as the Community Editor of equalpride, the publisher of Out. She is also the Creative Director of Flower City Queens calendar, celebrating the individuality, diversity, and history of drag in the Greater Rochester region.

Voices is dedicated to featuring a wide range of inspiring personal stories and impactful opinions from the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. Visit out.com/submit to learn more about submission guidelines. We welcome your thoughts and feedback on any of our stories. Email us at voices@equalpride.com. Views expressed in Voices stories are those of the guest writers, columnists and editors, and do not directly represent the views of Out or our parent company, equalpride.

Keep scrolling for more photos!