Holiday Sauce is dedicated to the memory of my drag mother, Mother Flawless Sabrina who was a legendary mentor to so many young drag performers. It wasn’t her imperfectly-painted face that earned her the title of “Flawless” -- her flawlessness was found through fostering artistic expression as a form of civics. My time spent with Flawless lasted a little less than two years and yet, like the best mothers do for their children, she transformed me by inspiring me to transform myself. “Ur the boss, Apple Sauce,” was her advice to all her drag minions. She meant that it is up to us to create the world we wish to live in.
Wherever we tour Holiday Sauce, we honor a local elder by celebrating the monumental impact they have made as a mentor to their community throughout their life and career. These Queens have made a lasting impact, and we honor their work and the inspiration they offer.
Look to the queens, Queen. Or as Mother Flawless would say, in her best Liza lisp, “Each one teach one.”
With love and great respect,
Taylor Mac
Mother Flawless Sabrina by Jeff Jackson
Paulette Thomas-Martin
New York, NY
Since 1972 Paulette has been instrumental in promoting and producing community based events such as health and wellness fairs, family days, and energy awareness. She has also served as a volunteer for the Special Olympics and became a board member of The People with Disabilities Act for Equal Rights where she assisted in ensuring that people with disabilities has equal representation in the community and workforce. At Alternative To Violence, a domestic violence agency she worked as a "Women's Advocate monitoring family court and developed and conducted workshops for battered women, using role play to assist her clients in building their self-esteem, self-empowerment, and goal setting. In 1997 Paulette graduated as a Massage Therapist and established Nubian Ohana a holistic massage practice specializing in acute and chronic care, addressing the concerns and wellness of seniors and youths.
Presently Paulette is a teaching artist at SAGE Center Harlem, Carter Burden Senior Center, Griot, and The Children's Village in Harlem. She is also the Vice-President of HarlemYES, Inc. in charge of program outreach and development. She is instrumental in the development, promotional, and implementation of the company's workshops and networking events.
Bloolips
London, UK
Founded in 1977 by Bette Bourne, was a cabaret and drag troupe who performed internationally for 25 years. Bloolips came out of the radical queens group of the Gay Liberation Front 1970-1974, a collective of pro-feminist men from the GLF Notting Hill drag queen commune that included Bette Bourne, Gretel Feather, and Lavinia Co-op. Most of Bloolips’ shows were written by playwright Jon Taylor with titles such as Lust in Space, Sticky Buns and The Ugly Duckling. The troupe won an Obie Award (Off Broadway Theater Award) for the New York production of Lust in Space. In 2019, ‘Bloolips and Radical Drag,' an exhibition at Platform Southwark London, celebrated the legacy of the radical drag theatre company.
Photo Credit:
Bloolips, Lust in Space, 1980, publicity photo.
Courtesy: Bloolips Archive, Bishopsgate Institute, London
Morgan Jenness
New York, NY
Morgan Jenness is an artist, activist, teacher, and mentor who has served as "Dramaturgical interference" in capacities with theaters (and some films and developmental situations) across the country for over three decades. They worked in the literary office and as Associate Producer at the Public Theater under, as an Associate Artistic Director at NYTW and LATC, as well as Creative Consultant at both the Helen Merrill and Abrams Artists agencies.
Morgan has been a guest artist with multiple educational theater programs, is currently on the faculty of Columbia, Fordham, and Pace University and has been on multiple theater funding and award panels including NEA, NYSA, NEFA, the Drama Desk, and Herb Alpert Award. Morgan is also a recipient of an Obie for Long-Term Support of Playwrights, the prestigious LMDA Lessing Award, the first Elsa Rael VintAge Award, and a 2015 Doris Duke Impact Award, under which they are pleased to work as a Creative Consultant for Double Edge Theater as well as several projects at LaMama.
They are the Founder/Creative Director of In This Distracted Globe—a dramaturgical and management consultancy, an Artistic advisor to Taylor Mac—and a stalwart source of guidance to many along the meandering path to respair.
Gawen
Miami, FL
Gawen (muggle name Luigi Ferrer) is the Keeper of Kelpie House, an urban farm and Miami’s Radical Faerie city house. At Kelpie we live close to the land, are mindful of our carbon footprint, build community, provide sanctuary and welcome queer folks and RadFae visitors from near and far. Gawen is a certified HIV Test Counselor, HIV/STI prevention/safer sex educator, and a nationally recognized Bisexual, LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS activists with a passion for the environment.
Beverly Dale
Palo Alto
Beverly Dale is a southern belle, born in Mississippi but who traversed the world in her youth as an Army brat. In her work as a microbiologist, she was involved in the development of HIV diagnostic tests during the turn-around in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. A proud Democrat, feminist and gay rights activist, she has been a passionate advocate for queer-themed new works, including Conspirare's Considering Matthew Shepard and Ballet Austin's Exit Wounds. Among her many philanthropic interests are the Elton John Foundation, the Clinton Foundation’s “No Ceilings” Initiative, Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders and Stanford Live.
David Fairbanks Ford
Hannover, NH
As a youngster, David Fairbanks Ford knew he wanted nothing more than to grab his mother’s umbrella and handbag and pretend he could fly just like his hero Mary Poppins—which he did. He founded Vermont’s Main Street Museum in 1992 as an art venue and a cabinet of curiosities. David has been eager to support all manner of Radical Faeries, Queer punk bands, the local Mardi Gras-inspired walking Krewe for Halloween and a Queer Symposium.
Main Street Museum Facebook
Instagram @mainstreetmuseum
Photo credit: Petr Shvetsov
Kim Trusty
Providence, RI
Kim is beloved for her work in the Providence community, teaching elementary school music to under-represented children. She helped to start Providence’s first school for the Arts, longtime FirstWorks education partner TAPA - Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts back in 2010. Her accolades and awards include YWCA’s “Women of Achievement” award for outstanding arts education, and the “Voice for the Voiceless" award from the fund for community service. Against a backdrop of the world in crisis, Kim asks us to stop and listen. Above the noise, she reminds us that peace and hope are possible when we dream together. On her journey, she has faced racial and gender prejudice, cancer, sexual abuse, strokes, poverty and homelessness. And yet she carries on, rising from each fall a little bit stronger to bring us music that inspires and heals.
Photo credit: Dhana Whitening
David Gere
Los Angeles
David Gere became an AIDS activist in the mid-1980s, when his friends in the San Francisco arts community began falling sick. After witnessing the profound ways in which the Bay Area dance community had intervened in the AIDS epidemic, he connected with artists in India who, similarly, were tackling their epidemic. From this came MAKE ART/STOP AIDS, an ad hoc organization that sponsors arts activism projects around the world.
Ari Moore
Western NY
A life-long Buffaloian, in the 1990s Ari decided to start giving back to the multi-racial-social-trans-community she had grown up in. She founded the A.Q.A (African American Queens Association) support group for transgender people of color. Ari also helped found Spectrum, a transgender support group in Buffalo. Ms. Moore became a transgender activist, lobbying for GENDA (Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act) in the New York State capitol. Ms. Moore continues to promote gender equality in all aspects of her life.
Marinka, Queen of the Amazons
Las Vegas, NV
After being sent to live in New York to avoid the revolution in Cuba, Marinka realized her childhood dream to become her true self. She toured with the legendary Powder Puff Revue, and she ascended in burlesque to become one of the world’s most famous exotic dancers, Marinka, “Queen of the Amazons.” She has been named a Legend by the Burlesque Hall of Fame. This Queen continues to inspire, entertain, mentor, and headline Festivals all over the U.S. and Canada.
Kristen Ries
Salt Lake City, UT
Professor emerita of Internal Medicine and retired infectious disease physician, Kristen Ries moved to Salt Lake City, Utah in 1981—arriving the same day the CDC released a report about a new disease affecting gay men. She created Utah’s first comprehensive HIV/AIDS program, and was for years the only physician willing to treat AIDS patients in Utah. In 1994, she joined the University of Utah’s Division of Infectious Diseases and brought 500 patients with her. She and her partner, Maggie Snyder, found creative ways to serve patients and provide them with the expensive drugs then used to treat HIV/AIDS. In 2000, Ries and Snyder led efforts to establish a treatment clinic in St. George, which also continues to serve patients today. She received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Utah in Spring 2020.
Devina Ross
Tempe, AZ
Teddy Rodriguez, “Miss Devina Ross,” began her drag diva journey in Phoenix, Arizona in 1984, winning a drag talent show on her first try at a club called Shamoo’s! The rest as they say is drag herstory! Devina is known for her Diana Ross and Tina Turner impersonations. Miss Ross led the formation of The Cotton Club, which unites African American LGBTQ drag entertainers for special events such as Gay Pride. Currently, Miss Devina Ross guest appears monthly at Charlie’s, Stacy’s, and additional club bookings at Phoenix LGBTQ scene!
Photo Credit: Jocelyn Reynolds
Mahide Lein
Berlin, Germany
Mahide Lein, the queer feminist, contributes to the longed-for cosmopolitanism of Berlin and connects stars and starlets from all over the world - in all worlds with all art movements, cultures, ages and lifestyles of this planet. With her concert & event agency, she has been building bridges between art, culture, social commitment, cross-border issues, with a pleasant balance between audience and stage since the 1970s.Let dreams come true! Rock your life! https://laesbisch-tv.de
https://ahoi-kultur.de
Riz Rollins
Seattle, WA
Me, the most fortunate artist in the emerald city, the universe, kexp, et al, chose me 35+ years ago, to be a public servant, minister of music, and gifted me an open heart with matching ears to listen, a pair of shoulders to cry on, and a song for every occasion to dance to, to comfort and to heal. me a gift for whosoever needs or desires good company or consolation to unite, one nation under the groove(s)
Joseph Interrante
Nashville, TN
Joseph Interrante was Executive Director of Nashville Cares for 25 years, and has been active in progressive LGBTQ and HIV/AIDS issues for more than 40 years. He was the first openly gay director of a Nashville non-profit, and the first HIV-positive Director of a Tennessee HIV/AIDS organization. During his tenure, CARES created Brothers United, designed by and for African American same gender-loving men, and My House, a health and wellness center serving gay, bisexual and queer men regardless of HIV status. Since retiring in 2019, Interrante works with Nashville Pride’s “Community Visioning” project supporting older LGBTQ adults.
leZlie lee kam
Toronto, Canada
leZlie lee kam is a world majority, brown, trini, Carib, indo, chinese, callaloo, queer, DYKE, differently-abled community activist, Elder. I am a 2SLGBTQI+ awareness consultant and workshop facilitator. In my work I focus on the issues affecting 2SLGBTQI+ seniors / older adults and the barriers we are forced to overcome on a daily basis. LeZlie lives in Toronto, Canada and for fun is a storyteller, actor and connector. LeZlie loves dim sum, doubles, dancing, soca and a trini 'lime' anytime!
Photo credit: Jocelyn Reynolds
Juanita MORE!
San Francisco, CA
Juanita MORE! is a denizen of the limelight and the Tenderloin's sweetheart. For almost three decades, the tireless hostess has blitzed SF with high glamour, drag irreverence, danceable beats, culinary delectables and a philanthropic heart that has illuminated the entire city. Juanita remains a beacon for her community, elevating queer businesses and progressive politics, inspiring those around her to make a positive difference in their lives and in their communities, doing it all with a timeless elegance and an innovative spirit.
Sharon Day
Minneapolis, MN
Sharon Day is an enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe. An artist and activist working for women, LGBTQIA+, Indigenous peoples, and the environment, she has served as the founding Executive Director of Indigenous Peoples Task Force since 1990, developing and implementing culturally-appropriate HIV education and services for Native people. Since 2011 Sharon has led Nibi (Water) Walks, extended ceremonies where community walks, prays and sings from the headwaters of a river to its mouth.
Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad
Oslo, Norway
Esben Esther Pirelli Benestad is a doctor, family therapist, specialist in clinical sexology and professor emeritus. Also a proud parent and grandparent, married to Elsa Almås in a 34 year loving relationship. In 2018 Esben Esther and Elsa formed a theatre in their garden dedicated to showcasing those who are underrepresented in society. All About My Father, a film focusing on Esben Esther’s life, is known internationally. Esben Esther sees themselves as ‘transgifted’.
Paco Clavel
Madrid, Spain
In 1980 Paco formed the group Bob Destiny & Clavel y Jazmín with Luis del Campo, creating the idiosyncratic musical style called Guarripop or CutreLux. Their album REINA POR UN DIA looked at songs from the sixties from a new lens. As a result of the success of the song El Twist Del Bus, Paco became a popular figure and makes countless appearances on television and live performances. His recordings include COCO, PIÑA, COCO, LIMÓN (1984), POP CAÑÍ (1985), CUTRE-LUX (1991) and DUETS (1994). He also in heard on radio with programs such as El Guirigay or Extravaganza. Paco also works as a DJ for events such as the World Pride Madrid 2017 or the Sonorama music festival. As a born cultural agitator, he has also organized exhibitions, concerts and events of various kinds, in which his particular sense of aesthetics and humor as well as his unique personality have shone with their own light.
Bernice “Boom Boom” Brooks
NYC
Bernice “Boom Boom” Brooks is a renowned musician and teaching artist proud to be celebrating her 50th year in the industry. After studying at the Conservatory of music in Chicago, she hit the ground running, forming an all-female R&B group called “Girl-a-thon—International” in the early 70’s. She’s shared the stage with fellow legends Ray Charles, Joanne Brackeen, Etta James, Bill Withers, Gregory Hines and countless others. Always on the move, she’s produced "The Bernice Brooks Show" on BCAT/BRIC Arts Media for 23 years and has served as resident drummer at Middle Collegiate Church since 2007. “Boom Boom” played her first gig with Taylor Mac in 2013 and has been the heart and soul of the 24-Decade History of Popular Music company ever since. While she’s respected for her professionalism, it’s “Boom Boom’s” generous spirit and contagious positivity that draws people to her wherever she travels, leaving an indelible impression on the friends she makes the world over. She has a rare gift for building community around the organizing principle of gratitude. Her “daily affirmations” lift up an ever-widening circle of chosen family.
Photo credit: Sarah Walker
Beth Marschak
Richmond, VA
Since the early 1970s, Beth Marschak’s civil rights and human rights activism as an “out” lesbian helped transform the local LGBTQ+ landscape. From co-founding Richmond Lesbian-Feminists (1975) to the first Virginia “out” national presidential convention delegate (Jesse Jackson 1988); she was honored by Equality Virginia as an OUTStanding Virginian - one of many recognitions for her accomplishments. Co-authoring the book Lesbian and Gay Richmond shared some of her research on LGBTQ+ people. Curating the recent exhibit “Truthful History Heals” continued her long-standing commitment to the elimination of racism.
Photo credit: Scott Elmquist
Keri Adams
Richmond, VA
Photo Credit: Shawnee Custalow
Jim Toy
Ann Arbor, Michigan
The name “Jim Toy” is synonymous with the queer movement in the state of Michigan. The first publicly “out” man in Michigan (1970), Jim established the first campus center in history devoted to the support of sexual minority group members. His status as a TBLG icon is based on over 40 years of tireless effort to create safety and equality for people of all sexual and gender preferences through his speaking, teaching, writing, administrating, organizing and protesting. www.jimtoycenter.org
Timothy White Eagle
Seattle, WA
Dancing at the crossroads of art and ritual, over the past 25 years, Timothy White Eagle has explored Native American, Pagan, and other earth-based Spiritual practices. TWE considers the role of the artist to be that of the agent of change. Around the world there are stories of tricksters, mythic creatures who break the rules or containment of society, and by so doing bring into the world something new. TWE believes the role of the artist is to vision outside of our current containment and look for visions of something new, and to manifest those visions into the world. TWE was the indigenous advisor during the creation of Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music and has toured internationally with us as the Artistic Director of the Dandy Minions.
Dana Nessel
Michigan
Dana Nessel was sworn in as Michigan’s 54th Attorney General in January 2019, making her the first openly LGBTQ person elected to statewide office in Michigan. Her core initiatives have been fashioned in the image of her promise to Michigan’s residents — to give the Department of Attorney General back to the people that it serves. A former criminal prosecutor and civil rights attorney, Dana is recognized as one of Michigan's premier litigators of LGBTQ issues and is the founder and former president of the Fair Michigan Justice Project, a first of its kind task force which investigates and prosecutes hate crimes committed against the LGBTQ community.
Barbara Gustern
New York, NY
Barbara Maier Gustern is a beloved vocal coach and a fixture of NYC’s downtown performance scene. Over the years her students have included Diamanda Galás, Debbie Harry, Justin Vivian Bond, and Rizo, among many others. She was vocal coach for the 2019 Broadway revival of Oklahoma! and made a guest appearance as “Mother” in Taylor Mac’s A 24-Decade History of Popular Music. This year, she organized a concert to mark her 85th birthday, which raised nearly $15,000 for charity. Barbara is known for her extraordinary gift for community-building and can be found at the theater supporting her many students and friends nearly every night of the week.
Photo Credit: Albie Mitchell
Guillermo Gómez-Peñ
San Francisco, CA
Guillermo Gómez-Peña has spent his life and career focused very intensely on the notion of collaboration across borders, race, gender and generation as an act of citizen diplomacy and a means to create “ephemeral communities.” Gómez-Peña came to the US from Mexico City in 1978. His work -- which includes performance art, video, audio, installations, writing and cultural theory -- explores cross-cultural issues, immigration, the politics of language, "extreme culture" and new technologies in the era of globalization.
Photo Credit: Zach Gross
Annie Sprinkle
San Francisco, CA
Annie Sprinkle was a NYC prostitute and porn star for twenty years, then morphed into an SF artist and sexologist. Having passionately explored sexuality for over forty years, Annie shares her experiences through feminist sex films, visual arts, creating theater, writing and teaching. Annie champions sex worker rights and health care; as one of the pivotal players of the Sex Positive Movement of the 1980’s, she is now committed to making environmentalism more sexy, fun and diverse as part of the new “ecosex movement." Annie is the first sex film star to successfully earn a Ph.D., which she was awarded from the IASHS in San Francisco.
Rumi Missabu
San Francisco, CA
Rumi Missabu is a founding member of The Cockettes, the SF-based spectacle-loving, glitter-encrusted drag experimental performance troupe. Rumi is one of the homegrown personalities in the original Cockettes who were at the forefront of gender-bending philosophy and aesthetic of the 1960's that spread into the psychedelic theater and arts scene. As one of the last surviving members of The Cockettes, Rumi keeps the spirit alive to this day with contributions to critically acclaimed exhibitions and events, instructing and reminding us of the myriad of possibilities of preserving our past so generations to come may continue to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Rumi reminds us that our story is just as valid as any other -- whether we are an actor, a chef or carpenter.
Photo Credit: Fussy Lo Mein
