Big Drag in a Small Town
Andrea Wabaunsee, a trans woman whose drag persona goes by the name of Tatiana Rexia, performs a dance routine to a sold out crowd April 15, 2023, during the Lipstick Divas drag show at the Boomtown Saloon in downtown Lewiston, Idaho. Wabaunsee has been performing drag for 14 years, but this weekend was her first chance to host a drag show as well as perform in it.
Wabaunsee applies some final touches to her makeup April 14, 2023, at her AirBnB rental in Clarkston, Wash. A dark and gothic theme runs through many of Wabaunsee’s elaborate drag outfits, which coincides with her hard rock musical taste.
One of Wabaunsee’s cats very cutely interprets her as she begins to cut pieces of fabric for her drag outfits April 13, 2023, at her home in Pasco, Wash.
Wabaunsee, center, and fellow queen Vicky D. Boulevard put on their makeup at their AirBnB on April 14, 2023, just a few hours before their first night of performances at the Boomtown Saloon in Lewiston, Idaho.
Wabaunsee’s boyfriend helps her with her contact lenses backstage between sets of the Lipstick Divas Drag Show on April 14, 2023, at the Boomtown Saloon in Lewiston, Idaho.
Aaron McAllister, a.k.a. Diva Dott, amps up a fully packed house March 14, 2023, during the Lipstick Divas Drag Show at the Boomtown Saloon in downtown Lewiston, Idaho.
Wabaunsee MC’s while looking out at the crowd from backstage April 15, 2023, during the second night of the Lipstick Divas Drag Show at the boomtown Saloon in Lewiston, Idaho.
Cody Wojahn, also know as Inanna Miss, takes money from a fan March 14, 2023, during the Lipstick Divas Drag Show at the Boomtown Saloon in Lewiston, Idaho.
Drag queen Vicky D. Boulevard counts a suitcase full of cash tips after closing out a set in the Lipstick Divas Drag Show on April 15, 2023, at the Boomtown Saloon in Lewiston, Idaho. Boulevard left the final night of the Lipstick Divas a little early in order to get a couple hours rest before heading back to Portland to perform in another drag show the following day.
Andrea Wabaunsee, a.k.a Tatiana Rexia, performs to a sold out crowd on the weekend of April 14, 2023, during the Lipstick Divas drag show at the Boomtown Saloon in downtown Lewiston, Idaho.
Wabaunsee has been performing drag for 14 years, but this weekend was different for herself and many of the other drag queens. From death threats to hooded men claiming to be white nationalist protesting outside of their drag shows, the hostility toward drag has increased significantly in the past months.
Drag shows have recently become a political and polarizing topic in Idaho and across the country. In March 2022, the Idaho House of Representatives passed House Bill 265, restricting the performance of public live drag shows that contain “sexual conduct."
Even though the bill passed in the House, there are no plans for it to advance during the 2023 legislative session. But this does not mean the topic is off the table for many Idaho lawmakers as they continue working to pass laws that would make drag shows illegal in the Gem State.
Despite all this Wabaunsee has no plans to stop performing drag or hide her identity.
"I want people to know who I am," Wabaunsee said when asked about the potential threat of violence. "I want them to know I’m not afraid of them."