Rupaul's Dragcon 2022 recap: This is the way America is supposed to werk

This weekend my partner Ryan and I had the pleasure of attending RuPaul’s Dragcon 2022 at the L.A. Convention Center in Downtown Los Angeles. It was a huge celebration for everyone after two Pandemic years with no way to get together.

During that time Ryan and I watched the entire Drag Race series from season 1 through 14, all the All-Stars seasons, Drag Race UK… I don’t think we are alone in saying that these plucky queens kept our spirits up—kept us alive, basically—through some really dark and difficult times. It was pretty profound.

These ladies feel like family.

One look at the massive attendance, early in the morning even (definitely not drag club hours), confirmed there were a lot of cooped up people ready to party!

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race Sean Carnage Ryan Cameron

Me & Ryan

Most especially Ryan and I.

Ryan and I were there all day Friday. It all started with the “Queens Walk”—where all the drag queens sashay down the pink carpet in an elaborate, practically never-ending procession. There have been, like, 499 seasons of the Drag Race franchise now so, yeah, lots of queens.

You can see the Queens Walk photos below. I tried to capture all I could.

In the afternoon, we attended a few panels, caught up with dear friend Margot Padilla, a Monday Night icon who did I.E. and Totally Mag! and more. Margot was sound engineering at one of the Dragcon booths (more below).

I gotta say that this was the nicest, most friendly convention I have ever been to—and I’ve been to a lot of these sorts of confabs. Blows the modern iteration of SXSW (yuck) out of the water. Same with AEE or CES or… fill-in the blank.

Moms, dads, queers, children, grandmas, grandpas, straights, Lesbians, Black, white, Latin, Trans, old, young, rich, poor, International—the attendees ran the gamut. We’re talking FULL SPECTRUM of life on this planet.

The whole time I could not help thinking: this is the way life is supposed to run.

This is how America is supposed to work.

There are so many forces today that try to divide us. But when people of all stripes come together for something they love—10 gazillion drag queens?—to love what they love together, it’s really powerful. This is life for me. It’s what makes humans tolerable. I’d like to see us loving more things together.

Now, I’ve been onboard with Drag Race since the get-go. I’ve had my run-in with RuPaul.

READ: That time RuPaul chewed me out on the red carpet in front of Kylie Sonique Love & Pandora Boxx

Fuck me—that sucked. But to quote from the recovery program both Ru and I participate in, it’s principles—not personalities—that matter.

Everyone who attends Dragcon is operating under the same principle: love the underdog, the unclassifiable, the upsetter, the fierce. Glam it up. Let your freak flag fly!

For me, the drag scene has grown to replace a lot of what I used to like about music. You know, artist-made / homemade / D.I.Y., not sanctioned by “the man,” challenging power, full of style, fabulous, inclusive, rebellious, new.

I hope that if you wanted to go you made it to Dragcon. If not, watch out for next year….

Here’s my report from the convention floor. Can everybody say love?

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race main stage

The DragCon main stage

IT BEGINS: It was crack ‘o dawn for drag queen lovers. This is entertainment that usually goes on in the depths of night, but here we were. 9:30am. Eek.

Notice the “House Of Love” sign hanging above. No, that’s not for your favorite ’80s, pre-Shoegazer UK band starring Guy Chadwick.

That’s Dragcon’s underwriter—a beverage company owned RuPaul and Drag Race production company, World Of Wonder. Say what you will about Ru, but she is quite industrious.

Folks queue along the pink carpet & wait for the Queens Walk.

The pink carpet. People are amped….

Ongina

And then it begins! Very fitting that the first queen out is all-time favorite, Season 1 competitor Ongina.

Ongina used to live in Koreatown, same era I did. Saw her roll herself in like a bowling ball across the floor (and knock down some unsuspecting patrons) at A Club Called Rhonda when it was strictly an underground, word-of-mouth roving party. She still looks great.

Tammie Brown

Tammie Brown! One of my very favorite all-time queens—also from Season 1—and another underground hero.

Tammie used to perform at the Silver Platter, an ancient Latinx gay bar at the corner of my street in Ktown, at notorious club night, Wildness, of which a movie was made (highly recommended).

Manila Luzon

Manila Luzon, another early and continuing icon, is always a delight.

Alexis Mateo

Alexis Mateo looking stunning. Bam!

Detox

Detox is an immortal. I dig the Fendi garment bag. It’s the little touches that set the real pros apart and above.

Kennedy Davenport

Kennedy Daveport faces the faces.

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race Cynthia Lee Fontaine

Cynthia Lee Fontaine & friend

Cynthia Lee Fontaine absolutely had the humpiest chaperone of the morning.

Eureka

Eureka—she’s got it!

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race Jan

Jan!

I must admit, Jan—she of the intense energy and never blinking eyes—wasn’t a big hit in our household on Season 12. But then she just grew on me. Like a fun-gus. Emphasis on fun. I love her now. Go, Jan.

Jackie Cox

Jackie Cox came out dressed like a genie bottle…

Jackie Cox

…and then transformed into Jeannie. Yes, there was a momentary wardrobe malfunction but she recovered and it was amusing and we love you!

Tayce

Tayce—from Drag Race UK, Season 2—is an obsession of mine right now. She is so style, so punk—she embodies that hard-edged, ’90s Matrix-y thing that Balenciaga has been doing lately. Icon.

Maddy Morphosis

First “straight” Drag Race queen, Maddy Morphosis. This is gonna sound corny but the fact that she got so many cheers brought a little tear to my eye.

Deja Skye

Last season, Season 14, Deja Skye had the most kickass, camp ’80s “shoulder pad” look… she’s my hero for that one look alone. She should have worn it on the pink carpet.

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race Jasmine Kennedy

Jasmine Kennedie

We saw this bitch in San Francisco last month. Jasmine Kennedie is a seriously athletic dancer and one to watch. Hopefully she comes back for a future All-Stars?

Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté

Kornbread is an L.A. icon and I’m sure we have not seen the last of her. My prediction this no-nonsense queen reappears on All-Stars…

Daya Betty

Daya Betty has grown on me too, I guess. Was she the unlucky recipient of the “villain edit” this past season? I dunno. Time will tell. Great to see her in person though.

Angeria Paris VanMichaels

I love me some Willow Pill (see below), but I really thought Camden or Angeria should have won. Another icon.

Bosco

Bosco was one of the best season “narrators” (i.e., a talking head the producers keep cutting to to help events on the screen make sense) and I’m into her goth looks.

Willow Pill

Willow Pill is so fucking weird, she could have come from Sean Carnage Monday Nights. She won the crown too. Amazing. Bow down!

Aquaria

Aquaria—another pure style icon. Hot as a boy or a girl. Just wow.

Kylie Sonique Love

RuPaul read me to filth in front of Kylie Sonique Love waaaaay back when. That was fucking horrible.

READ: That time RuPaul chewed me out on the red carpet in front of Kylie Sonique Love & Pandora Boxx

But flash forward: Kylie’s the first trans winner and an amazing performer. You go, girl!

Lawrence Cheney

All the judges loved Scotsman Lawrence Cheney on Drag Race UK, Season 2, and I guess I did too. His Addams Family-vibe is pretty cool. Glad he made it over the pond.

Krystal Versace

Krystal Versace, Drag Race UK, Season 3 winner, and the youngest-ever winner in the franchise. Her face, her look—so wonderfully angular. Like a jeweler cut her face from diamonds. Incredible to see the illusion was total in real life not just on TV.

Symone

For really elevated, of-the-moment, pop culture-as-art, Black, post-everything style, Season 13 winner Symone is the absolute best. Smokin’.

Bonus points: Symone’s booth, which I guess I did not take a photo of, was called “SYMoMA”—like the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Same font. Same gallery walls.

PURE ART.

Blu Hydrangea

First Irish queen to win, Blu Hydrangea. Sassy. We love sass.

Alaska Thunderfuck 5000

All-time icon Alaska still brings so much attitude. She is punk. Or what I love about punk. Adore her.

Raja

Raja used to live near me in Weho. I’d see her at Out Of The Closet where we’d both be shopping for new looks. Good thing she’s two feet taller than I am or we woulda been fightin’ (just kidding—even if I was tall I’d lose, I’m not that fierce).

Monet Xchange

Monet Xchange is one of those queens who I can imagine hosting a talk show or the nightly news. She’s got it.

Shea Couleé

Another style queen—can’t wait to see Shea on the new season of All-Stars.

Jinkx Monsoon

Did Jinkx Monsoon get her last name from AbFab’s Edina Monsoon? Yep yep.

Jinkx is splendidly wacky.

Trinity the Tuck

Trinity the Tuck grew on Ryan and I so much that she ended up being one of our favorites of all time. Can’t wait to see her on the show again this summer.

The Vivienne

Drag Race UK, Season 1 winner The Vivienne is so damn smooth. Someone called her a “dragtor”—as in, drag + actor—and I think that’s about right. She’s that good.

RuPaul & The Pit Crew (Bryce Eilenberg, Bruno Alcantara)

RuPaul really got into the DJ gig…

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race RuPaul

RuPaul Charles

I dunno what the plan was but she kept spinning for two hours—very nice set. Heavy on the ’80s/’90s club hits. That old music is exotic to the youngins’ so everyone was going nuts.

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race Willam Delta Work Margot Padilla

Willam & Delta Work chat—while Margot Padilla (I.E., Totally Mag!) engineers.

Oh my gosh look—it’s mean girl Willam and our drag hero, Delta Work, and… our music scene hero Margot Padilla running the production board!

Willam, Delta Work, Margot Padilla.

Margot is engineering the M.O.M. Podcasts with all your favorite drag queens.

Check them out

Kinda like W.O.W. but upside down I guess. It was wonderful to see Margot doing her thing.

Willam

Also, I’ll just leave this here. Willam’s leg. Bitch.

Willam, Kandy Muse, Delta Work

Kandy Muse is a favorite of ours—brings that New Yawk attitude. She dropped in for a hot minute.

RuPaul's Dragcon 2022 L.A. Los Angeles Convention Center Drag Race Willam Jewels Long Beach Delta Work

Willam, Jewels, Delta Work

Oh my gosh it’s our old friend Jewels—who we created so many videos with back in the day—also on the couch.

Watch a compilation of videos I made with Jewels

This is a three-way that turns me on.

Cheryl Hole, Priyanka, Lemon

Of all the things we saw and did, a random traipse past the stage yielded us the most powerful performance of the day: Priyanka! Holy shit!

Apparently she won the crown up north. We are going to be going back to watch Canada’s Drag Race tout suite…

Priyanka actually sang and danced like a real pop star. Cheryl Hole and Lemon joined.

Very impressive, ladies.

Blu Hydrangea, Baga Chipz, The Vivienne, Ts Madison

The Drag Race UK reunion panel with Ts Madison was worth a visit—if only to (sort of) hear Baga Chipz, whose Kathy Bates impression is one for the ages.

Unfortunately the sound was terrible, so after we rested our feet for a bit we fled…