The birth of Viola Eccentra, 15-year-old 鈥檚 drag persona, happened in seventh grade.
Charney had been looking for an opportunity to wear a dress and heels. They realized a Halloween drag queen costume was the perfect excuse.
Charney鈥檚 mom bought them the garment and shoes. Charney rocked the costume, and a few short weeks later, they signed up to give a drag performance at their school talent show.
鈥淪ince I鈥檓 nonbinary, I kind of started drag as my gender journey,鈥� Charney recently told 萝莉少女鈥檚 Erin O鈥橳oole on Colorado Edition. 鈥淚 was able to use drag as a toolbox to be able to become who I want to be.鈥�
Charney, who is also majoring in theater in the Denver School of the Arts, is always looking to push their work forward. This month, Charney is getting help from Denver drag queen , who has been performing in the city for 18 years.
Starr is helping run a for young queens to learn the ins and outs of drag. Their classes on wig maintenance, makeup, performance and sewing are being held at the art hub in Aurora, which is part of the Aurora-based community arts collective .
For Starr, the class is an opportunity to pass along LGBTQ+ history and knowledge to the next generation.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much history that鈥檚 lost, and so many battles that we鈥檝e had to fight as a community,鈥� they told Colorado Edition. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 want that history forgotten.鈥�
In 1954, Denver that made it illegal for "any member of the male sex" to appear in public "in the dress of the opposite sex." This meant that drag queens were arrested for simply being seen in public.
Denver in 1973. And in recent years, drag events 鈥� gay bar performances, brunches and even sober shows 鈥� have moved from counterculture to more mainstream life.
When Starr first came to drag 18 years ago, their welcome was not a warm one. A friend of Starr鈥檚 dared them to perform at a club they frequented. After the performance, the club MC brought Starr on stage, scolded them and told them never to perform drag again.
鈥淚 had to prove her wrong, and I did,鈥� Starr said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very cathartic that I get to teach these classes because I think about that a lot. I don鈥檛 want anyone to feel like I did.鈥�
Through the years, Starr has also seen drag become more inclusive and understanding toward nonbinary people. When Starr started out, they didn鈥檛 have terms like 鈥渘onbinary鈥� and 鈥済enderless鈥� to describe how they identify today.
鈥淚鈥檓 able to finally accept the fact that I鈥檝e always felt different than other drag queens,鈥� Starr said. 鈥淔or me, I felt the same whether I was in drag or outside of drag. I鈥檝e come to terms with my nonbinary-ness and genderlessness because of drag, and because it鈥檚 more open now.鈥�
One of Starr鈥檚 main goals for the Factory Fashion class is giving young queens the safe space to explore gender identity and expression that Starr didn鈥檛 have when they entered the scene.
For Charney, the class is a chance to recognize that struggle, and honor queens like Starr who pushed inclusivity of the art form forward.
鈥淎s a younger queer person, it鈥檚 important for me to embrace my history and the people that fought for my right to be me publicly and openly,鈥� Charney said. 鈥淚 get to learn from one of the best drag queens in Denver to be able to better me and pass that along to future generations.鈥�
Charney, Starr and the rest of the class are gearing up for their capstone performance on Jan. 30 at Stanley Marketplace in Aurora.
Charney plans to pull from their love for theater and Broadway for Viola Eccentra鈥檚 performance. They have been working with Starr on a sketch for their costume that includes a neon rainbow swirl corsage made out of a plastic bag.
鈥淰iola is me but 1,000 times magnified, so I鈥檓 able to express how I feel on the inside to other people,鈥� Charney said. 鈥淒rag is my journal to the world.鈥�
You can hear Colorado Edition鈥檚 full conversation with Sam Charney and Diamond Starr by clicking the player at the top of this page.
