By Elizabeth Gracen:
The glamorous Miss Gay America Pageant begins preliminary competition this week in Little Rock, Arkansas. Fifty contestants from around the United States will be judged in male interview, evening gown, talent, on-stage interview, presentation, and creative costume. A new queen will be crowned on January 17 as Miss Gay America 2025.
The competition began in 1972 when Arkansas' own Norma Kristie, aka Norman Jones, became the first man to be crowned Miss Gay America. Since that time, the pageant has continued the tradition of celebrating the art of female impersonation. The MGA competition prohibits the contestants from using female hormones or having undergone any feminizing plastic surgery below the neck. The competition, owned and produced by Mad Angel Entertainment, features this wonderfully creative performance art form in an event that draws "the best of the best" drag artists from around the country to compete for the title. To top off a week of drag celebration, Mad Angel will also premiere the Miss Gay America Femme Pageant to celebrate "the beauty, talent, and resilience of cis and trans women within the LGBTQ community." To read more about these pageants and the artists who participate, please visit the MGA website.
As someone who has been enamored with the art of drag since the 90s when I shot my first short film, The Damn Deal, my admiration and respect for these artists has only grown, and I am grateful to have been welcomed into the world of drag in Arkansas. Last year, despite a crazy snow storm that blanketed the state and threatened to bring the whole proceedings to a halt, I was able to attend the competition, and I’m excited to return to Little Rock's Robinson Auditorium this year to watch and film the current Miss Gay America 2024, Dessie Love Blake, give up her crown to this year's winner.
I’ve been lucky enough to spend a considerable amount of time in my home state these past
couple of years to work on Natural State of Drag —a new feature-length documentary film about the history of drag in Arkansas. I’ve gotten to know so many inspiring people during the process of filming, and I'm eager to see familiar faces as well as connect with new friends from the vibrant LGBTQ+ community in attendance for this year's pageant.
As you can imagine, the Arkansas contingent will be in full force to support this year's newly crowned Miss Gay Arkansas 2024, Coppa LeMay, and her lovely 1st Alternate, Lola Lorenz, as they compete for the title of the new Miss Gay America.
To lend my own support to this year's competition, I recently reached out to Coppa to talk about her history, passions, and what she hopes to accomplish during her year as Miss Gay Arkansas 2024.
Talking to Coppa feels like being enveloped in a familiar, friendly hug. Attentive, present, and warm as honey, the newly crowned queen looks you in the eye and lets you know that she’s listening. Those big brown eyes convey experience, calm leadership, and smooth southern charm. And if you get the chance to meet Coppa as a “boy,” you’ll find Limme Leo Tyler III just as amazing. A staple performer in the drag scene in the '80s, Coppa chose to step away from the stage to pursue a career in Washington, D.C. However, as luck would have it, some twenty-five years later, Coppa moved back to Arkansas, and the performance bug bit her once again. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Coppa LeMay has stepped into the spotlight, and we are so happy that she did. So, without further ado . . .
Please meet the one and only Coppa LeMay!
Elizabeth Gracen: Congratulations, Coppa! From your Facebook posts, it sure looks like you're having fun since your crowning. Everyone is so happy for you! I'm sure it has been a great adventure, but I also know that being a queen is a lot of work.
Coppa LeMay: First of all, thank you so much. Yes, it is a lot of work, but I'm prepared for this. I'm ready for this. You know, I’ve been to Miss Gay America before in 1994. When I was in it before, I was ready to win it, but I'm not so sure I was ready to be it. This year I am ready. I prepared to be Miss Gay Arkansas. Going back to America, it’s the same thing. I'm not only prepared to win Miss Gay America, I'm ready to be Miss Gay America.
EG: Coppa, please tell our readers a little bit about yourself and why you chose the art of drag as a form of self-expression.
CL: So, a little bit about me. I’m a theater arts major, so entertaining is just in my blood and in my nature. That is where Coppa Le May derived from—my theater arts career. I basically started entertaining my junior year in college and never returned to finish my degree. That's when Coppa LeMay was born. The reason why I've come back to the pageant system is to settle some unfinished business, which I seem to be doing pretty well with at the moment. So, I’m kind of proud of myself. After a 25-year break from the industry and being able to just step back in and pick up basically where I left off is an amazing thing.
EG: I sat with you at last year’s Miss Gay America pageant. I saw your focus. You were studying those girls on the stage! What was the one moment when you decided, “Okay, I’m going to this”?
CL: It was two things. One of my best friends sat me down and asked me if I would consider coming back. I thought about it and was like, good lord, I haven't done this in 25 years! But when I hit the stage at the Miss Gay America welcome party last year, it was just like second nature to me. It just came back. The night that you're referring to solidified it. I believe one of your good friends, who is one of the producers of your film, Sandra Blount (Marbaise), was sitting next to me. She leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Do you think you would be up for this?" And I was like, "Hell yeah, I'm up for it!"
EG: You and I grew up in Arkansas around the same time when, for the most part, it was a blue state. It’s a very different landscape now! As a Black Queer man doing drag in a very red state, how are you looking at the lay of the land for the year to come?
CL: Well, it's interesting that you brought that up, Elizabeth, because my career away from Arkansas for the past 25 years has been with one of the top political law firms in America. I've worked on five different campaigns, three administrations. There are those who don't have the courage to speak out. There are those who don't have that kind of bravery. Having worked in Washington, D.C., and understanding how the wheel works, there's no fear for me there, because I understand it. We tend to run from what we fear. I tend to run to it because I'm aware that there needs to be someone like me to be Miss Gay Arkansas. Arkansas is home. Yes, it was a blue state, now it is a red state. It’s like we're sitting at the dinner table. Everybody has their different opinions—especially during the holidays. We fuss, we fight, we laugh, we cry together, and that's how I feel. We need to make it work. The welcome that I've received coming back into the drag world has been overwhelming. I just say it like this— when Nancy Pelosi was running for the House, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez was opposing it. Nancy was like, "Hey, I'll step down, put somebody up." She ended up running unopposed. That's the way I am. If not me, then who else would take on this mantle? That's what I'm doing. I'm taking on the responsibility of being the voice for the community that I live in. And I'm proud of what I do and just glad to do it.
EG: You are around so many people now. What's the mood in general? Are people afraid of the potential changes that will come? How do you plan to serve within that community?
CL: Yes, they are afraid. And I'm one to help dissipate that fear, because I'm not afraid. I noticed the level of security that we had when I was riding in the North Arkansas Pride Parade this summer in Fayetteville. I made a point to thank every single officer who was there, whether they responded or not. I realized they were there for my protection. They were doing their job. That's the same way I feel about being Miss Gay Arkansas. And if I'm honored enough to become Miss Gay America, it would give me a bigger platform to do the job there as well. But it's just like voting; if you don't vote, you don't have a voice. You got to stay in the fight. I'm no longer in the fight in Washington, D.C., but I am in the fight here. And sometimes you have to go where the fight is. I might be the one who's wearing the crown on my head, but I can get down in the trenches with the most of them.
EG: Do you feel like a mentor to some of the younger queens?
CL: I do. I'm not just Miss Gay Arkansas for the contestants assembled, I'm also their advocate. I'm here to help them get to their goals. Just by me coming back after 25 years of being away, so many of them have reached out to me and asked me to be their drag mother. I like to say that I’m not a drag mother; I’m a drag auntie. The whole “house" culture wasn't really in existence in Arkansas when I was doing this before. Times have changed, but it's important to remain relevant in the times, and I believe that's what I've done.
EG: Well, the love birds Athena Sinclair, aka @hairwitch, and Tre Levell love you so much. They are both big supporters, and Athena always paints you and does your hair for the pageants. They both take such good care of you for these events. Athena is magnificent as well, so to see her so in awe of you is heartwarming.
CL: Athena is so funny. We have these moments, and she tells me all of this stuff, and I'm like, yeah, I get it because I was you before you were you. And she's like, you really do understand me. And I was like, yes, I do. She is so close to my heart. I’m so glad to see her energy, her will to fight, her will to show up in drag at Capitol Hill in Little Rock when they tried to pass legislation that would ban drag in the state. If we have to join hands and walk up the steps of the Arkansas State Capitol in drag in the future, I'm willing to do that, and I told her I would. She’s very much an activist in the community, and I'm glad to see that because there really wasn't a need for that so much back when I started in drag. Back when I was living here before, we kind of just helped our own because there was no funding for AIDS. You know, drag queens are the backbone and the foundation which has sustained the gay community. When there were no hot meals, no medications, when people were dying and families couldn't afford to bury them, the drag queens did the benefit shows. We raised money. We got all dolled up, and we just did it. We did what we had to do.
EG: Do you consider yourself an activist?
CL: I don't necessarily see myself as just an activist, but I have no problem speaking to the wrongs that I see. One very important lesson that my mom taught me growing up was that everyone has the right to human rights and civil rights. So, I'm always going to be on the side of what is right and what is fair.
EG: Do you think drag in general is political?
CP: I think it has become political because of the attention it has garnered around the world. Ru Paul has received so much attention and really brought drag into the mainstream. It's funny, but I performed with Ru years and years ago at what is now S4—Village Station. Before “Supermodel,” Ru Paul was basically a club kid. I was fortunate to have that experience. She was the right one to do everything that she's done and bring us into the now. In the same way, I was the right one to take up the mantle for Black Nights at Discovery Nightclub at the time, which gave a venue to Black entertainers.
I can't take full credit for that because Paige Foxx was the one who started it, but she had to leave and care for her mother, and it passed on to me. We all have to help each other, and we all have to do our part. I feel for whatever role that I've been able to play in the history of drag in Arkansas, I'm humbled by it, and I'm grateful for it. I didn't know then that I was opening those doors. I had the opportunity to work with Coco Montrese and Silky Nutmeg Ganache as well. It's funny, because they were like, "girl, you were a legend." Coco Montrese started doing drag in '92, so she saw me get second alternate to MGA in '94. So, it's full circle. We all benefit from the past, present, and the legacy that we aspire to leave behind.
Ru Paul, Coco Montrese, Silky Nutmeg Ganache
EG: What do you think is the biggest misconception by the general public about what drag is?
CL: I cannot speak for everybody, but personally, I've never wanted to be a woman. I've always enjoyed being an entertainer. My biological mom was a beauty queen, and my mom, who is my mom—I don't say that she's my adopted mom, because she's my mom. Both of them are very beautiful women. Both of them were very classy ladies. They both love fashion. My aunts were all very fashionable, and they were my role models in life. Even though I didn't really want to be a woman, I had no male role models to really look up to or aspire to be. So I think Coppa LeMay came from that, and I pay homage to the ladies in my life with Coppa LeMay. So, to answer your question . . . I think one big misconception is that the general public thinks that all drag performers aspire to be women. It’s just entertainment for me.
EG: And there are so many different ways to express yourself in drag.
CL: There are so many different genres and variations of drag, or female impersonation as you refer to it. There are trans femme pageants. You have bearded queens now, and you have actual females who want to dress in drag. It's opened up to this wide variety of choices, there's a market for everything. Whichever you choose to go with, there's a pageant for it. So, the misconception is that people confuse what a person aspires to be rather than what a person aspires to do.
EG: Okay, so let’s talk about the year to come. In the ideal scenario, what do you hope to accomplish?
CL: Well, the ultimate goal is to win Miss Gay America. I definitely want to do that. In the event that it doesn't happen this year, I've already decided to remain in the system for another year; but being Miss Gay Arkansas is definitely enough for me. I don't look at Miss Arkansas as "less than." I look at it as preparation for Miss Gay America. And in less than two months of being Miss Arkansas, I've already grown our system by five preliminary competitions, so I've garnered 12 contestants who have come to me in addition to the ones that are already saying they're coming back. So my main drive will be to continue to build the Miss Gay Arkansas system.
A lot of people don't know that I'm also a minister. A lot of people think that ministry is just limited to the pulpit, but it's not. The real fight is ministering to people and encouraging people beyond the church walls, and it's the same with drag. It's encouraging people beyond that stage, beyond the crown. You're not the crown, the crown is a representation of what you become as Miss Gay America. You're a symbol of excellence for a year. I'm learning that really quickly as Miss Gay Arkansas, because I have one year to implement everything that I need to do during my reign. Once that's over with, I will always pitch in. I'll be a Forever Miss Arkansas. I think people will always remember me, but what they will talk about is what I did during that year. So that's what I'm most focused on.
One of the organizations that I've partnered with is Safe To Be, which helps provide housing for trans people in transition. I'm passionate about it, because I saw this in D.C., where teens were being ostracized by their families because of their sexual orientation, or their sexual assignment, or for being trans. I am very excited about it. While I'm not trans myself, I respect and want to support what is going on with the trans community. People are people, and you never know what they're dealing with. Everyone deserves to be treated as human beings.
What kind of troubles me about what I see in politics today is that there seems to be a lack of care for people in public service. Even though there’s an exception to every rule, it seems to be the mentality that “I'm just trying to stay in power,” or “I'm just trying to keep my job.” At the end of the day, it's our human nature—all of us are trying to survive. We go into survival mode, but when you do that at the cost or the detriment of other people, you really shouldn't be in public office. With the Miss Gay America system, that’s what I signed up for. When organizations reach out and want me to appear, that's my public service. I’ll always try to work it out, and I try to do it. There may be some venues or some causes that I don't necessarily agree with, but in the big picture, I have to look at it from the perspective that I am a public servant as Miss Gay Arkansas.
EG: If you had any words of advice for young gay men who are interested in drag, what advice would you give them?
CL: I would say to them, figure it out. With all the different genres of drag that you have now, figure out what it is that you want to do and the message that you want to send. What is the legacy you want to leave? In the world of female impersonation—in the entertainment industry, there's room on the stage for everybody. Some are going to exit stage left, stage right, and then center stage. But everybody gets their time on the stage of life. We all get a time. It's what we do with that time and how we utilize whatever time that we have to make a positive impact. That's certainly what I'm trying to do, and I hope that I'm doing that.
Here’s wishing Coppa LeMay and Lola Lorenz
a fantastic pageant week!
Let 'em have it, Lola!
Time to slay, LeMay!
Elizabeth Gracen is the owner of Flapper Press & Flapper Films.
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