Drag bedazzles every corner of the deep purple state of Wisconsin, with roots dating back to an 1884 performance in Milwaukee by Francis Leon and his troupe. Within the past 15 years, Wisconsin drag queens witnessed audience numbers skyrocket as mainstream culture developed a stronger appreciation for the art form.
The Daily Cardinal spoke with seasoned drag veterans Bianca Lynn Breeze and Cynthia Mooseknuckle as well as youth drag entertainer Nemo about the uniqueness of Wisconsin’s drag scene and the identities they’ve carved for themselves within it.
What does drag mean to you? What does your persona represent?
Breeze: My mom was always a very positive and uplifting person: wherever she was, she always made people laugh and smile. I wasn’t like that originally, but when I lost her at 20, I knew that there was this void that I had to fill. Drag allowed me the outlet to be able to do that, to express my outgoing personality and bring happiness into people’s lives.
Mooseknuckle: I think in a way, putting on a wig is like putting on your crown. It’s great stepping out of your own skin into someone else’s and being able to just go out and have fun. Mooseknuckle is professional, punctual, camp glam … I’m the swiss army knife of drag in Wisconsin.
Nemo: My life if I didn't do drag would be very closed and antisocial. To this day, I get very shy and scared in certain situations, and drag has really allowed me to push through socially and inspire my art. I enjoy being able to put performances together, and it just makes me really happy.
How has being a Drag Queen in Wisconsin changed over the years which you have been performing?
Breeze: Drag has become a lot more mainstream and accessible, in large part thanks to “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” We’re now able to do more events such as comedy and brunches, not just underground nightclubs. And the style has certainly changed from the rhinestones and big hair.
Mooseknuckle: It was taught to me when I first started that if you wanted to make it in the drag scene, especially in Wisconsin, then you had to be a pageant girl and have a title. As I progressed, I realized that being your own queen and beating to your own drum is important and would suit me better.
Nemo: Locally, when I started performing, there were really no spaces for youth entertainers. Me and my friend Andi Withani were the only two, so we ended up hosting a show together.
Describe what it’s been like to be a drag queen in the Midwest. Have you experienced bigotry from more conservative audiences?
Breeze: Wherever we're at, there's going to be 10 times the amount of supporters than there are haters. I do shows in Oshkosh and Manitowoc, which are typically not super liberal areas, but the events are all sold out all the time. So I know that there's at least 100 to 250 people that are welcoming and safe.
Mooseknuckle: There’s always going to be hostility towards the unknown, so you’ve got to find common ground. I did a show in Richland Center where a couple husbands whose wives didn’t tell them what they were attending were clearly a little uncomfortable. But then I came out in rhinestone blaze orange hunting gear and one of those husbands tipped me five bucks.
Nemo: There is a bubble of acceptance in Madison and Milwaukee for queer spaces to exist, but if you drive even twenty minutes out it’s completely different and almost dangerous. When Andi Withani created a Pride in Watertown, Nazi protesters came in with guns and rifles.
Tell me your thoughts about recent anti-LGBT legislative efforts in the country, particularly those which seek to limit public drag performances.
Breeze: It’s been very shocking and kind of sickening. I personally produce events that are specifically all-ages, so I hate when people say bad things about kids being at drag shows, because, to be honest, I'm wearing way more clothes than anybody else is in that establishment.
Mooseknuckle: In order to make lasting change, we need to be visible beyond the arguments and debates. I can be a drag queen in a deep red county state, and answer all the questions and let the walls drop. But what they're not going to do is drive me away from going there in drag, because I have every right to be there - even if it's just staying on the street.
Nemo: Drag is still going to exist even if it is banned — it's just going to be more secretive. If health care for trans youth is banned, people are just going to go out of state to get care or even possibly feel the need to go to drastic measures and do dangerous things.
What is your vision for the future of drag in Wisconsin?
Breeze: As entertainers, we’re always the ones with the mic. It is our responsibility to say, ‘don’t forget to vote in November’ and come out for all different types of drag and be inclusive. I think sometimes performers think that you need to fit a certain shoe to be booked, and that’s not the case. I want us not to be scared.
Mooseknuckle: I’d love to see more drag fundraisers for issues that face our community, such as mental health, addiction treatment and lack of access to affordable housing and transportation. I also want us to do more “Drag Out the Vote” for the 2024 election season, just being visible and telling people, ‘if a drag queen can vote, so can you!’
Nemo: My vision would be that all drag is valued and appreciated and that there was less division within the drag community. As a minority we should be working together to uplift and celebrate each other.
Sreejita Patra is a senior staff writer and the former summer ad sales manager for The Daily Cardinal. She has written for breaking news, campus news and arts and has done extensive reporting on the 2024 presidential race. She also covered the Oregon Village Board for the Oregon Observer.
