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<\/p>\nBefore Nala Diamond goes onstage, they check in with their cats via the cameras in their home.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to video chat them and be like, \u2018I\u2019m getting you money, I\u2019ll be home soon,\u2019\u201d Diamond said.<\/p>\n
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All the money Diamond makes from performing drag is put back into the animal community. This includes rescuing animals, paying for an animal\u2019s surgery or medication, and placing cat and dog food around the city for strays.<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing able to see what I\u2019m doing it for, it takes all the tension, all the nerves away,\u201d Diamond said. \u201cIt gives you that goal, it gives you that drive to push your creativity. And I feel like I\u2019m at my most funny and I feel like I\u2019m at my most performative when I know that they\u2019re all at home waiting for me to bring them new siblings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diamond\u2019s love for animals comes from growing up in a small Florida country town, where their family would rescue abandoned animals in the woods. Alongside their passion for animals, Diamond\u2019s childhood also introduced them to the world of drag, from going to Pride parades with their parents.<\/p>\n
Come out to a show \u201cBeing able to laugh, being able to see the glamor of it all, it is what I feel like I always wanted to do in life,\u201d Diamond said. \u201cAnd help animals.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, Diamond performs drag shows in San Luis Obispo, co-hosting the That\u2019s So Drag Brunch alongside Juicy CW at Libertine Brewing Company. On June 6, the Libertine is hosting a nighttime dance party with drag performances alongside a brunch the next day to kick off Pride Month.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cSo many people feel like they cannot do drag and that they can\u2019t perform at these spaces, and we\u2019re just like, \u2018We are here with open arms,\u2019\u201d Diamond said. \u201cThe only criteria we have at a drag show is entertain an audience and just be a good person.\u201d<\/p>\n For Fae Fatale, who will be performing at the brunch, community lies at the heart of drag. Coming from the Cal Poly Drag Club in college, Diamond and Juicy CW were some of the first queens that they met outside of Cal Poly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve always been so much fun to work with. They have some of the craziest ideas, and they\u2019re just so fun,\u201d Fatale said. \u201cAnd they\u2019ve just given me so many opportunities to do drag and show drag to a bigger audience.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Fatale\u2019s first time in drag was at a protest against a conservative speaker on Cal Poly\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing in drag in a space with so many other people who were feeling that same thing, it was really just a sense of coming home and coming into a new family,\u201d Fatale said.<\/p>\n Drag offers an outlet for Fatale\u2019s femininity, as they identify as a nonbinary male.<\/p>\n \u201cAs I ventured deeper into masculinity, I thought I would have to leave the makeup and dresses behind, otherwise it would be confusing to people, and so it allowed me to come back to a skill and a hobby I really loved, and it also allowed me to feel empowered to continue playing with gender and like I could do both, and also I could ultimately do what I wanted and still have a home and a community that would accept me and make me feel comfortable and empowered being myself,\u201d Fatale said.<\/p>\n When they perform as Fae Fatale, they want the character to exist outside of themself and the world they live in. They drew upon themes of otherworldliness and fairy tales to develop the character, starting with just Fae, and later adding Fatale for more empowerment.<\/p>\n \u201cI felt like I needed an outlet to step away from any of the hardship that I was experiencing with my family or any sort of issues that I was having. I could kind of escape into a separate world,\u201d Fatale said.\u00a0<\/p>\n As they continued to perform drag, they pulled from punk references, pushed against certain political themes, and leaned into protest.<\/p>\n \u201cI think people have this idea of punk being scary and mean but I think at the very heart of punk is community care and it\u2019s taking care of the people around you and making sure that everyone has a space,\u201d Fatale said.<\/p>\n Donning latex and leather clothing with fishnets, a smoky eye, fake face piercings, and a big messy wig, Fatale likes to perform to Paramore, Kesha, and Slayyyter.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think with everything that is going on right now, it can feel really scary and isolating, but going to a drag show and just having fun and performing for other people, being able to bring some amount of levity and joy to people who otherwise might be feeling scared or unaccepted, I think that is really the most important part of drag to me,\u201d Fatale said.<\/p>\n Inspiring others to step into the creative performer inside of themselves is an important part of drag for Santa Maria drag queen Nova Cane.\u00a0<\/p>\n Onstage, Cane levels up the energy with thigh-high boots, contoured makeup, and performances that hit with songs by Doja Cat, Rihanna, and Kylie Minogue. Her goal for the upcoming drag performance at Presqu\u2019ile Winery for HOPE After Dark on June 13 in Santa Maria is to go even bigger.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 \u201cThis year, going into it, I want to keep pushing myself to be more creative and go balls to the wall, because I want to take this crown and I want to represent Santa Maria queens,\u201d Cane said about her next pageant. \u201cI want more queens to be inspired to take that leap.\u201d<\/p>\n Cane discovered drag by watching RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race at the age of 14 and is inspired by the 2016 makeup scene. Drag makeup and choreographing her performances are creative pursuits that she loves, which enable her to give in to a part of herself that she doesn\u2019t get to every day.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think Nova Cane for me is just a little bit of an embodiment of my feminine side,\u201d she said. \u201cShe\u2019s a high-energy performer, she loves to serve face.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u2018This year, going into it, I want to keep pushing myself to be more creative and go balls to the wall because I want to take this crown and I want to represent Santa Maria queens.\u2019\u00a0 While attending Pioneer Valley High School, Cane, who graduated in 2018, and a friend put makeup on one day. Cane attended school that day with a brown glittery smoky eye and a gray wig, 6-inch heels, and a fluffy tutu. It was Cane\u2019s first time expressing herself through drag.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cDefinitely nervous at first, and then once I had everything on, it was like a superhero costume,\u201d Cane said. \u201cWhen Nova comes on, she\u2019s a whole different side of me.\u201d<\/p>\n A little reserved normally, Cane can be anything but in drag. In one show, for instance, she donned angel wings and a huge tulle coat to perform to Lana Del Rey\u2019s song \u201cYoung and Beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDrag means stepping outside of your comfort zone and allowing yourself to be free and allowing yourself to be yourself,\u201d Cane said. \u2206<\/p>\n Reach intern Katy Clark at intern@newtimesslo.com.<\/p>\n
The Libertine Brewing Company<\/a>, which is hosting Pride events this month, is located at 1234 Broad St. in Downtown San Luis Obispo. In Santa Maria, HOPE After Dark<\/a> will be at Presqu\u2019ile Winery at 5391 Presquile Drive in Santa Maria on June 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/News-pride-Drag-Queens-3-Nova-Cane-6-4.webp\")
ALL DRESSED UP Nova Cane has a passion for makeup and is inspired by the 2016 makeup scene. Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF NOVA CANE<\/p>\n
\u2014Nova Cane, drag queen<\/p>\n