by Payton Young
Pride, the celebration of queer life and liberation, is formally held in June in honor of the Christopher Street Liberation Day (1969 Stonewall Inn raid) anniversary. Due to the scorching desert heat of the Grand Valley, we hold ours in September. But that’s not without some correlation to other major parts of queer history. In September following the raid at the Stonewall Inn, the Gay Liberation Front held a march protesting The Village Voice for its homophobic editorial coverage of the Stonewall raid and the refusal of the Voice to publish ads in the classified section for GLF meetings and dances because they had the word “gay” in them. In the spirit of protest, community, and celebration that defines both events, it feels right to introduce readers to one of the local queens embodying that spirit: the one and only Stella Rae. As we face adversity, getting to know one another is a vital step in building a stronger community.
And who better to know than a queen?
Stella Rae is a profound expression of authenticity. Having navigated the rigid expectations of conservative Mormon culture, she now breaks free as her truest self. She calls her style ‘Glamour-Camp,’ taking inspiration from the concept of beauty in the abstract; Venestration (Noun) is the act of making something more beautiful. Proliferating the meaning of beauty. Stella is also enamored by the fashion of Hollywood stars of the 20’s through 40’s. Channeling that real Golden Age style through her expression; Being taken by the style of haute couture, high fashion, and powerful 90’s supermodels; And Fulfilling the glamour half of glamour camp. Tapping into the Camp aspect, Stella uses the celebreality of camp performance to enhance the experience and really make it hers, giving an involved concept to the audience to convey a message.
In her Early days, her Mother who brought her to performances which often had a fundraising aspect of it (Second Saturday shows here at Judy’s do as well wink wink) and was enamored by the idea of a community involved drag scene. Early seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race gave her the confidence to believe she could perform herself. Her first live show was a Tenacious Brothers production called Drag Me To The Beach, where she was captivated by the art, the queens, and the electricity of a packed venue. Grand Junction would go on to have it’s first Pride that year, and that’s where Stella met Xavier Van Dyke and one of the queens who would go on to put her in drag for the first time. Her first performance was to Rihanna’s S&M with Xavi’s group. The Haunted Night of Drag was Stella’s first independent show, and was put together as a Halloween show with her group the CDS (Coco, Donatella, Stella).
In terms of impact, Stella aims to build a better and more conducive world. Through Second Saturday shows and fundraising events, she hopes to establish a standard of kindness. While it’s quite difficult to measure one’s impact on the world, through the interactions we hold with others we extend an opportunity to all those involved to place a stone on the grand path of the world we wish to see. Building out a sect of community is one of the most lasting ways the world can be changed. For the readers, if anything is to be a takeaway from her work and performances, it is that we are stronger together as a community. When we accept each other for who we are as human beings we find our strength as a community and a collective. We should always stand together, and now more than ever we ought to recognize the larger threats faced by our community and stand against them. In addition, we should also recognize that life in the grand scheme of things is a celebration of our ability to express. Life is meant to be enjoyed.
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