Shawn Crone remembers being insanely nervous the first time he performed in drag. It was a Monday in 2010 at the Interbelt Nite Club in downtown Akron. Tyra Sanchez was the headliner, fresh off her first-place win on season two of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”
Crone, or Veronika Katrell when in drag, lip synced to “Took the Night” by Chelley.
“There was people on all three sides, like, four to five people deep, and they’re just screaming, and they just loved it,” Crone said, “which made me love it.”
Dylan Arehart also had his first performance in drag at the Interbelt. It was 2018, and he performed “Prima Donna” by Marina and the Diamonds.
“I looked a mess. But I am still very proud of myself for doing it, because that was the biggest first step” said Arehart, who at the time performed under the stage name Sarah Tonin. Now, he performs as Pearline Parfum.
Despite recent political debates over drag performances, the art form is far from new. In Akron, the earliest records of drag being performed date back to the 1890s, said Tony Pankuch.
“We have evidence of drag performances — at that time known as female impersonators or male impersonators — at Keith-Albee Palace [and] the Colonial Theatre,” said Pankuch, who, along with Hillary Nunn, oversees the Akron LGBTQ+ Archive at the University of Akron. “These were also held in other nontraditional venues. For example, the YMCA hosted a drag show fundraiser back in the early 1900s as well.”
More than a century of that history now collides with Ohio House Bill 249, or the Indecent Exposure Modernization Act. Supporters say the legislation would protect children from adult-oriented performances in public spaces. Critics argue it could broadly restrict where drag artists like Arehart and Crone can perform.
In a March interview with the Ohio Capital Journal, State Rep. Angie King said the bill “closes a loophole that allows adult oriented sexual performances to fill into the public spaces where children are present.”
King sponsored the bill, along with State Rep. Josh Williams.
Akron Ward 1 Council Member Fran Wilson disagrees.
“The authors of the bill know exactly what they’re doing here, and that is making it harder to be a queer person in Ohio,” Wilson said. “That is all they’re trying to do, is chip away at our rights, our access to community and each other, and [our right to] express ourselves.”
Akron City Council votes to oppose proposed drag ban
The Ohio House passed HB 249 in March and is currently in senate committee. The bill would ban drag shows in public places by expanding the definition of a “cabaret performance” to include “performers or entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performer’s or entertainer’s biological sex.” This bill would lump drag performers in with topless dancers, go-go dancers, strippers and exotic dancers.
On June 29, Akron City Council voted to oppose the bill. The resolution, which was introduced by Wilson and Mayor Shammas Malik, affirms the city’s support for LGBTQ+ residents and calls for state policies that protect the rights and equal treatment of all Ohioans.
“As an openly queer person who is representing a very diverse district in Akron, I get rather frustrated when the state government tries to put a boot down on my community,” Wilson said.
It’s a sentiment that is shared by drag performers in the area.
“I am so sick of hearing the words ‘house bill,’” said Sergio Roper, who performs as AndroNTT. “I know all too well about how fast and how dangerous these house bills have been to us these past few years.”
The bill has also drawn criticism for its broad language, which opponents say could restrict a wide range of gender-nonconforming public performances.
If the bill were to become law, Wilson said, it would put “law enforcement in a really awkward situation [of] trying to fact-check people’s genders assigned at birth.”
Local drag queen Bryanna Nagy said under the bill, she would technically still be allowed to perform in public in drag. Nagy is a cis woman who performs as the drag queen Ladyb Davenport.
“It’s like, so you can do it because you were born this way, but you can’t do it because you weren’t,” Nagy said. “It’s very disconnected from what the truth of drag is, which is very community-based.”
The broad language of the bill has led some to see it as an attack on trans and gender-nonconforming people rather than solely a drag ban.
“I see this as a very reactive attempt to eliminate or decrease the visibility of any notion of gender as fluid in our society,” Pankuch said.
History of drag in Akron dates back to 19th century
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, when vaudeville was popular, drag shows were a part of that scene, said Pankuch. The performers shared the stage with singers, comedians and actors.
“All of these things [were] happening in the same space, and so drag was just seen as one of many art forms that was popular in these variety shows,” Pankuch said. “But it was a portion of those variety shows that was frequently advertised.”
During the ’60s and ’70s, Akron saw a proliferation of gay bars, specifically along Howard Street. The street was home to the Lincoln Bar, the city’s first gay bar, Pankuch said. The 1970s also launched Miss Gay Akron, a beauty pageant for drag queens that continues today.
Drag performances went beyond downtown, though. Nunn said Lake Glen, a Black country club in the Cuyahoga Valley, was also known for hosting “female impersonators.”
As the city moved into a new decade, drag evolved with it.
“Once we get into the ’80s and the ’90s, we do see drag as a major means of organizing and raising money around the HIV/AIDS epidemic as well,” Pankuch said. “There was a drag performer and Black trans woman named Valerie Hill, who was a very prolific drag performer in Akron. She was said to have raised thousands of dollars for HIV/AIDS benefits.”
The history of drag in Akron isn’t just robust — it also played a role in shaping the city, Nunn said.
“It not only has a history, but it has a history of doing good for Akron, whether that is for entertainment, or for the economy, or for fundraising,” she said. “These are things that have been positive contributions to Akron, and that is something that I think needs to be stressed.”
Benefits of drag go far beyond performing
Drag in Northeast Ohio — or, really, anywhere — extends beyond nightclub performances. From charity bingo events and brunches to theatrical shows and story hours at public libraries, drag is an integral part of a city’s arts and culture scene.
Akron’s drag community has continued to grow and thrive. Much of that has to do with visibility. “RuPaul’s Drag Race” brought the art form to households across the country. It also introduced a new generation to drag, some of whom, like Arehart, would go on to become performers.
Growing up in Mogadore, Arehart’s only exposure to drag was through TV. Now, at age 26 and eight years into performing, he hopes to be someone new queens can look to for advice and support.
“Having people be able to come up to me and be like, ‘Wow, I saw myself in you onstage, and that inspired confidence in me’ is more than anything I could have dreamed of before even starting performing,” Arehart said.
For many drag artists, it’s about more than performing. Drag has boosted their confidence, given them a community and made them feel seen and appreciated.
“It’s a support system for a lot of people,” Nagy said. “Sometimes people just need to watch somebody [perform a] Patti LaBelle [song]. You never know, it might save somebody’s life out in the audience.”
For Roper, being a part of the drag community means being around like-minded people who understand him.
“I feel very lucky to be around such creative forces of nature, people who are putting their passion first, people who are putting other people first,” Roper said.
He added, “I also love dressing up. I can’t lie. I do.”
When it comes to drag, all are welcome. And that openness extends to the audience.
“Drag ultimately at its core is fun and it’s art, and it’s our way of expressing things that we’ve been told our whole lives we shouldn’t enjoy, and that’s for everyone,” Crone said. “Drag is for everyone, even the ones that are trying to cancel it.”
