This Miami drag queen is Black, proud and resilient β just donβt call her legendary
βBehind the Dragβ aims to showcase the off-stage lives of some of Americaβs most talented drag queens. The intimate series gives us the opportunity to meet the people behind our favorite over-the-top drag queens.
Tiffany Fantasia doesn’t mince words. She’s proud to be a “greasy b***h.”
βDonβt be a dry h*e. Be a greasy b***h,β the Miami-based drag queen tells In The Know, quoting her catchphrase. βBe fun. Live your life.β
And Fantasia has certainly done just that in her 15-year career as a drag queen. Her story is one of resilience and self-realization, starting from childhood. As a child, Fantasia says she spent a lot of time in βhiding,β partly due to a verbally abusive father.
βHe made me scared to express myself in certain ways,β she says. βWhen drag came around, it was like βOh my goodness, I can express myself how I want to with no problem.β I can be me with no restrictions.β
The South Florida queen always loved performing, having childhood dreams of being an R&B singer. βThat did not happen,β Fantasia says with a laugh. βI just ended up lip-syncing my favorite singersβ songs.β
But itβs not actually as simple as faking vocals to a song β especially for a Black queen looking for her breakthrough. In fact, Fantasia says she seriously struggled to get started in the drag scene, mainly because she didnβt have the needed support from the inside.
βIt took a while, but I did find that circle of people that I could trust and befriend and grow with,β she says.
But even with a supportive community of queens, Fantasia says sheβs had to deal with βprejudices on both ends, being a Black male and a gay entertainerβ from the outside world. And thatβs certainly not easy β even for a fearless queen.
βItβs a lot of weight on your shoulders, and youβre having to be that representative for everyone and everything,β Fantasia says. βIt can be tiresome.β
When out of drag, Fantasia is βa little shy and still a little introverted.β But in drag, she comes alive.
βI am very sassy, funny, sometimes bit**y,β Fantasia says. βBut if Iβm bit**y, you earned it.β
With her unapologetic attitude and long-standing presence in the Miami drag scene, Fantasia is a force to recognize. And she says she doesnβt take her popularity for granted one bit. Just, please, donβt call her βlegendaryβ β yet.
βI donβt consider myself legendary,β she says. βA star? A staple? Yes. Legendary? Give me a couple more years. Iconic? Give me a few more years and then I can take those titles. Right now, just let me be me.β
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