Aurora Sexton shares her moving story of success
Behind the Drag aims to showcase the off-stage lives of some of America's most talented drag queens. The intimate series gives us the opportunity to meet the people behind our favorite over-the-top drag queens.
Aurora Sexton is a trans woman and drag queen from Los Angeles currently performing in Provincetown, Massachusetts who's known for dressing up as classic villains and giving them a positive, witty spin. She's highly respected by her peers for her craft and performance, but life hasn't always been golden.
Sexton was born in Colorado, raised by a single mother and her grandmother, and says she had to grow up fast. Trans was not something people understood or talked about as openly as they do today, and it was difficult, she explained.
When she was 13 years old, she left home and drag queens took her in. "They taught me how to do makeup, how to walk and strut and be fabulous," she said. For decades, she found she was able to release her creativity through competing in pageants, and it wasn't until later that she decided to go a different route.
Today, Sexton's show is called "Hexed" and it's a fairytale puppet show. She describes it as "Avenue Q meets fairy tale hell." The characters she plays in her show range from an evil queen to Maleficent to a catty-pillar (a play on "caterpillar"), with a voice inspired by Wendy Williams.
"When I was a little kid I was obsessed with villains. To me, villains were always the most fabulous and the most interesting, They were always dressed impeccably. They were funny and quirky and grand, and all the things I wanted to be someday," Sexton said.
Although there has been some controversy on the topic of trans women in drag, that doesn't stop Sexton from pursuing her passion. She's learned to channel all of her life experiences, both passionate and emotional, into her art and credits her family and friends for pushing her to be her very best.
"I like to think that what I present, the art that I bring, inspires others and makes their world just a little more colorful and magical. I'm a risk-taker—it's about standing out and being unique and doing things that nobody else is willing to even try."
If you enjoyed reading this article, read about fellow drag queen Candy Sterling — who's living a double life.
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