Just a Drag Queen

Part 2 of the interview with Mary Nance. A stripper who discusses all aspects of stripping. The good, the bad and the money henny. As Mary Nance puts it, "You can't be dumb and stay in the business," and this girl is absolutely not dumb. She helps us understand that just like with any profession if you remain professional, sound of mind and in good physical condition stripping can be an empowering and extremely rewarding financially.

In this episode my mother and I interview stripper Mary Nance. We ask questions ranging from what is typical in the industry and what is not, from being propositioned for both sex/porn to drug use. Mary's strong character has kept her from the pitfalls that are in the industry and she has been able to maintain a great financial resource being a stripper. Reducing the stigma that strippers often face is paramount.

Be good to yourselves and each other,

Gigi Galore

Polymarous Transwoman Sydney Levesque (aka Drag Darkin) from Dallas Texas talks mental health, HRT (Hormone Replacement Therapy) and much much more

The mission of Lace and Jaz James (founder) is to display the love of Christ through no-strings-attached relationships with those in the adult entertainment industries, whether still working or retired but in need of support. It is not our desire to judge anyone for their actions but to accept them for who they are with a love that is given freely and without obligation. Lace desires to create awareness, educate others, and facilitate restoration. Lace Ministries is a division of Lace Warriors, Inc. Lace Ministries visits drag queens in their venues to proclaim that they are loved by Christ. By providing love and acceptance, we are able to focus on Christ's desire to have a relationship with these entertainers using a non-judgmental approach. Based on the philosophy that hate stems from misunderstanding and fear, we also strive to educate those outside of the drag community to bridge the gap that creates conflict with this treasured population.

Generally speaking I feel everyone is unique and has a purpose and firmly believe that the things that affect how we develop start at the physical and most basic and then bleeds into our mental/emotional lives. So, our sexuality (for example) is going to shape who we become as our experiences grow in number. For me, having a purpose that helps myself and others understand the other and reach common ground is paramount. I have a definite need to affect the world for the better and to bring people who think they don't have common ground together. To do that I know that I have to discard my own prejudices and judgements first and actively listen and observe others first before trying to be involved or even create change within any social group. When it comes to Drag I have always viewed women as extremely powerful beings. (Grandma and Mom) Probably why I leaned toward Goddess based spirituality. It always seemed to me that many Drag Queens personified the negative aspects of being a woman so silly, slutty, naive, easily influenced, vulnerable, etc. So when i created Gigi my goal was to negate these things. If Gigi fucked someone it was because they were her prey and she wanted to, not a dumb slut. I also brought my spiritual life into her making her a witch was the easiest thing Ive ever done. I'm a witch so therefore that naturally bled into her. When I perform, many times I feel my energy leaving my body ans going out to the crowd, so to me that is the same as a spell being cast. Its an energy exchange between souls therefore it is in my mind a unique type of communication. Since the ego in any given person can interfere with honesty and transparency this form of communication is the most honest form that I can think of. Where there is no lie, but enough mystery and illusion created to create curiosity and opens the mind of the viewer to hear without the cloud of our egos conflicting. In general, I think this is true of most art. MY goal with these podcasts is to bring people together by hearing their stories and experiences. To celebrate everyone and find the humanity that exists within each of us, flawed and perfect as we all are in varying degrees. Having my mother join me in this is so wonderful and shows how much she has grown and developed as a person. She gave me the ability to remain objective and to not feed myself lies. But since she is not immersed in the world that I am her questions, thoughts and opinions are priceless because they are what I would imagine many people not familiar with these topics would react and have similar questions. Plus she's my Mom and I'm excited to have another adventure together.

Thank you for your patience while we learn how to make this as cohesive as possible. Be good to yourselves and each other!

Grant Stromberg