Addicted to Drag & Roxy-Cotten Candy
■ PAOI EULALIA
Cover shot on location in San Francisco’s Mission District. Director of Photography D. Maurice Gil adelantetv.com Production Assistant David Robson
I had to look twice to realize that my friend David is actually the rising local drag star Roxy-Cotten Candy. There is much to be said about this 7-foot Amazona’s makeup skills considering that no one would have recognized the stud behind the face. On the surface, he seems to have everything going for him. But while my first impression of him is envy, some things apparently don’t come easy for this Native American/Mexican/White queer.
Do you remember when doing drag was a deal breaker for gay men when it comes to sex and relationships? Last time I checked it’s still a deal breaker for a good portion. But it has changed. I think with drag being more in pop culture, we will see more acceptance and appreciation of the art and of the artists that do it. I’ve had a painted fingernail in a picture and I’ve had guys turn me down for that. It’s a major eye-roll, but ultimately I found my people. My biggest a-ha moment was when I realized that if I’m just being my authentic self and enjoying what I was doing, I would attract those who are right for me.
What was it like getting into drag? I tried it once 10 years ago. It was horrifying. I wasn’t ready for it, although I was told I was damn good. Tried it again when I went to see Kylie Minogue’s Aphrodite Tour and fell in love with it. I was dabbling in my idea of self-expression then. My good friend Phillip told me that if I want to be good at it, I would have to eat breathe sleep drag. And he was right. I took it seriously six Thanksgivings ago. It changed a lot of dynamics in my life: How I view myself, how I want to be viewed and what I want to say. It helped me grow up. My family did think I wanted to transition, which of course IS not the case. They had a misconception about being in drag and being trans.
How did you come up with your drag name? I’ve always had a sweet disposition and a love for sugar. I wanted something humorous but smart, relatable, and unique. Roxy-Cotten was born after a smoke session with friends before hitting the clubs. I later added my last name to complete the confection that is ME.
You are becoming a household name in our little community. What are you planning to do with your new found superpowers? LOL! I wouldn’t consider my drag a super power. But I do have a responsibility being in the public eye. My goal with my drag is to entertain first, and educate second. Ideally both at the same time.
What’s it like being a white-passing POC? My father who is Native American, Mexican, Spanish, and Italian suffered from a lot of whitewashing, so my father never passed any cultural identity other than DNA and namesake. I grew up with children of color and certainly was the whitest among them. As I got older, I did notice I wasn’t brown enough for brown people and wasn’t white enough for whites and I began to feel this sense of other (probably self-imposed). I do recognize that my experiences are vastly different than my fellow POCs. For the most part, I do benefit from being white-passing.
How can we achieve racial equality? There are so many heads on this hydra! But the path that we are on seems to be the right one. We live our lives unapologetically. We are more visible as a group. We are voting progressive politicians. We are educating the youth of the history of race relations in America and inspiring them how to be authentic with themselves and others. With how race is being addressed today, I consider myself an ally in the fight for racial equality.
