Why Drag Has Always Been Protest | Slightly Unhinged with Quesa D’Mondays

Quesa D’Mondays is on the pod this week, and this episode covers a lot. Justin and Quesa get into how her drag name came to be, how theater shaped her, what made drag click for her in a way theater stopped doing, and how she turned that into full-time work. They also talk about queer identity, family dynamics, heartbreak, online hate, Pride, drag history, and the bigger purpose behind drag beyond just entertaining a crowd. There’s plenty of fun in this one too, especially once they get into the instrumental lip sync videos, RuPaul, Susie Toot, and the general chaos of being a person on the internet. If you know Quesa from social media, this gives a much fuller picture of who she is and what she’s actually building. In this episode -how Quesa D’Mondays got her name -why she wanted a drag name that felt funny and connected to her culture -how theater led her into drag -the Cindy Lou Who show that helped bring Quesa to life -what happened when drag brought back the joy theater had stopped giving her -how she went from side project to full-time drag performer -the instrumental lip sync videos and why they took off -what it’s like to build an audience online while dealing with hate -why drag has always been bigger than performance -how queer history and drag history are tied together -what Pride should still mean -where to find Quesa’s shows and events About the guest Quesa D’Mondays is the cheesy, briezy, bleutiful songstress of Portland. Though she made a big splash in the drag scene just a couple of years ago, she’s been a live entertainer and performer for well over a decade. A campy, comedic queen known for parody, quick wit, and viral social media content, Quesa also uses drag as a tool for community care, education, and advocacy through food drives, lectures on drag history, fundraising, and work with queer youth. Connect with Quesa D’Mondays Instagram https://www.instagram.com/quesa_d.mondays/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/alec.lugo.3 TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@quesa_d.mondays Quesa shares in the episode that the best way to keep up with where they're performing is through their social media, where they regularly posts their calendar and upcoming events. Mentioned in this episode Pride in Numbers https://prideinnumbers.org/ In Studio 255 https://www.instudio255.com/ History of Drag at In Studio 255 https://www.instudio255.com/classes-coaching/#history-of-drag Quesa talks about her work with Pride in Numbers and the importance of helping queer Oregonians, especially outside Portland, feel safer sharing their stories and being seen. She also talks about the drag history class she teaches through In Studio 255 and why knowing drag history matters. Susie Toot at Helium Comedy Club https://portland.heliumcomedy.com/shows/366726 Quesa talks about wanting to open for Susie Toot when she comes through Portland, and we fully support the campaign! Buy tickets to the show, and tag Suzie on IG to let her know you want to see Quesa open for her! Follow the show Instagram https://www.instagram.com/slightlyunhingedthepodcast/ Subscribe Follow, like, and subscribe to Slightly Unhinged for more conversations with people who have something real to say.