Roxee Horror is a local Illawarra drag queen. I sat down with her to understand more about her story, her craft and her read on the queer community's safety.
With anti-trans protests in Melbourne, drag bans in Tennessee, US and, in our own city, graffiti attacks on North Wollongong's rainbow crossing and UOW's rainbow steps in March, it is no wonder Roxee feels that it is a scary time for the queer community. She believes that it is a huge step back after making progress.
"The art of drag allows us to be ourselves and express who we are. If it ever becomes illegal in Australia, then send me to jail because I'm not stopping!" says Roxee.
Roxee originally came from Western Sydney and moved to Wollongong when she finished Year 12. She came out to her uncle first at 14 and quickly told the rest of her family at a family dinner. They were all very supportive, although she had to keep it a secret while she was attending a strict Christian school.
At 17, when Roxee was in year 12 she was invited to share her positive story in Girlfriend magazine. This was followed by a request from Sunrise to feature on a morning TV show segment. Very excited, she jumped at the opportunity without considering the consequences.
The next day, her whole school knew, which led to a big meeting with her parents and the school executives. It was decided that Roxee was to have counselling sessions for her final months at school. Despite the lack of support and acceptance from the school, Roxee remained strong and finished Year 12 before going on to pursue her drag career.
Roxee’s journey to becoming a drag queen started when she was young as she always loved dressing up at Halloween as women characters – she was in drag without realising it. After joining her sister's Tupperware team, Roxee started to explore her drag further. Crystal Clearmate, her name at the time, quickly became the No.1 saleswoman across most of NSW.
From here, her career bloomed. She played a drag character in a production in the Blue Mountains, started entering drag competitions in Sydney and Wollongong and hosted MTV's coverage of the 2017 Mardi Gras with Courtney Act.
Roxee has always had a supportive family, with her parents coming to every gig they can.
"Doing drag has exponentially benefited my life. Roxee is the best thing that’s ever happened to me," she says.
While there have been the usual ups and downs, Roxee’s experience with the Wollongong crowd has been incredible as the community has embraced her.
"When I was growing up, people like myself were only on TV, but I'd never seen anyone in person. And until people see a queer face in the community, we will never be able to move forward or have others be inspired by it."
For anyone considering doing drag, Roxee encourages them to go for it.
"Doing drag is the most fun I've ever had," she says.
Stay up to date with Roxee Horror's appearances via her Instagram page.
Roxee Horror's Movie Maniacs will be at The Spiegeltent in Wollongong Arts Precinct on Saturday, 17 June. The Spiegeltent’s 2023 season runs for three weeks from June 7-25, more info and tickets at www.spiegeltentwollongong.com