20220630-HOWARDMAGAZINE - Flipbook - Page 54
Mikie Bermudez, who goes by the performance name K.C. Florance, applies makeup while he
prepares for a performance at Union Jacks.
BY MICHA GREEN | PHOTOGRAPHY BY VINCENT ALBAN Howard Magazine
A
s someone who cheered for 15
years, drag queen K.C. Florance
is no newbie to entertaining. But
the Ellicott city resident created
Drag Me to Brunch to do more than spread
joy — Florance curates a vibrant space to build
community and celebrate all of life’s ups and
downs.
“Although I’m not actually giving something
to somebody, I’m giving [the community] a place
to actually be themselves — a safe place,” said
Florance, 32. “A lot of people say they’re [at Drag
Me to Brunch] to celebrate life, and in every right
we need to celebrate that considering what we’ve
gone through the past couple of years.”
Since summer 2020, on the first Saturday
of each month, people head to Union Jacks in
Columbia to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries,
pregnancies, engagements, divorces and
bachelorette parties at Drag Me to Brunch.
“Right as we were coming out of COVID-19
we started our first drag brunch and the success
of it has really just allowed us to really feature
it,” said Union Jacks Manager Gary Oullette.
The show’s DJ, Melinda Ciaccio, also said
the event offers a much needed respite post the
terrifying times of COVID-19.
“It’s energetic, it’s crazy, it’s alive. It makes
me proud to say that we were still here, while
54 | SUMMER 2022 | howardmagazine.com
everything else was locked up, that we were still
able to entertain people,” said Ciaccio, who is
also Florance’s neighbor.
“During the pandemic, that was the little
break that we all needed,” added Ciaccio, whose
husband, Joel, also works as the show’s “bucket
boy,” collecting cash tips as the queens perform.
The pandemic temporarily put a wrinkle in
Florance’s drag performances. But that same
year, the drag queen and Union Jacks offered
each other a reciprocal relationship coming out
of the throes of the pandemic.
“We’re truly a gathering place. The middle
of COVID-19 we were probably most affected
by that,” said Oullette, who added that in the
British-style pub’s 12 years in Columbia, the
indoor and outdoor spaces were always utilized
for large events and performances.
Florance said he got the idea for Drag Me
to Brunch while dining at Union Jacks with
husband and fellow performer Victoria Raye
Florance, the drag queen’s show director.
“I said, ‘Look, I can guarantee you I can
make you money that you’re not making on
[Saturdays],’ said Florance, adding that his
pitch was all about helping businesses that were
hurting from the pandemic. “And since then,
it’s been history.”
Oullette said Drag Me to Brunch sells out
almost every month.
“We’ve had 200 people here,” Florance said.
“These queens that I work with — we all have
a following. They’re people who come to every
show.”
Lissa Ransom, whose husband bartends at
the pub, is someone who has been to every drag
brunch at Union Jacks as well as most of the
ones Florance also hosts at The Periodic Table
in Columbia. As a regular, Ransom appreciates
what she’s gained from attending drag brunches.
“It’s become just a really fun community,”
Ransom added.
Finding a community to fit in was a personal
incentive for Florance, whose everyday name is