20220630-HOWARDMAGAZINE - Flipbook - Page 56
Mikie Bermudez, to start drag brunches.
When the Frederick, Maryland, native moved
to Ellicott City, he hoped to make new friends
but found it difficult when he arrived initially
in 2015.
“And I’m like there’s no gay community here,
I don’t see anybody that I’m familiar with or a
place that I can go and be myself and so I’m like,
‘Let’s see what Ellicott City has to say about this
drag show.’”
Producing drag shows can be an expensive
labor of love, he said. But his main concern is
that the performers are valued for the work
they put in.
“It’s very important to take care of the people
who take care of you. In or out of drag,” Florance
said.
At the June 4 drag brunch — after slaying
the patio with a love-themed, flip-filled routine
— Florance welcomed guests by going over the
rules, first emphasizing tips from the audience.
“Rule number one: Please continue to show
your appreciation for all these drag queens.
Or should I say men in wigs? Because that’s
really what we are. Am I wrong?” he said as the
audience roared with laughter.
The second rule was all about safety.
“Rule number two: I know some of you have
been eating, especially the nachos, I know those
things will run right through you. They did for
me. So if you’ve got to go to the bathroom, run
to the bathroom. Other than that, please stay
seated in your seats until the drag queens are
done, because some of us, as you’ve seen, we like
to do kicks, tricks and splits, and we want to have
a good time, and we don’t want to hurt nobody.
So this is your fair warning,” Florance said.
With it being the first Saturday in June, the
performers and guests were also celebrating the
kickoff of Pride month.
“Rule number three: And the most important
rule ever, have a good freaking time. We’re here
to celebrate love, togetherness, Pride and life,”
Florance cheered.
The Pride month brunch was particularly
special because it was the first time doing a drag
show on the large outdoor patio at Union Jacks.
While the performers joked about the
80-degree heat, they twirled, sashayed, split
and dipped throughout the patio with so much
energy the crowd launched at opportunities to
tip the queens.
In an engaging, three-hour show, the
performers, who included Florance, his husband
Victoria Raye, Sue Nami and Candi Fuentes, not
only wowed the guests, but also encouraged the
audience to let their hair down.
“I think that drag brunches promote
confidence in all walks of life,” Ransom said.
Bachelorette Michelle Binkley of Catonsville,
56 | SUMMER 2022 | howardmagazine.com
Alex Bernard wears stiletto heels while he attends the drag brunch at Union Jacks.
who is getting married on June 18, danced
around the patio wearing a sash that read
‘Bride to Be.” Her daughter, Stephanie Binkley,
surprised her with tickets to the event and said
she was happy her mom finally got to realize
her dream of going to a drag show.
“I’m very proud of you for having fun like that
because I don’t know if I can do that,” Stephanie,
22, said to her mother.
The Binkleys had so much fun at their first
drag show, they’re already making plans to
return.