On July 25, Bethel’s cultural center filled with Bruno Mars, rainbow lights, and lots of sequins in the city’s second annual drag show. The free event, sponsored by Bethel Actors Guild, included a roster of five performers from across Alaska. Returners Ice Warah and Osha Violation were joined by queens Golden Delicious, Ella Mental, and drag king Mister Chance.
The group performed on the evening of July 24 in an all-ages drag show and again the following night in an 18+ event. Both performances included an Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP)-focused number by Ice Watah, a Koyukon Athabaskan artist who took center stage in a traditional qaspeq, pressing a red hand print across her face while lip syncing to the audience.
Two of the visiting performers also took part in a community panel discussion on July 25 alongside the Tundra Women’s Coalition's youth services manager, Taylor Finley, and traditional healer and gubernatorial candidate Meda DeWitt. Titled "Safe and Welcoming Communities," the discussion ranged from fostering safe spaces for queer community members to what makes Alaska’s communities thrive.
