RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
Rich@DallasVoice.com
Raja Gemini (Sutan Amrull) brings her distinct style and presence all the way to Dallas for her own birthday. And she’s totally down for it.
The Drag Race-winning queen will headline this month’s STRUT Dallas Tea Dance: From Hoedown to Throwdown, on June 14 at the Round-Up Saloon, smack dab in the middle of Pride Month. She will certainly be the star of the night, but STRUT is bigger than just this one party.
Beyond the performances, the event by Deryck Todd Presents will include a new, community-driven initiative by partnering with Texas Latino Pride and Pride in Dallas as the event’s nonprofit beneficiaries. Live performances include a full roster of drag artists, three DJs and even a live band.
Pop-up shops, multiple hosts, Salem Moon as emcee and a charity auction are all part of this Queer-Chella experience.
But all eyes will be on Raja as she will not only celebrate her birthday but likely slay all day – and night.
Raja spoke with Dallas Voice before heading to Dallas about her Drag Race era, embracing age and some Dallas memories good and bad.
DALLAS VOICE: You’re coming to Dallas for your birthday but also to do a show. How do you like having to work on your birthday? Raja: I’m a Gemini. We’re hustlers. We like that money.
Really, it’s just kinda happened that way. My manager told me there was a gig, and it happened to be right on my birthday.
And you get a trip out of it as well. How do you like Dallas? It has been a long time, but [coming back to Dallas] is kind of bittersweet for me, to be honest. I knew Bruce, the Dragon Lady, because of his pageant jewelry, and after his passing, it always hit me personally when I was there. He was such a loveable and naughty friend.
But Dallas gives me kind of L.A. It’s very comfortable for me and pretty glamorous. But I remember the first time I was in the Rose Room: It was so intimidating. I had just won Drag Race, but I was next to Asia O’Hara! She was so lovely though, and she introduced me to the Dragon Lady.
Dallas has had some notable queens, but do you think it’s on the radar nationwide for drag? I do! Dallas is highly respected, and I hear more conversations about the queens of Dallas than other cities you might think people would talk about.
Is it ok to ask which birthday this will be? I’m not ashamed. This is my 51st birthday. I’ve been doing drag for 34 years, so I’ve put in my dues.
How are you embracing this era? You know, my posture might be different now in drag and the hips don’t wiggle as much anymore, but I’m ok with it. I love it, and I’m Asian, so there’s that.
I don’t behave like I’m 51, and I get to have fun and travel and say it out loud with pride.
Also, it’s just realistic. Aging is inevitable, and the sooner you embrace it, keep upright and beautiful, the better.
What surprises you about your life now at 50-something — if anything? I’m proud that I survived. My coming-out story was the late ’80s and early ’90s, when AIDS was around, and we all navigated through that fear. It would be a shock to wake up and live another day.
Plus, I never thought I would have a career — a drag career. I did the makeup thing and was doing well, but drag? I don’t do make up at all anymore. I’ve had my fill, and now, it just sounds revolting. Unless they’re my friends, and I’ll do a makeover on them.
You won RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2011. How have you evolved since then? First, I think about the show and the impact it had. It really has been this historical, cultural moment, and I’m so glad to be a part of it. Winning it put me in a category that allowed me to work for such a long time.
Drag is part of my expression, but I’m also an artist. I’m a painter, a writer, designer, art director — so it doesn’t end at drag for me. There are some aspects of drag I’ve left behind over the years, but I also have a responsibility, now that I have an audience, to give them what they want.
Tickets for STRUT Dallas Tea Dance: From Hoedown to Throwdown are available at Eventbrite.com.