Chaselyn Wade Vance, under her stage name of Star Michaels, left, with drag brunch host Serif

Drag brunch promoter Chaselyn Wade Vance works to keep her business alive as the fight over SB 12 continues

MELISSA WHITLER | Contributing Writer
editor@dallasvoice.com

At the beginning of September, Senate Bill 12, went into effect, supposedly to regulate sexually oriented performances which — thanks to its vague definition — includes drag shows. Couched as a way to protect kids, any venue that hosts a drag show is labeled as a “sexually oriented business” no matter if it’s age-21-and-up event or a private, ticketed event.

A federal district judge in the Southern District of Texas enjoined enforcement of SB 12 before it was even set to go into effect on Sept. 1, and, as of Tuesday, Sept. 19, has declared the measure unconstitutional. But none of that stopped the measure from creating a crisis for Texas drag performers as venues, scared of being potential legal consequences, had already started cancelling scheduled drag performances.

Chaselyn Wade Vance is one of the performers who has been negatively affected by SB 12. As CEO of BestDragShows.com, she has been faced with venues cancelling bookings out of fear of what could happen.

Wade Vance began her drag career at 17 and now has more than 20 years of experience on the stage. She started performing at nightclubs then began doing drag brunches, realizing in the process that not only was the schedule better with drag brunches, she was making more money as well.

“Brunches have a different vibe, even a different clientele,” Wade Vance said. “Rather than a bar where a drag show happens to be scheduled, people specifically go out of their way to attend a brunch.”

She started working with BestDragShows.com and, she said, found it to be especially enjoyable. The then-owners of the business weren’t performers themselves, and they found other aspects of life beginning to overshadow their commitment to BestDragShows. So Wade Vance bought the business and took over as CEO.

Within the first month of owning the business, Wade Vance said she was able to pay off the debt she had inherited when she bought the company. By the fourth month, she said, she had made enough profit to cover what she paid for the company.

But it was no walk in the park, Wade Vance said; booking and hosting shows is a lot of work. Behind-the-scenes organizing is a daily job. She explained that she works with the restaurants hosting brunches, books the queens and brings performers in. Then she spends time promoting the events and selling tickets before stepping up on the day of the event to handle final preparations and make sure the venue has everything necessary for a successful drag brunch.

And drag brunches have proven to be incredibly profitable for the venues as well as the promoter and her performers, with many restaurants doubling their usual income.

“That’s the benefit of us,” Wade Vance said. “Restaurants provide the place and staff; we provide the show, and they don’t pay anything.”

BestDragShows.com takes care of advertising, and the performers are paid from ticket sales, handled through the company, she explained. All venues have to do is open their doors and say ‘Give us a show,’ and the company comes in, does its magic and leaves.

This process, though, has been incredibly disrupted by SB 12.

Wade Vance said BestDragShows.com had two regularly recurring shows in Plano — one at Ebb & Flow and one at Fizz — which have been very popular.

The promoters said she had especially enjoyed these shows out in the suburbs because they drew a different crowd than what you’d see on Cedar Springs, and many in those audiences had never seen a drag show before.

“It is beautiful to see these two worlds collide,” said Wade Vance, adding that the Plano brunches brought the art form to people who had never seen it, and ticket sales proved that it was popular and enjoyed.

Chaselyn Wade Vance, under her stage name of Star Michaels

But then those businesses came under extra scrutiny. Ebb & Flow had to indefinitely pause hosting brunches, leaving Serif without a place to host her show. And then the folks at Fizz also had to back out because they received a letter of warning, leaving the Texas T Brunch — hosted by Star Michaels and the only brunch with an all-trans cast — without a home. Now the only regular event still scheduled is the Friday Night Serenade at Alexandre’s on The Strip. It is a nonticketed event, which means the performers rely heavily on tips.

But not all is lost: Within 15 minutes of Wade Vance getting the phone call about Fizz canceling, she said, Alexandre’s owner Lee Daugherty reached out to say they are going to take on Texas T Brunch, aiming to begin in October. And last week, Paradiso also reached out and wants to start hosting shows in December. This just leaves Serif’s show without a new venue.

“We’re bouncing back, but in the meantime the queens who do this for a living are missing out on the money they would be making,” Wade Vance said.

As a trans woman, Wade Vance said she is incredibly proud to own the company and to be able to work to benefit her own community. She said she has been supported since the beginning; the day it was announced she bought the company she was contacted by Daugherty at Alexander’s.

“We pride ourselves on doing something that’s not being done, on showing solidarity with our community, and it’s disheartening to have some bullies come along and ruin it for everyone,” Wade Vance said of herself and the performers she works with.

As of this interview, the last event BestDragShows.com had scheduled is the Friday Night Serenade on Sept. 29 at Alexandre’s. It is a variety show featuring a rotating cast of performers. While admission to the event is free, reserved tables are available, and the proceeds go to paying the band, allowing them to continue doing the show.

In addition to supporting the shows and queens still being able to perform, Wade Vance calls for people to be aware of how the government is regulating the LGBTQ community.

“So many people don’t know what SB 12 is or how it is affecting us, or just how bigoted and unenforceable it is,” she said, adding that she is very thankful for the continued support, especially from other venues, stressing, “I don’t consider us to be in competition with anyone, because there’s enough room for everyone to have a show in Dallas.”

As the legal challenges to SB 12 continue to move through the courts, and venues continue working with properties to figure out how they can start hosting shows again, Wade Vance calls for anyone willing to stand up against SB 12 and who is interested in hosting a show to contact BestDragShows.com. In addition to brunches and late-night performances, she said, they also do private events, weddings, birthday parties, and corporate and charity events.

Chaselyn Wade Vance is not backing down, but, she said in the face of SB 12 and other attacks, the drag community needs support now more than ever.

For more information on bookings and scheduled events, go to BestDragShows.com.