It didn’t help me find my identity, but it did help me come in terms with it. I just didn’t have the right words for it. Pearl: “I feel like I’ve known forever that I was a trans person. For Pearl, it helped her find a way to describe her transition. Drag is an art and for some a full-time job, but trans is a gender identity. While many are familiar with cis males performing as female drag queens, it should not be mistaken that being a trans female and drag performer are one the same. And we would add a little bit of sex in there and it became Pearl Teese.” So we figured the tapioca, the pearl would represent my Filipino side and black tea would represent my black side. A pearl tea.do you know those drinks that have boba in it like Quicklys? That’s a pearl tea. And we came up with Pearl Teese because I’m both black and Filipino. Pearl: “When I started entertaining I had this really long drawn out name and I came across a mentor, I guess you can say. I was a dancer and to be able to dress up dance and use theater all-in-one gave me the chance to use that on stage and get paid for it.”Īnd how did the name Pearl Tesse come about? Well, it’s definitely a nod to her culture. And so we dressed up and I kind of got addicted just because I liked what I saw in the mirror and then eventually we would go out and stuff and we would see shows and in high school. Pearl: “Like I initially wasn't like thinking about doing it wasn't anything I really really wanted to do but my friend was like come on. So i’ve been entertaining long before I transitioned.”īorn and raised in San Francisco, Pearl first got into drag in her twenties when she and her friend experimented just for fun. I’ve only started my medical transition three and a half years ago. I’ve probably been a drag entertainer or entertaining for eight years. I was considered a drag queen even before I even started my transition. Pearl: “I don’t consider myself a drag drag queen per se because I’m not a cis male but I do perform in drag. Now, Pearl may look like a typical drag queen, but she doesn’t see it that way Like Ms Beyonce would say: she’s feeling herself. Pearl’s whipping her ponytail back and forth. Strutting up and down the runaway grabbing everyone’s attention. She’s killing it with her matching black thigh high boots. Our host Pearl Teese is wearing a pink, snakeskin top with black patent leather booty shorts. They’re living in and for the moment.Īnd from the looks of her outfit, tonight’s theme is sexy realness. So welcome to Pearl Teese.” I’ve been to a lot of drag shows and let me just say I love the energy of the crowd and the outside personas of the performers. She’s an amazing performer and I’m sure she’s going to show some skin. The announcer gives an introduction to the hostess of the night, “So, I’m going to introduce you all to our hostess of the night. Trust when I say: I am not tipsy enough to spill a drop. I’m swaying with the music and making sure I don’t drop my drink. People are talking among themselves, grabbing food and drinks. I walk down Castro Street - past Soul Cycle and the iconic movie house - and make my way to the Strut, Castro’s health and wellness center for the queer community.Īs I walk up the stairs, I hear some music being played. It’s kind of windy, so the neighborhood’s massive rainbow flag is flying freely. I get off at Castro station and make my way up the escalators to Harvey Milk Plaza. After facing backlash, RuPaul apologized for his comments and noted “the trans community are the heroes of our shared LGBTQ movement.” Since we aired this story, Pearl Teese has become the host for “Trans Voices” at Strut in San Francisco. But fantasy met a big dose of reality a year ago when world famous drag queen RuPaul defended his decision to not allow openly trans drag queens on his show, RuPaul’s Drag Race. With campy outfits, over-the-top makeup, and sky-high wigs, drag sells a fantasy of how to become a larger-than-life character and a big dose of escapism.
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