Jacksonville celebrates pride, drag amid anti-LGBT policies

From perfecting the swipe of liquid eyeliner to striking each pose on beat, a lot of precision is involved in the art of drag.

Steph Alford, who is better known locally by the drag name Amnesia, started performing in February 2022.

Amnesia said she has always been a fan of fashion and makeup and held both as a special interest since she was little. She started performing drag after her brother died as a way to heal those “difficult emotions and process grief.”

“Drag didn’t make things perfect, but it really did help,” she said.

Drag performers typically wear elaborate costumes that exaggerate traditional gender norms and perform routines which can include lip-syncing, singing, telling jokes or hosting events such as bingo or storytime for children. 

Performers can be any gender and wear anything to be labeled as kings, queens or non-binary.

Amnesia said she thinks drag helped so much because of the “inward looking” aspects of performing.

“You have to identify how you feel and want to express yourself on stage,” she said. “Seeing so many different aspects and perspectives for what people can put a twist on [with gender play], seeing how stylized and personal it is… I think really draws people in. Every single drag queen I work with — every dance move, every stroke of the makeup — is different.”

Amnesia said she is hopeful for the future of drag in the U.S. and in Florida, despite the current politicization of the art form.

“We have the freedom and privilege to do drag in the U.S.,” she said. “There is so much drag growing, and we’re building experiences and building each other up… at the end of the day, there are still artists thriving.”

Drag shows under attack

Amnesia said the negative ideas around drag performances around kids have “blown up.”

“If someone has never been involved in a drag show, they don’t understand it’s an art form,” she said. “It doesn’t have any roots in being predatory.”

Many drag performers don’t do all-ages shows simply because they work off tips, and children don’t tip, she added.

“I have only ever worked one show that was all ages, and it was for a queer prom,” Amnesia said. “There was a dress code, and most professionals know what the dress code is to make sure it is appropriate for minors.”

A Drag Story Hour — a nationwide children’s event that promotes literacy and inclusion — shut down its Miami chapter in July due to “an unsafe environment” resulting from anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in Florida.

“Florida’s six expressly anti-LGBTQ bills has made it an unsafe place for our chapter directors to live and carry out events,” the group said in an Instagram post. “Demonizing LGBTQ people has become the center of legislation in Florida and has impacted our work.”

A U.S. judge blocked a new Florida law restricting drag performances in June, ruling the law backed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, also a Republican presidential candidate, unconstitutional.

Fire temporarily closes Hamburger Mary’s

An additional roadblock for local drag performers and audiences came up recently for Hamburger Mary’s, which suffered an electrical fire on Oct. 12, forcing the establishment to close its doors. The entertainment-based restaurant was closed at the time of the fire, and no one was hurt.

Karrissa Wade, a Jacksonville-based drag performer of nearly 30 years, is spearheading fundraising efforts to support staff who will be unable to work as a result of the wire, smoke and water damage.

She has been employed at Hamburger Mary’s for over a decade and a Jacksonville performer since the mid-90s.

Many of the kitchen staff are seeking other jobs while the entertainers are trying to fill their usual bookings, and help has been offered around the state, she said. Upcoming events, the proceeds from which will go to Hamburger Mary’s performers, include a haircut-a-thon from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 22 at Atelier Salon and charity bingo events at various locations, including Tulua’s Bistro, Hardwick’s and Park Place Lounge.

One of the biggest parts of Hamburger Mary’s that will be missed while it’s closed are the charity events, Karrissa Wade said. Since it opened, the restaurant has hosted charity bingo nights that have benefited humane shelters, families who need assistance with burial costs and those whose homes burned down, which is a community need that could go unfilled while the establishment is closed.

A GoFundMe online fundraiser to support Hamburger Mary’s employees is available as well.

“The great thing about it was it was a place you could go to express yourself no matter how you identify,” Karrissa Wade said. “You can just be who you are. It’s about having fun. A lot of times, you’re introducing people to new ideas, new things, and realizing that everyone is all the same.”

Focusing on queer joy

The first weekend of October marked the end of River City Pride, a series of events lasting a little over two weeks that celebrate Jacksonville’s LGBTQIA+ community with everything from family game nights to silent discos and other parties.

The celebration culminated in a pride parade Oct. 8, at which Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan became the first mayor to serve as grand marshal in the event’s 45-year history, according to spokesperson Melissa Ross.

“I was honored to be the first Mayor of Jacksonville to serve as Grand Marshal of the River City Pride Parade,” Deegan said. “It was a true celebration of our city’s vibrant diversity. I want everyone, no matter who they are or who they love, to know that they belong and they are welcome.”

Despite performing around the state, Jacksonville is home for Amnesia, who said holding true to her values and her art has been huge in her success with audiences.

“Jacksonville is huge but a really heavy mix of conservative and liberal thinkers,” Amnesia said. “I don’t know if I’d be as successful without the support systems of my friends and family.”

Amnesia even got her performance name from one of her life-long friends in Georgia. She said it came from her memory not being “the greatest.”

“I’ll lose a heel or forget a lash,” she joked. “The process of me getting into drag is a little bit of a struggle.”

At the end of the day, the culture of drag is a celebration of all people, Amnesia said. 

“It’s letting people experience a child-like joy with dressing up,” she said. “Life is so hard and difficult and dark, and to play dress up and enjoy each other with so much darkness going on around us is essential for being forward-thinking. A lot of the message is celebrating joy.”