Drag Queens on Wheels
By Matt Cassano
Photos by Tony Fong

We see them every night as they strut from bar to bar. They entertain us with catchy songs, big hair and elaborate costumes. They’re sassy, witty and aren’t tipped as often as they should be. The clicking of their heels and the wheels of their luggage acts as an evening soundtrack for the Church Wellesley village. They’re drag queens and they are the ultimate authorities on packing a suitcase. As vacation planning begins I caught up with a few of Toronto’s most fabulous divas to find out what exactly goes into those large suitcases and if they have any tips on maximizing luggage space.



Lena Over, co-host of The Cheap Show every Saturday at Zelda’s, is one queen who suggests packing the bare essentials in an attempt to save space. Bring just what you need and in Lena’s case this would be a brush, lashes and her CD. In fact she prefers duffle bags to suitcases. “I’m ghetto chaos,” jokes Over. “If I can find two earrings that match I throw them in.”

Legendary performer Terri Stevens agrees with Over and only packs the bare essentials. This maximizes space and makes Stevens’ trips a breeze. “Boobs, tucking gear, make-up and hairspray,” says Stevens. “You cannot leave the house without all of the above. The rest is a piece of cake.”

Mahogany J. Browne, who recently returned from her own travels, takes a different approach when packing. She prides herself on being prepared for the unthinkable. Before a trip she purposely overpacks her two pieces of luggage bringing along more outfits than she needs. “You never know when that favourite dress will have a broken zipper or a wig won’t work with the outfit.” What exactly does she pack? “I always travel with a large suitcase for the drag outfits and a medium tote bag for my make-up case and essentials,” says Browne. “I would be dead meat without my make-up case with a taped picture of Jackie Beat on the front.” She also never leaves the house without her lucky charm: a blonde Afro with Michelle Ross’ original business card inside. I suppose rabbits’ feet aren’t for everyone.

When packing her suitcase Nicolette Brown only takes what she needs. This includes her precious powder puff that she never leaves the house without. “A girl must not look shiny,” says Browne, “only fab and fierce all the time.” Does she ever pack a lucky charm, like Mahogany? “My lucky charm is my deodorant,” jokes Browne. “Looking like a girl and smelling like a boy isn’t cute.”

Amanda Roberts always packs her suitcase with wet wipes “in case something gets dirty.” When traveling out of town, she tries to shuffle the weight of her luggage around evenly which helps to take stress off your arms and back. Roberts says she likes to bring along an empty bag for any shopping she happens to do on her trip. After all, a queen can never have too many shoes and dresses. What are her tips for packing luggage? “I shove nylons and underwear into my shoes so they don’t get squished,” says Roberts. “This also maximizes space.” Roberts has also found a great way to avoid waiting for custom officials to check all your bags. “On the trip home, drag is on top. If they open my bag and see the tits on top they usually don’t look much further.”

Matt Cassano is a writer at fab and loves to travel with a pack of drag queens.