Monroe was topped Miss Homosexual United States in 2012, making her the primary nationwide titleholder in drag from Fayetteville. Miss Homosexual America 2025, Ivy Dripp, sat subsequent to her within the dressing room. “That is the best Delight expertise I’ve had,” Dripp stated. “And I simply got here again from WorldPride, which was actually, actually cool.”
Dripp rolled via the parade earlier that afternoon on the again of a pink ’89 Mercedes convertible. She sported a black-and-gold sequined gown, a pink curly wig, large black sun shades, and, after all, the crown from her nationwide title. She stated listening to her identify introduced throughout the parade as Miss Homosexual America 2025 was a particular second: “It’s loopy. It’s the best, most lovely reward I believe I’ve ever gotten.”
Northwest Arkansas’s Delight celebration concerned six occasions throughout the weekend, together with Glitterville and the parade. It began with a trans march and rally, adopted by a two-day competition, a drag present brunch, and a teddy bear contest. There was even a excessive tea and pool social gathering on Sunday.
The historical past of homosexual visibility within the space is steeped in protest. In 1977, the Arkansas legislature proposed a invoice to declare all gay acts a misdemeanor punishable by a 12 months in jail. The neighborhood reacted with a sequence of marches led by College of Arkansas college students, residents, and native companies—together with George’s, which has been round because the ’60s.
Dripp, 35, who hails from Lower Off, Louisiana, is actually conversant in the challenges of rising up queer in a southern state. “My roots are again house,” Dripp stated. “My household is again house. I wish to be round for my nephews and all of that. So to really feel like I’ve to depart to be able to be myself and miss out on that total side of my life wasn’t an possibility.”
On the opposite facet of the dressing room, Monroe stated she remembered when Fayetteville Delight drew only a couple hundred folks. (At 41, she is the oldest usually performing drag queen in Arkansas.) “We preach tolerance and acceptance and love for our neighborhood a lot right here,” Monroe stated. “And now we obtained it.”
Fayetteville Delight virtually didn’t occur this 12 months. NWA Equality struggled with a big funding hole again in December, Porter famous, amid rollbacks to DEI efforts throughout the nation underneath the Trump administration.
“Like a 3rd of our finances may have been worn out,” Porter stated. So NWA Equality participated in an area fundraising weekend referred to as NWA Offers. In years previous they hadn’t raised greater than $10,000; this 12 months, they raised $36,000.
“We defined to the neighborhood, that is what has occurred and we want you to step up,” Porter stated. “They did, and it was superb. Lots of people stepped up to ensure we have been nonetheless ready to do that.”
Earlier than the drag queens made their approach to the stage for Glitterville’s opener (an iconic riff on Depraved), blue lights and smoke poured over the group as Billie Eilish’s “Unhealthy Man” came visiting the audio system. The gang fell silent in anticipation. Then, when the beat dropped and the queens appeared, the room erupted with cheers, whistles, fan clacks, and screams.
“We’re cherished right here,” Monroe advised me earlier than stepping out. “We’re beloved right here. That’s what’s actually particular about this space.”
