Drag Pageants Can Launch a Queen's Career, But Ohio Lawmakers are Threatening the Drag Economy

The last time CityBeat visited Old Street Saloon’s backstage area, the tone was carefree and jovial; this was not the same dressing room on Sept. 30.

“We’re not ready yet,” one queen said firmly. “You’re blocking my fan,” another warned.

No offense was taken in the slightest; these are athletes, rockstars, a royal court of shape-shifting magicians tightly squeezed into a temporary atelier between clothing racks and Halloween decorations. They are the drag queens competing for the coveted title of Miss Old Street 2023, and all five contestants came to win. But there’s another battle the queens may face down the line, and their opponents sit in the Ohio Statehouse.

Contestants and categories

The programming feels more akin to the traditional (and deeply heterosexual) Miss America pageants rather than an episode of RuPaul. Presentation, Evening Gown, Question and Talent are the four categories each of Saturday’s five contestants need to nail.

Latoya Bacall, Miss Old Street 2002, was one of the night’s judges. She spoke to CityBeat in between sets.

“It’s fierce,” she said. “The girls came to compete. It’s anybody’s game at this point.”

Bacall said she looks for stage presence, personality and consistency when assigning points. Ashley West, Miss Old Street 1996, said she wants to see contestants who have clearly put in the work.

“Stage presence is a huge factor, preparedness, just people who are really prepared,” West told CityBeat.

As a former Miss Old Street, or “formers” as they’re commonly called, West can attest to how winning the Miss Old Street title can change the course of one queen’s life.

“We have such a history of formers and all these girls have traveled throughout the country. I’ve traveled all over the country and Miss Old Street has truly helped that,” she said. “It gives you a home bar, it gives you a base, it gives you the freedom to express yourself and to travel to different places and show them what your hometown is about. I mean, we have entertainers coming from all over the country wanting to perform here!”

Many former Miss Old Streets have gone on to secure lucrative TV contracts. Miss Old Street 2010, India Ferrah, is one of several formers who have gone on to compete on RuPaul's Drag Race. She was remorseful when turning down an interview with CityBeat, citing publicity rules in her current contract with MTV.

West said such legacy and prestige with a “bar title,” especially in a small town dive, is rare anymore.

“It’s almost impossible,” she said. “It’s probably the longest-running in the state. This is even long for a national. Not many bar titles last this long.”

The legacy of Miss Old Street was on full display when formers took turns gliding across the stage, their perfectly preserved tiaras and sashes displayed with pride. One former was acknowledged in memoriam: Tyese Rainz, Miss Old Street 2017. Rainz died in May 2022 from a medical episode after a performance at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts in Hamilton. 

When it was Rainz's turn to walk the stage on Saturday, her mother, Ava Griffin, stepped in her place.

In a shimmering black gown, she too glided alongside the formers, glowing with grace, her baby’s winning sash draped across her heart.

“I always supported her,” Griffin told CityBeat. “I still feel as though, when I’m here, I represent her.”

At least three people paused our interview to greet “Mamma,” exchanging cheek kisses and compliments. “Hi sweetness!” Griffin would tell guests familiar and new.

“Support one another,” Griffin told CityBeat. “Because some people don’t have support at home.”

Combating anti-drag policy

When CityBeat last stopped by the self-described “friendliest little gay bar” in the neighborhood, we asked questions relating to the then-potential drag ban in Tennessee. This time, the questions about legislating drag in Ohio are no longer hypothetical.

In July, Ohio Republican lawmakers introduced House Bill 245 to ban “adult cabaret performances,” defined as shows that feature “entertainers who exhibit a gender identity that is different from the performers’ or entertainers’ gender assigned at birth.”

If passed, the law would prohibit drag shows everywhere except “adult cabarets.” That leaves typical bars and nightclubs that host drag shows, like Old Street, vulnerable under the bill.

Reps. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) and Angela King (R-Celina) proposed the bill with the support of the majority of Ohio House Republicans. Penalties for violating the proposed law would include:

• A misdemeanor of the first degree if a performance occurs in the presence of a juvenile under the age of 18.
• A felony of the fifth degree if the performance is “obscene.”
• A felony of the fourth degree if the performance is “obscene” and occurs in the presence of a juvenile under the age of 13.

“They may pass a few laws with certain limitations and stuff, but they’ll never be able to come into an establishment and tell people what to do, how they can live, how they can love. We’ve just come too far,” West told CityBeat with force. “This is our world and we’re inside four walls, so there’s no reason for them to be concerned about what’s going on here.”

Bella Nicole Harlow was crowned Miss Old Street Diva 2023, a category for cis-gendered female entertainers who perform under the guise of a drag queen. Harlow pointed to the fact that, should HB 245 pass, it technically wouldn’t even apply to her.

“Which is crazy. They can’t even define what we do,” Harlow said. “Old Street has always employed me as an entertainer because they didn’t care what was in my pants.”

Proposed restrictions on drag have ignited a wave of drag hysteria across Ohio.

“I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any nazis show up at my shows like they’ve had in Columbus,” Mormen said. “To me, that’s terrifying that in 2023 we still have something like this happening."

As a comedy queen, Punchfuk knows irony when she sees it. She was recently booked by Sinclair Community College, her alma mater, to perform in drag for a student event, only to have a higher up halt the gig out of fear for backlash.

“One person in the upper [office] said, ‘No, no, no. We can’t do drag. We can’t do drag here. It’s too dangerous,'” she said. “I went there. I had my first makeup classes from an adjunct professor who taught makeup. I learned my first drag faces there. To hear that the skills I learned and harnessed and finessed throughout the professional world were not welcome because they’re a ‘bad thing,’ it’s really insulting.”

The skill, art and craft of drag is big business in Ohio, especially for Fyre Storm, Mr. Old Street 2023. Storm stands to lose his livelihood as a drag king should such a ban go into effect.

“It is a full-time job,” he said. “And I live a very fulfilled life. I get to do art full-time for a living.”

And the winner is…

After a long night of sweat, sparkles and stiff shots, the winners of Miss Old Street 2023 were announced.

Presentation: Areone De Cardeza & Tara Newone (Tie)
Evening Gown: Areone De Cardeza
On-Stage Question: Molly Mormen & Areone De Cardeza (tie)
Talent: Amanda Sue Punchfuk