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Brooks doesn’t just want the union to perform advocacy, but also provide space to educate new comers about the craft. Next for Queens United is finding a permanent space to operate.
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These series of performances got word out about the new union, and demonstrated the financial clout the queens could wield as a collective as well.
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“When those kinds of entertainers become free on a Saturday night, of course people are gonna jump up to take on that booking because they know that they have a big following.”Īs soon as Queens United was founded, they began doing benefit shows for a variety of charitable causes in Atlanta. “A lot of these girls, like Shawna Brooks, and Shavonna and Destiney and Phoenix, these are all high demand name entertainers in Atlanta” Brooks said. She said the girls at Burkharts had the following to be demanding much more than they were given. The response from other venues after their resignation has been proof to Brooks of success to come for Queens United. “They claimed that all that money that was coming through the door at Burkharts was for the entertainers,” Brooks said. The feelings of exploitation by Burkharts has informed Brooks and Queens United’s advocacy. “We want Queens all over to know how much we’re worth, because by us knowing how much we’re worth, we’re acknowledging how much a business is making off of us,” Brooks said. Through collective action, mentorship and solidarity, Queens United believe drag queens can demand better conditions. Brooks believes queens offer more to venues than they have received in return. My Sisters Room too,” Phoenix said.Īll of this set the stage for Queens United, what may become an official union of Drag Queens.įounded by former Burkhart’s performers like Alissah Brooks, Queens United is ambitious, but dedicated. “Ten Atlanta isn’t even meant to be a drag bar, but they really stepped up. The show of support from nightclubs like Ten Atlanta and My Sisters Room impressed Phoenix. The show includes many of the former Burkharts entertainers, such as Extasy Grey, Destiny Brooks, Alissah Brooks and CiCi Coutour Black. This was a long time coming,” Phoenix said.Īdjusting after the mass resignation, Phoenix has moved Fantasy Girls to the nightclub Ten Atlanta. “The racism was just the cherry on top for me.
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After that, Phoenix and the girls met to decide collectively how to respond. For Fantasy Girls, that was a step too far. “Once I hire you, we become family very quickly,” Phoenix said.īut that changed with word of Marsh’s post. Drag culture can have a reputation for petty rivalry, but for Phoenix, her girls mean a lot. However, she felt compelled to stay with the bar out of responsibility for the Fantasy Girls. “Not to overstate things, but we basically closed them down,” Phoenix said.ĭue to this hostility, Phoenix had considered quitting Burkharts for some time.
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In retrospect, Phoenix wonders if they brought so much money in, why didn’t that garner them more respect? It was, after all, without Fantasy Girls that Burkharts was forced to close. The bar filled more seats and sold more drinks when the girls were on. The shows were made so long because her show, Fantasy Girls, was such a draw for business. She said the relationship struck her as ironic. “They wanted shows to last three hours,” Phoenix said. Burkharts demanded shows at lengths that far exceeded the industry norm. Phoenix claims the entertainers didn’t receive the respect they deserved. It wasn’t just artistic differences that led to her dissatisfaction. “Other clubs, there’s more trust, I felt some resistance.” “I work best when left on my own,” Phoenix said. She felt stifled artistically, believing that the owner’s insistence made Burkharts’ shows less than they could have been. Phoenix’s choices as producer and director were given more scrutiny than at other venues. To her, Burkharts was different, and not in a good way. Doubling as a producer and an entertainer can be stressful but according to her, almost always rewarding. Atlanta drag performer Phoenix was the entertainment director of Burkharts and Jungle, and has 15 years of experience performing and producing drag in venues all over Atlanta. The closing of Burkharts underscores a demand for better treatment on the part of the entertainers. Some say that change will be for the better.
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This, coupled with the closing of the gay nightclub Jungle, a frequent venue for drag performance, has the potential to change the face of drag in Atlanta. A famous Atlanta drag bar, Burkharts, has closed after an organized resignation by the entertainers following an allegedly racist Facebook post by the owner, Palmer Marsh.