BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A well-known Lehigh Valley drag queen has reached new heights.
Bethlehem native Ariel Torres became the first drag queen to perform at the Pennsylvania governor's residence, when Torres was part of its Pride Month Celebration Reception on June 26.
Torres, who also works as the associate director for the Pride Center for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity at Lehigh University, performed “I Was Here” by Beyoncé as his drag persona, Elektra Fierce St. James.
The song "is about wanting to make sure that the time that you spent here, you were able to make your mark in a positive way and that you were able to love and inspire others,” Torres said.
“So I think that perfectly summed up the opportunity.”
Torres described the performance as “very surreal.” He said he has seen drag become more accepted and mainstream in the past 20 years of performing.
“But then to hear you can actually do this at the governor's mansion, that somebody who works in politics was not only willing to celebrate the community, but to open their doors," Torres said.
"I think was just really inspirational. It was something I never thought would ever happen.”
Nine years ago today, marriage equality became the law of the land — and tonight, Lori and I hosted our Pride Reception at the Governor's Residence to celebrate our Commonwealth's progress and recommit ourselves to ensuring every Pennsylvanian is treated equally under the law.… pic.twitter.com/fvARZnrkAL
— Governor Josh Shapiro (@GovernorShapiro) June 27, 2024
Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office did not provide a direct response to a request for comment on Torres’ performance, but instead sent the official X post about the pride reception.
“As your Governor, I'll always defend your freedom to marry who you love and be who you are here in Pennsylvania,” the post reads.
The performance
Torres said he got the opportunity through Ashleigh Strange, an Allentown resident who recently was appointed executive director of the Governor’s Advisory Commission on LGBTQ Affairs.
“We just had a town hall where queens could come and talk about the way that the law covers them in ways that they didn't know that they were covered,” Torres said.
“And then through working through this conversation and trying to organize this town hall came this opportunity that Ashleigh came up with.”
Torres said he thinks the reason he was the first drag queen to perform at the governor’s residence is because drag queens are “more on the visibility of the political landscape right now.”
“It just gives so much hope for the future that there are people that are willing to understand and to learn, as opposed to jumping to the bigoted conclusions that they hear from others."Ariel Torres, Associate Director for the Pride Center for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity at Lehigh University
Recently, more mainstream acceptance of drag has also led to backlash from some right-wing activists and politicians. They have said drag contributes to the “sexualization” or “grooming” of children and have tried to restrict children’s access to it.
Drag performances often involve people dressing up and performing in exaggerated forms of gender expression, sometimes with dancing, lip-syncing and comedy acts.
The performances do not typically involve nudity or stripping, although ones meant for adults can feature explicit outfits and profane language. Events such as drag story hours are created to be appropriate for children.
“As a queen, I think it's important to know your audience. There's a time and place for everything,” Torres said.
Torres said he did not get the opportunity to interact with Shapiro much other than shaking his hand and taking a photo. But regardless, the event impacted him.
“Just that little interaction is life-changing,” Torres said. “It just gives so much hope for the future that there are people that are willing to understand and to learn, as opposed to jumping to the bigoted conclusions that they hear from others.”
Backlash in the Lehigh Valley
Torres is no stranger to groundbreaking performances. In 2021, he became the first drag queen to be booked at Bethlehem's Musikfest festival.
But that decision was not received well by everyone, he said.
“When they posted about it, the comments section was just so full of hate,” Torres said.
Torres said Musikfest did “a really good job” of defending its decision to include drag performers in the festival.
"I think people fear what they don't understand. They don't get us, and they're not even trying to get us. But for every one person that doesn't, I'm glad to say I have counted 10 that do.”Ariel Torres, Associate Director for the Pride Center for Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity at Lehigh University
Last July, an ArtsQuest drag show featuring Torres called Draggin' with the Divas received backlash online involving Musikfest Café title sponsor Yuengling, leading ArtsQuest to increase the age restriction of the event from 13 to 18 years old.
ArtsQuest also had additional security for the event, requiring guests to be scanned by a metal detector wand and have their bags checked.
Torres said drag performers are “not a one-size-fits-all kind of community.”
“So the fact that you would just group us with such bigoted statements is just wrong," Torres said. "It's really just judging a book by its cover.
“And I think people fear what they don't understand. They don't get us, and they're not even trying to get us.
“But for every one person that doesn't, I'm glad to say I have counted 10 that do.”
Torres will perform again at Musikfest at 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 8. He said he is not yet sure at which platz, or stage, the performance will be.
