Following a long-form story about Springfield's drag queen, written for the Springfield News-Leader, Greta has started to pursue an individual writing project about the community.

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Through in-depth interviews and archival research, Greta hopes to portray a well-rounded history of the area's drag queen community, dating back to the 1970s.

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Why?

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Springfield's drag queen community is rich with history, more than what can be chronicled in a single newspaper article. In recent years, Springfield's drag community has gained recognition for being the hometown of "RuPaul's Drag Race" contestants Crystal Methyd (season 12) and Daya Betty (season 14).

 

However, Springfield's drag community has been in the national spotlight for decades, with several queens from the area holding state-level pageantry titles, competing and performing across the country. As an admirer of the present-day art form, Greta was surprised to learn about the legacy Springfield drag queens established, prior to even the first airing of "RuPaul's Drag Race." Why does this history only exist in tucked away photo albums? 

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How?

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Over the last several months, Greta has spent countless outside-of-work hours meeting with retired drag queens, former bar owners, current show directors and queens who continue to make a living from life on the stage today. Each interview is audio recorded and transcribed for documentation. Interviews take place in person, via phone calls and over Zoom.

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In addition to in-depth interviews, Greta is working with Missouri State University's Special Collections and University Archives. In 2003, the university established the Ozarks Lesbian and Gay Archives, or OLGA. OLGA includes an archival collection, oral history collection, drag queen/king photo collection and the Bisexual Gay & Lesbian Archive records. Greta will continue working with the university's staff to sift through historical artifacts related to the drag community.

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The end goal.

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Greta hopes the culmination of her work will result in an oral history-style book with photographs.

 

She is inspired by works like Lizzy Goodman's "Meet Me in the Bathroom" and Devi Lockwood's "1,001 Voices on Climate Change," which document specific communities and large-scale topics.

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Want to help?

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Right now, Greta is interested in meeting with folks who have a connection to Springfield's drag queen community. Were you or are you a drag queen from the area? Were you a spectator who remembers clubs like The Downbeat and The Warehouse? Or are you someone who also has a tucked away photo album?

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If you are interested in sharing your story, someone else's or photos, contact Greta at greta.cross.photo@gmail.com