Today we’d like to introduce you to Beauregard Elliot.
Hi Beauregard, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started drag in 2022. My first ever time performing in drag was at this old gay bar in San Marcos, Texas called Stonewall Warehouse (may she RIP). But before I started drag, I was already a performer. I was raised in a very religious household. My dad was a pastor and he had his own church. My mom was the worship leader, so she would sing and have me and my cousins sing with her, and my brother played the drums. All throughout grade school i was in choir. In high school, I performed in the school musicals from sophomore year through senior year. I even got to compete at Texas Thespians in 2018 (senior year of HS), and went on to nationals. I attended Texas State University from 2018 through 2022 and graduated with a Bachelor’s in Vocal performance. While studying, I was a part of the opera theatre department where I was able to participate in multiple productions each semester. In my last semester of school, i was already done with my music studies, but still had to take my core classes. As an outlet, I started drag.
My relationship with drag started in 2018, which is also when I came out as a lesbian. I remember my first time going to Stonewall Warehouse and seeing all the drag queens and the gay people, just dancing and having fun. It was my first bar, and the first time seeing so many people that were gay. At the time i was still questioning, but the sight of so many people living their truth and not getting “suited by God” Mae me feel more at peace which who I was. Around the initial lockdown fo COVID 19 in 2020, i started to learn more about my identity. I came out as genderfluid and then later as trans masculine. And that’s also when I started to realize that I loved drag not only because it was a music based performance medium, but also because you can play with gender in so many ways. When i first started thinking about doing drag, my first question was, “can a non man be a drag queen?” The answer is yes. But something about being a drag queen didn’t really fit my vibe entirely. But then i watched a movie, and that was when i saw a drag king being portrayed for the first time. And it was a lesbian movie too, which really resonated with me.
Fast forward to September 2022, I went to Stonewall where they were having their sign up nights hosted by Tequila Rose, called Sunday School (ironic huh?). I went to go scope it out, and realized I wanted to try it out. I also, again, just really missed being on the stage. So that night, after the show, I went up to Tequila Rose and asked “is it okay if drag kings sign u?” And she said ‘please sign. Up, we have no kings here! We need more!” So the next Sunday I signed up. And then after that, I kept signing up every Sunday. The show would start at midnight and i wouldn’t get home til 2am and then have to wake up at 6 am for my 8am shift. It was all so worth it.
Right on New Year’s Day 2023, Stonewall Warehouse closed, without any warning. And once that happened, I started commuting to Austin every Sunday for the sign up show at Oilcan Harry’s and that’s when my journey as a drag performer went from, just a hobby, to something I wanted to take more seriously. Drag was just the start, it helped me gain confidence in my talents. I put myself out there and started getting asked to do other projects like music videos, album activations, variety shows, commercials, modeling, etc.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been a smooth road. I am a Black, trans, fat, drag king in America. I go through obstacles every day due to racism, transphobia, and fat phobia. I am someone that people don’t understand because I simply don’t care about “societal norms”. And when people don’t understand, they lean towards hate instead of curiosity. When there’s curiosity, you learn more and grow from that knowledge. You realize that even though someone lives their life differently it doesn’t make them any less of a human.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I am a performance artist. I am mostly known as my drag king persona, Sir Beauregard Elliot, Esquire. I call myself a performance artist because I am multidisciplinary. I am a singer, a dancer, an actor, a storyteller. Drag is a medium I get to play with most of my disciplines at once, and that’s why I enjoy it so much. The only thing is, 5min is not enough for me to get all of my artistic energies out. I get so excited when I perform in any capacity. I get the most nervous when I sing. I have the most adrenaline when I do drag. I am the smartest when I do theatre. I am the most vulnerable when I dance.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
What I like best about our city is that it has such a big queer community, and so many ways to find people who have the same niche interests as you. Austin is such a lively city, where there is an event for everything, and you’re almost never board. Also it is probably the safest place, in Texas specifically, for people in the LGBTQIA+ community.
What I like the least about our city is that it is not as diverse as I wish. As much as I love going to queer/lesbian/trans events I don’t see a lot of BIPOC. And I know it’s not because there aren’t many of us here, there just aren’t enough events out there that make us feel safe and seen in their spaces. Queer spaces specifically should be centering us because we are the reasons queer spaces exist in the first place.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sir.beau.elliot
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@sirbeauelliot
