Today we’d like to introduce you to Spencer Robertson.
Hi Spencer, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
In high school, I came out as a transgender male. I wasn’t aware of what drag was, and at the time, it was 2010 and transgender men participating in drag culture as a fem presenting drag queens was basically unheard of. Cisgender members of the LGBT community implied to me that I wasn’t allowed to do drag and that it wasn’t for me. Even though I was, fundamentally, a gay man.
I started doing drag anyways, coming to the conclusion that as a painter, sketch artist, musician, cosplayer, and actor, I was more than capable to do all of the things in drag that the cisgender men were doing. Over time, I have watched the conversation around trans men, cis women, trans women, and non-binary people participating in drag morph into a more common and more accepted practice.
I started drag in Daytona Beach at a local hamburger marys, and after while I realized there was a much bigger drag scene in Orlando just an hour away, with a large variety of different drag styles where I felt I could artistically fit in better. My move to the city was difficult— I was escaping a rough home situation in which I wasn’t fully supported for being trans and left with no money in my pockets and no job.
I started off working at a gas station and taking any open stage gigs that I could get my hands on, and eventually, I moved up to serving jobs where I was making better money and after apartment hopping and dealing with some very abusive situations with past roommates, I met my beautiful boyfriend and we moved into a condo together with our two cats.
My journey has been full of ups and downs, facing times that I was struggling financially, on the brink of being homeless, and uncertain about my future. After pulling through, I’m finally finished with my medical transition and my art has been a therapeutic outlet for me over the years.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It definitely has not been a smooth road— when I moved away from my mother who doesn’t accept my transness, I was only 18 and struggling to pay all of my bills and feed myself, living on the floor of someone’s bedroom that I hardly knew. I moved in with someone who was supposed to be a friend after that, who treated me very poorly and constantly made me feel alone and unloved.
I had a period of time in which I spiraled, using alcohol as a coping mechanism and struggling financially, terrified that I would never be able to afford top surgery and hormones.
However, that’s around the time I met my two drag mothers, Dollya Black and Waka Shame, who showed me love and friendship, and family like I had never known and helped me grow into a more stable, more confident adult.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a Drag Queen, I specialize in colorful, cartoonish drag looks that focus on bright colors and take a lot of inspiration from pop culture, cult classics, and anime. I’m known for my signature teal wigs, singing live with my real voice, playing guitar, and conceptual lip sync performances and cosplay.
My bubbly demeanor, and the way that I treat my drag persona as a fully fleshed-out character with a backstory, and my off-the-walls and out-of-the-box fashion and design inspirations are what set me apart from other performers.
What makes you happy?
There are a lot of things that make me happy. My two drag children, Mok and Spit, who are like legitimate children to me, my boyfriend, my drag mothers, my drag sisters, and the queer community. My cats make me happy, eating large bowls of pasta, and drawing and painting, and singing. I am a creative through and through. It’s hard to find an artistic medium that I haven’t dabbled in.
I truly enjoy art and music and spending quality time with people who have genuinely loved and cared about me more than I have ever experienced in my life. I have a perfect support group of friends and I couldn’t be more proud.
Contact Info:
- Email: Draggedyannetrash@gmail.com
- Instagram: @draggedyanne
- Facebook: Spencer Robertson
- Twitter: @draggedyanne
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2FWDTMsJibOUVlsc653b6Q
Image Credits
@beautythroughmylookingglass
