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A Valentine's Day celebration with Sasha Colby at Queer/Bar

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Courtesy of Sasha Colby
Courtesy of Sasha Colby

Having won RuPaul's Drag Race season 15, Hawaiian icon Sasha Colby is set to take the stage at Queer/Bar in Capitol Hill this Valentine's Day. On February 14, grab a signature Papi Tropicale and catch her live at Capitol Hill's heartbeat of the Queer scene, where she will join the bar's team of resident performers to celebrate colorful luau love.

"She's the favorite of all drag queens— everything she does is iconic," Jessie, a bartender there, told the SGN. "She's the type of person that you can sit with and talk about music and then switch to UFOs and, like, and just have a good conversation with. She is such a chameleon in her art." Jessie is also a Colby connoisseur, having bartended at Colby's hometown drag bar in Hawaii.

Kitty Glitter, the bar's manager, shares in singing her praises. "Anyone who's ever seen her perform knows, when she hits that stage, it's akin to a spiritual experience. She was born to do exactly what she's doing, and you can't help but feel electric watching her."

Colby began making waves in Hawaii from a young age. Her family was dedicated to its cultural practices, and her Hawaiian identity has always been a cornerstone of her life and performances.

Colby said she knew that she was different at age five: She just wanted to be with the girls on the playground.

Hawaii's indigenous culture allows for more space for fluidity than in the mainland US, however. The Samoan concept of fa'afafine — a third-gender role that blends male and female energies — helped shape Colby's approach to performance and identity.

"Everyone has a Polynesian Trans auntie," Colby said.

Colby became an entrepreneur in the US fashion and drag queen scenes, bringing the islands' culture of openness to the mainland. In its competitive form, drag is typically cisgender and male dominated, but Colby threw these norms out of the window, letting her own fluid fa'afafine free.

And it worked.

In 2012 Colby became a different kind of trailblazer: the first a Transgender woman to win the prestigious Miss Continental pageant, achieving victory by not adhering to the gendered performance that typically goes hand-in-hand with drag.

"She's a trailblazer for the Trans community and for drag artists, and besides her power on stage, [when] meeting her, it's easy to see why," said Glitter. "Whenever we have the pleasure of working with her, Sasha isn't hanging out in the VIP [area] or backstage. She's literally in the crowd meeting and connecting with people.

"They say you shouldn't meet your heroes, but I'll tell you that doesn't apply here. Sasha is everything you could dream of and more, and we need more of that energy given the state of the world!"

At Queer/Bar, Colby's performances are part of a broader movement to spotlight diverse Queer artistry.

"We've restructured a lot of our programming to intentionally reflect a wider variety of Queer artistry and to provide more local artists with opportunities to innovate," Glitter said.

Some highlights of the next couple months include Cali the Stalli's "Centerfold," an all-Trans cabaret and dance party; Issa Man's "Bronze Babez," which celebrates Black and Brown Queer artists; and the "Live Nude Mammals" variety show, highlighting strippers, burlesque artists, and dancers.

"We're proud to offer programming that highlights all corners of our Queer family, especially given the political climate and the anxieties we face as a community," Kitty said.

So turn off that sappy Valentine's Day movie and come say "aloYAS" to the flirty, fun, and fabulous show that Colby is sure to bring.

For info on upcoming shows check out https://www.thequeerbar.com/events-one.

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