‘Drag Race’ fans rev engines as Detox, Manila Luzon visit
“We are so happy to come here and celebrate with people who are celebrating drag.”
By TAMAR URIEL-BEERIDrag race superstar Detox performs in Tel Aviv along with Manila Luzon in 2019(photo credit: ERAN LEVI)
Any fan of the popular American reality showRupaul’s Drag Race is familiar with two of the drag queens that have appeared the most on the show: Detox and Manila Luzon. The two stars, both of which have some of the largest fan-bases in drag “herstory,” hit the Tel Aviv streets on Friday and Saturday to celebrate with the Israeli crowd.They arrived in the country bought to Israel by One Night Only Tel Aviv, an event planner for drag queens, and performed at Theater Club. Both dressed in matching nurse’s outfits, they held a competition for the “fiercest” costume in the crowd. Originally a single performance, it sold out within a few days and a second show was arranged. The queens rocked the Tel Aviv stage, with fans rushing to write fantastic reviews of both shows.Speaking to The Jerusalem Post before the shows, the two performers expressed delight at being in Israel.“So far, so great. I love it. The food is amazing, the men are gorgeous,” said Detox, who was visiting Israel for the first time.“There’s just so much history here,” Luzon added. “We are so happy to come here and celebrate with people who are celebrating drag.”When asked about calls from their fans to boycott Israel, the queens did not pay it any mind. Detox, who admitted to not knowing very much about any conflict regarding Israel, said that she simply ignores such comments. “Part of American culture is to be completely blind to things that are outside of our own bubble,” she joked.Luzon, on the other hand, turned her criticism on the US. “There’s so much stuff in America that is very shameful,” she explained. “It’s stuff that I can’t endorse, but I still perform there. There are people here that want to be entertained, and we’re here to entertain them.”Detox opened up about her Hanukkah song, “This Is How You Jew It,” which starred on a drag-filled holiday album. “I used to date a Jewish boy, and I was always pretty confused about what they did around Christmas, because I would come around and they would always eat Chinese food,” she said. “So I decided to write a song for a culture that’s not really mine but that I have an appreciation for.”The queens mentioned a small but keen interest in the Tel Aviv Pride Parade, which is considered one of the biggest and best in the world. Luzon, who had been in Israel for Pride a few years prior, highly recommended it to Detox, who smiled and simply said, “I would love to.”Drag fans in Israel, if they are not wowed enough, will be seeing two more queens on the Israeli stage in the coming year: Violet Chachki, winner of season 7 of Rupaul’s Drag Race, and Bianca Del Rio, winner of season 6.
Related TagsGay PridePride Parade
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