‘Oases for queer people’ in KY: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ queens to perform at Lexington Pride

Three drag queens from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” including two from Kentucky, will take the stage this weekend during Lexington Pride.

Lexi Love, of Covington, Scarlet Envy, of Louisville, and Mystique Summers, who represents Chicago but lives in Dallas, all say they’re looking forward to performing at the Lexington event Saturday.

Lexi Love: ‘Celebrating my transness’ and queer pageantry

Love – who often blends fashion, dance and roller skating – lives in Covington but represented Louisville as a finalist on Season 17 of Drag Race. She and Envy will headline and host meet-and-greets at Lexington Pride Saturday.

It’ll be one of the largest stages Love has performed on, she said.

“My whole thing is about celebrating my transness … and I haven’t really gotten the opportunity to, on a gigantic stage or a pride stage like this,” she said.

During Pride festivals in 2025, she had a small wardrobe and little time to prepare.

“I had one suitcase packed for the whole country that I just had to continue to reuse, and now I finally get to dedicate time and energy and idea to a number,” she said.

Minutes before Love hopped in an interview for a Netflix reality show casting Wednesday afternoon, she described what makes Central Kentucky the “epicenter for old school pageantry, just like old school drag.”

“Pageantry … used to be our currency,” she said. “They used to be our ‘Drag Race,’ was all of the national pageants.”

Pageants are queer spaces where contestants compete for prestigious crowns and titles based on attire and other categories. National Entertainer of the Year is one of the most respected national pageants, which started in 1991 in Louisville.

These competitions help Kentucky drag queens branch out of pop culture and reality TV drag trends, according to Love.

“The show has so much influence on drag being a completely different way,” Love said. “ ... These girls’ rules are much more stringent, and it’s just nice to be able to branch out of that.”

This weekend, “you can expect a surprise,” Love said.

Scarlet Envy moves back to Kentucky

This show isn’t too far from home for Envy.

After living in New York for around 16 years, she recently moved back to Kentucky. Envy, who goes by Jacob James Grady when not in drag, was born in Lexington and now lives in Louisville to be closer to family.

“There’s a very good amount of gay bars for a city of Louisville’s size,” Envy said. “I feel like there’s a great scene there, and I always feel super comfortable coming back. So I’m excited to explore more of (Kentucky). … It feels very full circle.”

She shouted out LGBTQ+ inclusive spots in Louisville, including drag brunch at Le Moo, Play, Chill Bar Highlands, Big Bar and the permanently-closed Tryangles.

Envy has been booked and busy, from her start on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 11, to “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 6, “RuPaul’s Drag Race: UK vs. the World” and now “Drag House Rules” – a scripted parody about behind-the-scenes drama of reality TV.

The 34-year-old said she comes from “a place of privilege,” with much of her time spent performing in queer safe spaces across the world. But she recalled a scary moment when a man showed up to a small town event with a machine gun.

“He just kind of had it propped up on his shoulder, and he just continued to circle the little park …,” Envy said. “I think he was just there to intimidate people, and obviously the local authorities were also kind of aware. … Those people feel empowered to have a presence there.”

This weekend, she said, it’s important to remember “why we’re gathering, especially in times like this.”

Sweeping anti-transgender legislation remains in effect in Kentucky. Trans minors are prohibited from accessing puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy; the use of public school bathrooms is only allowed based on one’s gender assigned at birth; and Medicaid funds don’t cover gender-affirming medical care.

“It’s important to remember that it’s not just about the people who come dressed up, it’s about the entire, the community as a whole,” Envy said. “I like to brag about Lexington and Louisville as being these oases for queer people, and the community that I have called home for so long, because people don’t expect that when they don’t know anything about Kentucky.”

How this Chicago queen navigates anti-drag law

Summers, one of the earliest competitors on RuPaul’s Drag Race, will perform at a pre-Pride party at The Bar Complex at 10:30 p.m. Friday. She said it’ll be a refreshing change flying in from her home in Dallas, Texas.

“Dallas is like the mecca of drag for me …,” Summers, 42, said. “It’s very diverse.”

Dallas is one of the few places that feel pretty safe for LGBTQ+ people in Texas, she said. However, after a years-long legal battle, a 2023 law went into effect in February that restricts drag performances. Texas Senate Bill 12 can target drag performances on public property and in front of children, leading to $10,000 fines for business owners who host events that violate the law. Performers who violate the law also can be charged with a misdemeanor.

“I just chill at the house just because with all the crazy laws and everything that’s going on, it’s hard to find places to perform,” she said. “I’d rather keep my peace instead of going out trying to fight.”

Summers said she now streams herself playing video games, and books performances when she feels inspired.

“I’ll book a show if I have friends that’s coming to town … or if I get a new outfit, then I’m like, okay let me show this off,” Summers said Wednesday.

The 42-year-old competed but did not make it past the first bracket of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars” Season 11, which is currently airing. However, she might get raffled back into the competition. Summers first competed in the Drag Race franchise in one of its earliest seasons, before queens knew how massive the show would become – winning Emmy Awards and more.

While large crowds usually show up for stars from Ru Paul’s shows, the Chicago native emphasized a need to support the local queens.

“What audience members should know is that us drag racers, we just got lucky,” she said. “The local girls will always be there, but if you do not support them, they’re not going to be there. … If the bar closes, you’re gonna be like, ‘Oh we have nowhere to view drag.’”

The show will feature local Kentucky and Ohio queens including Mitzi Hampton as well as the bar’s resident cast known as Johnny’s Angels, which includes Mya Pinion, Braya, Rayona Dawn, Alana Reign and Kisha Summers – who is Summers’ drag daughter.

Summers plans to lip sync to a handful of numbers, which will be a toss-up until Friday. She usually performs genres that differ from the rest of a cast, and are based on the audience and her own vibes that day.

“That’s why I’m Mystique, I’m just mysterious. The whole thing about this lifestyle is about standing out,” she said. “You don’t want to see 20 million Taylor Swifts in a row, like no ma’am.” The meet-and-greet for Love and Envy is at 5 p.m. Saturday; tickets cost $40. The show starts at 7 p.m. Saturday. The day-long festival is free and runs from 12-10 p.m. Saturday on Oliver Lewis Way.

Summers will perform at The Bar Complex at 10:30 p.m. Friday; general admission tickets cost $18.92, and front row tickets cost $30.23.

This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 7:08 AM.