August 20, 2023 • 52 mins
(S9, EP 2)
Kahmora Hall chats about her upbringing as a queer Viet American, and the challenging conversations she had with her parents about getting into drag performance. She spoke about her experience being on RuPaul's Drag Race, the current drag ban and anti-LGBTQ legislation happening in recent times, and so much more!
Bio: Kahmora Hall is a Chicago-native and Drag Artist of over 10 years. Known for her fashion, beauty and glamour; she competed on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13, and was featured in Disney's Hocus Pocus 2. Since then, Kahmora has been an advocate for many social issues, a model, and brand influencer.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:05):
Welcome to the Bunmi Chronicles Podcast.
This is Randy Kemp, host and creator of the podcast.
I welcome you to my final seasonof the show with the theme
titled Finishing the Crumbs. As I am officially wrapping up
this year for good. I hope you enjoy the episodes
for the season. Happy listening everybody.
(00:26):
Hi everyone. This is Randy Kim of the Fund Me
Chronicles podcast and I am heretoday with a friend.
Her name is Kimora Ha. So who is she?
So Kimora is a Chicago native and drag artist of over 10
years, known for her fashion, beauty and glamour.
She competed on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 and was featured
in Disney's Hocus Pokes 2. Since then, Kimora has been an
(00:48):
advocate for many social issues,a model and brand influencer.
So we met at a party celebratingthe Asia and Argyle Chicago
neighborhood that was organized by Celebrate Argyle back in
June. So shout out to Sunny Wynn.
I didn't realize I was sitting next to you until you introduce
yourself as Camorra Hall. And yeah, and you didn't have
(01:11):
your drag wear on at the time, but I, you know, I wanted to
share how down to earth you are and how special it was for us to
be in that community space. For me, the Asian Argyle
neighborhood holds a special place in my heart as a
Vietnamese Kamai American. And it is a place where our
families would buy their groceries, take their kids for
their immunizations or to get their hair cut.
(01:35):
Yeah. So what does Asia and Argyle
mean to you? Hey Randy, thanks for having me.
It's my first official podcast, so thanks for popping that
cherry. You know, I'm also very happy we
got to meet at the Celebrate Argyle.
Events. But anyway, to answer your
question, you know, kind of everything you just said, like
(01:55):
Asia and Argyle to me means childhood.
It brings nostalgia, it's great memories.
And you know, you take those things for granted as a kid
because you don't like, you know, you don't think about it.
But as you get older, you look back on it and was like, wow,
this was such a very like happy time, very simpler time.
(02:15):
I just, you know, I did not growup in Argyle, but I grew up
going to Argyle and I just remember every Saturday after
church my parents would take me to the Pho restaurant next to
Dinam, but I think it's no longer there.
But that was like the only reason why I would go to church
was to get some like bomb ass pho afterwards.
(02:39):
Yeah, you know, like you I I didn't grow up in Argyle, but I
went there quite a bit with my family, like every weekend.
And I used to hate going there because it was a long drive from
the suburbs. My dad would spend, I don't
know, an infinite amount of timetrying to find parking, which
(03:00):
was always an event in itself. And you know it, it brings back
a lot of great memories. And how do you feel about Asian
Argyle now after all these years?
I just love coming back to it and kind of being like, I don't
want to say humbled, but it kindof brings me down to earth again
(03:21):
because I I feel like I I'm older now.
I've done a lot of things. And you know, for me, I I will
admit I didn't have the happiestkind of adolescence and whatnot,
but and so I try to get rid of all those memories as I got
older. But now that I'm in like a
(03:42):
better place my life as an adultand coming back to Argyle, I
actually have a different outlook on it.
And I I actually try to rememberall the positive things in my
childhood and analyst since whenI did come to Argyle and like
you said even even things like trying to find parking, waiting
20 minutes in the supermarket just for a spot.
(04:03):
So the. Same thing.
Yeah, exactly. Even like Sun Wah, you know, I
was so happy to see that. You know, I was, I was a son
while when it was a little shackand that was like, yeah, and now
it's elevated. I'm so happy for their success
And you know, even like for Rama, you know, never in my life
(04:24):
would I have imagined for Rama hosting a drag show.
And so shout out to Abby who runs.
Did someone drag along with Auntie Chan Little Tian love of
me and I think a few other people and.
You know, bringing LGBTQ representation to Argyle, which
(04:44):
to me, you know, growing up, I never would have thought they,
our guy, would have been so accepting of queer people.
And so it just puts a huge smileon my face that is that's such a
transformation to see that happen.
And you know, when we talk aboutthat period of time, there is
this growing appreciation. We're seeing people of our
(05:07):
generation come back to it. I mean look at how about yo and
what they're doing. Shout out to that group for
bringing it back, bringing the nostalgia back, but also doing
it in a way that is reflective of the times and done in our own
agency. So I'm proud of that community.
(05:27):
I'm actually, I'm so proud to have met you in that space
during that, during that event. So your parents are Vietnamese
and I'm curious to know what wastheir journey like coming to the
US and what led them to Chicago?Well, sure.
I also wanted to know I also want to act because you're like
(05:48):
you'd even recognize me at the event, which okay, because I've
always try to be very Incognito and it's funny like as a drag
queen. I actually hate attention and
that weird, right? Like, drag Queens are literally
the center of attention. But when I'm not actually, no,
Even when I'm in drag and out ofdrag, I like try to not have
(06:11):
everyone look at me. And it's funny the irony of that
when when I am in drag, I show up with like the most glamorous
dress and big ass hair. I'm like, oh, don't look at me,
don't pay attention to me. So yeah, I'm I'm very, I'm just
very shy. And that's just who I am.
I don't think it's a bad thing. It's just.
You know, I I also try to be very humble, like, yes, I was on
(06:31):
RuPaul's Drag Race, blah, blah. But, you know, at the end of the
day, I'm just, I'm just me, you know.
So I want to come to the event as just Paul, as myself.
And. But sorry, back to your
question. Yeah, my parents, they
immigrated to the United States,I believe in 1981 because that's
(06:52):
where they had my sister. My parents are actually not.
Fresh off the boat, They're actually fresh off the plane
somehow. My mom, because she was pregnant
with my sister at the time, so they flew here, but they gave my
parents first class because my mom was like, pregnant.
And so they flew here in luxury.So they made a great first step
(07:16):
into the United States. But anyway, yeah, they grew up
here in the 80s. They had my sister and my and
again, you don't really like appreciate.
What your parents had to go through until you're much older
and I try to you know think it back on it.
I'm trying to let go all that, like any resentment that I had
we'll get into it if you want. But as an as an adult now
(07:39):
though, I'm just, I'm in all my parents because I'm sure like
yours and many others, they camehere.
So the United States with like almost nothing, but they were
able to provide for a family. They worked really hard.
My parents raised three kids. You know, we're all, you know,
well to our adulthood now and successful in our own right.
(07:59):
And you know, and I had a conversation with like Dad for
his on his birthday and he said,you know, he's really proud of
all of us. He said, you know, I came here,
I worked hard. I raised three kids.
I can die happy. And so that makes.
Yeah, it makes. That was like that was an
(08:19):
emotional moment for me. Like I never My dad is very.
Quiet. He doesn't like to show much
emotion. And to hear him say that was
like, wow, that's beautiful to Sharon.
And also it's very validating tohear when your own family, your
own parents actually says that they're proud of you, that they
can actually let go of this struggle that they've been
(08:42):
carrying in for so long. Having to raise a family, having
to survive assimilation, having to, you know, process their own
traumas coming here, and I thinkit's such a beautiful moment
when they can actually let go and say, I can finally be at
peace, right? Yes, how?
(09:05):
And I'm glad you, and I'm glad you brought that up too.
Like, I was just the whole, I was just saying earlier, I felt
like I was letting go of any resentment or whatnot.
Like my parents also did too. And so thank you for bringing
that up. Like, didn't even think about
it, yeah, Which brings me to that.
Next question is, how would you describe your upbringing,
particularly at a time when you were discovering your own query
(09:25):
identity? Oh, sure.
You know, I always knew I was different.
I didn't know the word gay yet, but I feel like I knew even when
I was six years old, you know, Ijust.
I was different. I did.
I. I didn't want to be like the
other boys doing sports or whatnot.
(09:45):
I wanted to play with the Barbiedolls.
I wanted to hang out with all the girls.
I wanted to gossip and talk about the boys.
You know? I wanted to play dress up when
my parents were not home. When my sisters were at home, I
would literally put on their heels and dresses and like
practice my runway walk. No, for real.
And see, I didn't even know thatwas dragged back then.
(10:07):
See what's meant to be right, how things were going.
But but anyway. I want to say, but the first
time I knew that being gay was like a bad thing or had like a
bad connotation to it was I think I was like 8 or 9.
But for some reason I just always grew up thinking my nose
(10:28):
was really big. I was always very selfconscious
about my nose being wide. I don't know like how that
started, but and this is weird, I will say this is weird for
like a nine year old to say. 8-9year old and during like the
dinner table, literally eating food with my parents, my
sisters, and out of nowhere I was like, mom, I want a nose
(10:49):
job. I literally said I want a nose
job and my mom turned to me and said no, that's gay.
And that was the first time I ever heard I think the word gay
and gay used in like a negative way.
So I instantly knew that it was not OK and that.
(11:10):
Me having my my feelings, my my sexuality, my density.
I had to keep it to myself. Like if I said something, if I
said I was gay, if I came out, it would not go well for me.
And I just. And I think that's when I
started to really become distantwith my family because I used to
(11:32):
be so close to my mom and dad asa kid.
And then, like I would I, I remember I would like.
Be so excited to see them come home from work.
They would hug me, kind of show the same affection.
And then I think when I came to realization that, you know, I'm
gay and they're not going to be okay with it, that's when I
really start to kind of just hide in my room.
(11:55):
I wasn't as the bright kid. I remember being with my parents
and my sisters. So that wasn't a dark time for
me. And you know with I'm sure you
know too, like with. Asian families, we don't really
talk about mental health struggles.
We don't really talk about our feelings.
We just hold it in. And you know, I and I will
(12:18):
admit, I actually didn't even start going to therapy until
maybe, yeah, two years ago, 2 summers ago.
And I wish I did. I just felt like I would have
been so much happier even. Like, yeah, I just know I would
have been much happier. I did go to therapy sooner.
It's Thank you for sharing your journey into your childhood.
(12:40):
And I think about this a lot, too, because as I've gotten
older, I started reflecting moreabout my own clear identity as
an Asian American, as as a Vietnamese kami American, and
thinking about how gay was used as a negative connotation.
It was like there was this expectation of being a man and
(13:05):
how we were often punished if wewere not living up to that
expectation. And it's it's very traumatic
sometimes when we have to revisit those times when our
families weren't validating us, that were often questioning
(13:28):
whether we are normal and that what we want, what we desired
isn't normal. And that was very harmful.
I remembered, you know, growing up, I was a huge Madonna fan.
Shanna Jackson and Mariah Carey.Those were my I I think that's
the, that's the the the triple. I can't even think of the right
(13:50):
word today, but it's it's basically the triangle of
queerness, the way I look at it.And you know, my brother is also
engaged in homophobia. They were saying, well, that's
so gay, I can't believe you liked them.
And I did not have shame, but I felt like I was forced to have
shame into my into liking. I was forced to have shame.
(14:15):
And but I saw liking female pop stars, you know hanging out with
women hanging out with girlfriends, you know, was
something that I preferred to do.
And it's it's hard because because if it feels like you had
(14:36):
to hold yourself back for I don't know how many years until
you until you get to a point where I've had enough, I deserve
to fulfill those desires. And I feel like in some ways a
lot of our own clear community members, especially in our own
community. It feels like our adolescence
was delayed in some ways becausewe took us so long for us to to
(14:58):
reach our to reach our potential, to fulfill our
desires. I remember someone on Twitter
said it best. Like as queer people, we grow up
as a version of ourselves that we are not happy with or we we
we don't. We don't really grow up to be
ourselves. And you know, we don't get to
(15:18):
have those opportunities of likesummer parties and listening to
music we want to listen to and just really being ourselves and
actually question for you, what's your favorite Janet
Jackson song? Great question.
I probably who will have to go with and I know this changes
every week throb. The Rob Throb, yes, from the 19.
(15:42):
90s throb Yes, yes. I love that song so much.
I have to say I am not familiar with it, but I need to listen to
it. I do love Janet as well.
I'm not a huge fan like you are,but my favorite song is Escapade
Is That's another one too. That's.
Another one. Good.
I love that Janet when she was here.
(16:03):
Yes, I did. And guess what?
I got to meet her in person. Hey, as you should, you know.
I mean, all the legendary Divas are coming back on tour.
This might be the last go, so I would too.
I mean, I hope not for janet's sake, but I can also.
See her getting older and also wanting to take care of her son.
But yeah, I mean it was such a magical dream.
(16:25):
Can shoot, but it's also feels like I'm telling my old 12 year
old struggling teen self that life is going to be a lot of
fun. Along the way, you are going to
meet the woman of your dreams, you know.
Literally, not someone I'm goingto marry.
Like, literally. But like an idol.
(16:45):
So yeah, I I I felt like I was doing these things to nurture my
young self that that was unhappy.
Right. So.
That's that's so true. You have such a good point.
Like, we're as adults now, we'redoing all the things that we
miss out on as kids, as adolescents.
Those, you know, those activities that like, I guess,
(17:05):
you know, straight people can do, like, really not to worry
about anything, I guess, right. I was gonna ask you, like, I
think this is something that I'malways very curious about too.
But what were some, what were some of your personal
experiences that led you into drag performance?
And what was it about drag that created a spark for you?
(17:26):
You know, like I mentioned earlier.
I always wore my mom's clothes, my sister's clothes when they
weren't home walking in their heels.
So it's like I was doing drag before I even knew what drag
was, you know? And but I remember the exact
moment I I think I was in. Yeah, it was like freshman year
of college. I think I just came home from
(17:48):
class and my sister Lisa was watching season one of Ru Paul's
Drag Race. So this.
Yeah. So this was like 2009.
So. I I just remember, like, I could
hear her laugh, you know, I didn't know what she was
laughing at. So I joined her in her room and
I was like, what's this? And she's like, I don't know,
(18:08):
it's called Ru Paul's Drag Race.And that was the moment I was
first, I guess, exposed to drag and I was hooked.
And then I went to Loyola University and later on I found
out that every year the LGBT. Resource group at Loyola.
(18:29):
They hold a student and professional drag show, and so
of course I was like, okay, thisis my chance, so go to my first
drag show. That's where I saw my eventual
drag mother. Rest in peace, Lady Taj Mahal,
who also performed with Dita Ritz, Kelly, Lauren and I just
remember telling myself that if I ever wanted to do drag, I want
(18:52):
to be just like her. Taj Mahal.
Curious to know what were you able to do other work besides
being a drag guards as you were you know working through working
through the drag scene I. Was like what what my other
occupations were, right, exactly.
(19:13):
Well, I mean, I worked at Victoria's Secret for a long
time, actually. No.
Yeah. So how?
I don't know how my parents didn't know I was gay.
I think they're they're in huge.No, literally.
They were like, in huge denial. It was crazy.
And, oh, here's the thing too. I will get to it.
But I just remember, like, even as I got older and I was trying
(19:34):
to make it very like a parent that I'm gay or very flamboyant,
I would still like, walk into myparents And then them having
conversations like, oh, you know, I wonder like who he's
going to marry. He's going to need a woman to
cook for him and like, knows howto clean.
I was just like, are you seriousright now?
Like, are we still having this conversation?
Like that's to me to show that they're.
(19:56):
Either in denial or the really thought that acts like straight.
It just was flamboyant. But anyway, yeah, I worked at
Victoria's Secret during my college years.
I bought a lot of my undergarments there for drag.
So thank you Victoria's Secret. Old Orchard.
But actually, and so my first job out of college.
(20:18):
So I studied sociology, Social science research specifically.
And my first I guess like quote UN quote real job out of college
was for this social science institute.
It's located in river N Old Townand I I was hired on as a
research assistant and then I became like a senior research
coordinator and helping with allthe research projects.
(20:41):
Clinical trials helped all aspects of like recruitment,
writing papers, help with grants, what not and actually
still work that job to this day,even after Drag Race and all
that. I just really enjoy the work
that we do. I've always enjoyed helping
people and even though, you know, conducting research, we're
(21:05):
not like directly helping, we'reindirectly helping the bigger
picture. And we mostly focus on people
who have mental health issues, substance use disorders, high
risk of HIV, you know, people, you know, disadvantaged
communities. And so I just felt Network team
was very fulfilling and I've worked at this place for nine
(21:26):
years now and they were always very supportive of me doing
drag, even when I had to leave for Drag Race, when I came back
from Drag Race. And so yeah, they're my family
and I still work there till thisday and I'm very proud of it.
That is awesome. And you know, you talked about
how your parents. Were in denial of your own
queerness for such a long periodof time.
(21:47):
Oh my God. How, yeah, I wonder, how did
your family react to you wantingto get into drag?
Because there's a difference. There's, there's queerness, but
then there's drag, there's transand you know.
That's a whole other layer to contend with, So I'm curious as
to what that conversation must have been like.
(22:09):
Oh, let me tell you. OK, all right, we have a perfect
time. So, OK, let's rewind.
So this was so I was when I was,I started dragging college,
right. I was also living at home at
this time. And so I would literally hide
all my wigs and makeup in my closet.
And you know, of course parents are going to Snoop, you know,
(22:31):
and my parents are were very overprotective of me.
They babied me for a very long time.
And so there was one day where I, like, came home, I think from
work. I think I was like, how old was
I? I must have been like 22/21/22.
So I was like junior senior yearanyway.
(22:52):
And then like, my parents were literally, actually, it was my
dad that first confronted me about it.
So I came home. He was literally sitting in my
bed and literally, like, my closet door was open, my wigs
were out, the makeup was out. And then I was like, oh, shit,
like, we're going to have this conversation, you know?
(23:15):
And so I just remember sitting down in my bed next to my dad
and surprisingly, my dad took ita lot better than my mom.
And so but he told he straight up said, like, are you gay?
I'm like, like, yeah, I am. And so, you know, my dad also
asked me, like, do you want to be a woman?
I'm like, no, Like, this is justfor fun.
(23:37):
And, you know, I don't really know how to explain drag to my
parents. My Vietnamese is only so good.
But I have to explain to them that, you know, this was just
for fun. It's like a costume.
And so I realized later on that,like, my dad was more worried
about me and more scared about me.
He literally, his words were, you know, I don't want you to
(24:00):
get sick. And, you know, I didn't really
realize what he meant until, like, a few years ago because my
parents, they immigrated here inthe 80s.
You know, the only the only knowledge they had of gay people
was AIDS, you know, the 80, the the AIDS crisis of the 80s and
the 90s. And so it all made sense to me.
(24:21):
Why he said that? Because I didn't understand at
the time. And, you know, my dad was just
scared for me. And, you know, they, they were
not very educated on HIV, AIDS and gay people.
And so, you know, I think that'swhy my mom was really worried
too. But my mom was, she took it
really hard. Like it was really difficult for
(24:43):
my mom. She actually didn't talk to me
for like a week or two. And actually, I forgot to say
this, Actually, my mom actually asked my sister.
So my oldest sister, Cammy, she was actually the first person I
ever came out to. She was very accepting of me.
She, she was my best friend growing up.
She still is my my, still one ofmy best friends today.
And so my mom actually asked herif I were gay.
(25:06):
And my sister didn't feel comfortable being the one to
have to tell her. So that's not for her to say.
But, you know, she like, was just like, you gotta ask him,
you know? And so I think my mom just
didn't really want to have that conversation, even though she
knew. But then randomly, like, so I've
been not talking to me for like a week or two.
(25:28):
One day I came home, my parents were just kind of sitting by the
door and things were kind of like, quote, UN quote normal,
You know, just like, hey, are you hungry?
I'm like, no, fine, you know? And like, that was it.
And so I think my parents just didn't really know how to
acknowledge it except to kind ofsweep it under the rug.
(25:50):
Because even after coming out tothem at 22 or so, it still was
kind of like an issue, you know?Like, they didn't really
acknowledge that they know I'm gay, but they didn't really
acknowledge I'm gay. That makes sense.
Like they didn't really want to face it still come to an
acceptance. And even when I I'm with my long
(26:12):
term boyfriend and brought him around, he was still just like
the friend, you know. But I'm 31 now and that was what
nine years have passed. Yeah, almost a decade and so.
And just recently I want to say a year or two.
I think they're finally, finallyOK or accepting of me being who
(26:36):
I am because a few things. So my mom actually considers me
as one of the girls. So literally, yeah, that's
great. Like, it's so funny.
It's so my, I don't really, thisis just like the gist of the
conversation. But my sister was like, yeah,
like, you know, you have, you have 3 granddaughters.
(26:59):
You have another granddaughter on the way.
And my mom was like, yeah. And I have three daughters, too.
And I was just like, I know she that was just her way of being,
except being accepting. And even when I, like, asked if
I could bring my boyfriend around to a family event, she's
like, yeah, of course he can come.
He's your boyfriend, you know. He says she said, yeah, of
(27:20):
course he's your Bong Jai, you know?
Yeah, Bong Jai, which is a boyfriend of Vietnamese instead
of not just a friend anymore. So that was her way of saying to
me, like, you know, I accept you, I love you.
And also with my dad, I brought it up earlier, but I think for
him, another turning point was actually was his brother's
(27:43):
funeral, my uncle's funeral. I just remember I sat next to
him and he really, like, kind ofopened up to me and said, you
know, I just want you to be happy, live your life.
You know, you're an adult now. I can't tell you what to do.
And sorry not to like kind of goall over the map.
But when I had to leave for DragRace, I had to tell my parents,
(28:07):
you know, I couldn't just, like,leave the face of the Earth.
And that's where I was going. So I had to tell my parents I'm
filming a TV show where I have to dress up as a woman.
You know, it's it's it's like I'm being like an actor,
basically. That's how I explained it to
them in a way that they can understand.
And my dad said the same thing. You know, he was like, you know,
I can't tell you what to do. You're an adult, just be safe.
(28:29):
And so I just feel like we're ata good point in our life and
that's when I started to finallyheal from that trauma.
That's beautiful. And I'm so glad that your
parents were also, you know, supportive of you going on to
RuPaul's Drag Race. And I gotta say, how did they
react to? You achieving that fame,
(28:51):
especially as a drag artist, I Iwonder if that must have been
spellbounding for them. You know what?
I wish that were the case. Because they're just, they're
just so out of touch because they don't watch TV.
You know, they just, they just discovered Facebook and you know
they they don't they don't know what I I've tried to explain to
them. I've even told them that I'm
(29:11):
going to be in a Disney movie and my mom's like okay, but how
much money are you making now it?
Never ends. Yeah, it never ends.
So my brotherinlaw, actually, you know, he made a joke a few
years back. But it's so true.
It's like, you know, at the end of the day, they don't care
you're gay. They just care if you're poor or
(29:32):
not. You know, like it's like we
didn't travel to this country, you know, 40 something years ago
just for you to be like, you know, not living to your full
potential. And so no, like they, I mean
it's in the best way. Like they don't care.
Like they're they're happy that I'm doing what I what I'm doing,
(29:54):
but it's just, but it's just like they're not like they don't
care, you know, They're happy for me.
Like I'm doing what I want to do.
They're like okay, whatever. And so actually when I, when I
told them I was going to do thisshow, they actually thought it
was a scam. They thought that I was going to
get kidnapped in LA, which is kind of true.
They kind of did kidnap me and like put me in a a van, an
(30:15):
undisclosed van and drove me to set.
But but yeah, they like, it sounds bad, but like they don't
care, but in like a good way, you know, like they don't.
You got what I'm saying? It's hard to, yeah.
It's hard to explain. Yeah, I'm curious to know.
I'm pretty sure audiences definitely want to know is what
is behind the name Camorra Hall?Oh my God.
(30:37):
So actually my first drag name was actually a Yoko Tsunami.
I have no fucking clue why I bought him in Japanese.
I didn't. I just wanted something like
very Asian. And so when I debuted in
college, I was Yoko Tsunami. But when I started taking drag
seriously and started being mentored by my drag mother, Taj
(31:00):
Mahal, she was like, First things first.
You need to get rid of that name.
You need something more serious.And so, but so actually my
friend at the time, Nikko shoutsmy bestie Nikko, he was like,
well what about the name Kimora?And you know at the time Kimora
Lee Simmons was really popular. She had a very Asian sounding
name. But I wanted to spell it like
(31:21):
differently since like stand out.
And you know, I couldn't find any drag queen, any person named
Cut Mora and spell the way I spell it the way I do.
So, you know, I felt like it waskind of like quote, UN quote
original. And I I brought it to my drag
mother, asked her her opinion. How do you, what do you think of
the name caught Maura Hall And she said she loved it.
(31:42):
It had a nice ring to it And so I just, it just stuck, you know,
it sounds kind of classy, elegant, little exotic, Asian.
So it's perfect. For Rupa's Drag Race, I know
everyone has seen your appearance on it, and how did
you feel about the aftermath of it?
Because I know that. I've I've watched them
interviews of you. I know that you've had some
(32:03):
regrets to it, but the way it was done, but a lot of us that
saw it also saw that you were very beautiful and very elegant.
And I I'm very curious because Iknow that the world drag can be
very brutal. It's absolutely and especially
as like one of the few which I would talk about later on as as
(32:26):
one of the few Asian Americans, I feel like.
There's got to be this pressure to to succeed and it's still,
even though it may not be in theSTEM field, but it's still
competition that we are so conditioned to have to perform
well and and and and especially in the world of drag that you
(32:47):
were, you know, that you were vying for.
Absolutely. You know, it's it's funny
because I thought, like, I was physically prepared for the show
in terms of, like things, but mentally, emotionally, I was
not. And I was not in a good
headspace filming. And I'm not gonna lie to you,
you know, going home first sucks.
(33:09):
Like, it sucks. And especially when you know you
have so many people rooting for you at home.
Like not just your your family, your friends, you feel like you
need to represent the entire Asian community.
It's Chicago, the world. And I didn't know if I was going
to be the only Asian one on the cast that I was.
And so I felt even more pressure.
(33:31):
And but you know what? I've kind of let that all go.
Yes. Coming back home from the show
when it aired and everything, I was really sad about it.
I was even bitter about it. But you know, at the end of the
day, you know, I did it. I'm really proud of myself.
I don't have to wonder what if anymore, you know, Like, sure,
(33:55):
it had turned out the way I wanted to, but I fucking did it.
And you know, and that's when I realized, like, I can't be
bitter about it because, you know, I got what I wanted from
the show. Honestly, I got the platform,
the name. I've had so many opportunities
because just because I was on RuPaul's drag races, like, you
know, there's nothing to be upset about and you know, going
(34:17):
home first, yeah, it does suck. But I bet you there's so many
other drag Queens would have loved to be in my position even
if I'm then going home first. So it's like don't be bitter,
just be grateful and happy. And I'm so fortunate for all the
success that I have gotten despite going home 1st.
(34:37):
And you know, you know what, I think it's just that age of
mentality of like just work hard, you know, to keep working
hard no matter where you place in life.
You just be good at it, just do your best, find your niche, work
on it and be successful. And so, you know, for me, I just
really, you know, I will say like even as a drag queen, you
(34:59):
know, you when you think of a drag queen, you think of like
the club, the bar, performing, performing and performing is not
my strongest. Yeah, RuPaul's Drag Race.
But you know, like some Queens get their life on stage.
I get my life in front of a camera.
You know, like I like doing photo shoots.
I like, I like being more of like a a constant creator
(35:21):
digital artist. And I found, I found my success
there and I have a lot of fun being like a model brand
ambassador, I guess like a drag influencer as you can say.
And yeah, I just, I have all these amazing opportunities that
are kind of in that in that medium.
And so I just kind of stuck withit post Drag Race.
(35:42):
And I'm just, I'm just not bitter, you know, I'm so
grateful for RuPaul's Drag Race and even coming back on season
14 for that guest appearance. I don't know if you watched it
or not. You know, that kind of felt like
my redemption episode. That felt like my All Stars run
wrapped in 40 minutes. If you haven't seen it yet, go
watch it. But I had a lot of fun coming
(36:05):
back. It's amazing how fun things can
be when there's no pressure of competition, huh?
Indeed. And as a Vietnamese American,
what was it like navigating the drag space, especially when
there are still fewer Asian Americans?
And in a way, you've touched this.
You touched upon this earlier, but how does that impact the
work that you do as a drag artist?
(36:27):
Of course, you know, I I just kind of felt like because we
have such a huge platform, we really gotta use it to kind of
uplift others. And this was during, especially
during the time when we felt, when I came back from filming
and even when it aired, we were still in the time of stoppage
and hate, you know, the racism against our community, you know,
(36:50):
Asians. And just it was astounding to
me. I never experienced that before
and I just really wanted to use my platform to really spread
that message across. I really want to do something
special with all of my Asian drag sisters here in Chicago.
We did a photo shoot for. It was actually for the yellow
runway. And, you know, I know yellow has
(37:13):
been used in a discriminatory way.
But like, for me, like, I love the color yellow.
You know, I think yellow is so beautiful.
And, you know, if you want to call me yellow, call me yellow.
I think yellow is such a beautiful color.
I'm proud of it. I'm like reclaiming it in a way,
(37:34):
you know. So part of doing that photo
shoot, that project with them was kind of reclaiming the word
yellow and showing like the beauty of it.
And that, you know, people always kind of group us Asians
together right as as one. But I want to show that we're
all different shades. We all have our own stories, our
own experiences, our own journey.
And, you know, I tried to even though, even though I didn't
(37:58):
have to show, show all of them. But I did try to incorporate,
you know, my Asian heritage, my Vietnamese heritage in my runway
package. And to show like, hey, we did it
like just like it's not just me that made it to this platform,
we all did. You know, like when one of us
shines, we all shine. So I just really wanted to
uplift the Chicago Asian drag community, all Asians
(38:21):
everywhere, as best as them could.
Even if that you know, even though I went home first, you
know that doesn't mean that I can't stop and I can't uplift
others. You know in brief times.
There's been many anti queer in trans laws that have heard the
LGBTQ community along with the drag bands like Tennessee for
(38:42):
example. What can you share about the
effect that it has on you and your community this year?
Absolutely. It's funny because when I first,
when I first heard about that, you know, like people calling us
groomers, pedophiles, you know, talks of a drag band, we're like
it's not going to happen. You know, like like no one's
(39:04):
going to take this seriously. And then then it did.
You know, and I I can't say specifically, but you know, I
had a lot of, you know, opportunities with major brands
and corporations about, you know, pride things or like drag
center content. And you know, they fell through,
(39:27):
You know, they kind of like ghosted me.
It didn't pan out. And they know I was really like
confused and somewhat like hurt by it because it's like in the
past these companies have stuck by the queer community, the gay
community, drag artists and had no problems showing support
years ago. But like, why now?
You know, why now? Are you back in a way?
Like, where were you? You know, like when we, I know
(39:49):
we kind of make fun of corporations for like rainbow
washing and just slapping on a rainbow.
But it was really disturbing to see the lack of companies and
corporations not showing their support.
You know, and you just really, you know, how do I say this?
It's like drag has never really been about money, but you know,
(40:13):
it's nice, right, To be paid forwhat you want to do.
But it's just, it just really baffled me how all these
exciting opportunities that I thought I had coming my way,
just kind of. Fell through.
Didn't happen because of this conversation around drag Queens,
the queer community, trans people.
(40:35):
And don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful for the opportunities
and the partnership that I've had during Pride and shout out
to the companies that had that continue to stick for the
community. But yeah, like, not just me, but
my drag sisters who do love performing and what not.
Like a lot of them, I've lost a lot of gigs just because of this
(40:56):
fucked up you know conversation about drag Queens and like, we
look at the statistics. You know, you know it.
I know it. They know it.
Like most people who are majority of recorded pedophiles
were not are not drag Queens. Show me a drag queen that has
caused harm to children. You know, like, I just sorry,
(41:17):
talking about this, just really pissing me off.
And that's not on you. Just as a drag queen as a gay
person. It's a queer person.
It's like, come on now, are we? We're literally in the stone
ages, you know? I feel like we're going to be in
the Stone ages. Which will also ask me because I
think this is such such an important time that we're it's
(41:37):
an important time right now because we do need to talk about
the impact that these laws have had on the community itself as a
whole, but also. I don't want to stay there.
I don't want to stay in that deficit too, like for me.
I also want to like as a person who also supports the drag the
trans community. I want to also share or to hear
(42:02):
the voices of those who believe in the abundance of the
community and. It's so one of the questions
that that stick out to me is like what are the best things
about being dragged for you thatpeople may not know about and
what does the future drag look like to you?
And that's the thing too, you know, I sometimes have the
question that myself like I needto remind myself why I even do
(42:26):
drag in the 1st place. Like drag.
I will always love drag, whetherthe money is there or not.
Drag is my artistic outlet. It makes me happy.
It seems so goddamn happy to do drag.
Like my favorite thing about drag is conceptualizing a look
and bringing it to life. You know, I I don't think
there's anything more powerful than seeing a vision of yourself
(42:51):
and turning into reality. And that's kind of what we kind
of talked about, right? Like as adults, we are kind of
making up for all the things we didn't get to do as adolescents
as kids. You know, I my own the Barbie
doll. I'm my own Bob, Maggie Barbie
doll. Like, I I like, I just there's
nothing more exciting to me thanpulling together a drag look
(43:11):
head to toe. Like I'm telling you, I am a
artist, I'm a creator. And you know, it was.
And I have to remind myself thatthat like I will continue doing
drag, I will continue producing arts and you know whether
companies are going to brands are going to continue supporting
(43:32):
us or not that's not going to stop me from doing it.
You know that's why I got that'swhat you got to remember a drag
has always been about protests and you know my whole look just
getting into drag, the wigs, theheels, the pads.
That is a protest that's a performance right there that
every that is gender performance.
And you know I I think that whether this whole drag band is
(44:00):
drag talk, whatever it's going to roll over or not hopefully it
does. We're still going to be here.
We're not going anywhere. You know trans people, gay
people, the queer people, we have existed millions of years
okay like we ain't going anywhere.
We're going to still going to beon your TV screens, the movie
screens. You can't get rid of us no
matter how hard you try And that's The funny thing too.
(44:23):
It's like all these people are putting so much energy into anti
drag laws, anti trans laws, whenthey could be doing something
else, you know? Like why can't we just find a
cure for cancer, find housing for homeless people?
Like, there's so much more things we could put our energy
and time and money into. Why do you care if I put on a
fucking wig on? You know, like make it make
(44:45):
sense. Thank you for amplifying this
and for amplifying this important work that you and your
colleagues are doing and, you know, drag.
It's a it's also grassroots too.You know it it starts from the
people who, the audiences that come in to support the community
(45:06):
that are queer themselves or trans or nonbinary.
And for them it's like drag is aplace of joy.
It's a place of safeness, it's aplace of celebration.
And so I love what you're sayingin this because.
You can try to kill as much joy as you can, but you can't
(45:27):
completely destroy it. You just can't.
And I'm glad that this is the kind of conversation that we
need to have, that that our communities are not going to be
tied to victim, to tied. They're not going to be tied to
being victims. You're only going to amplify
their strengths and their potential.
(45:48):
And I can't wait to see what comes of it.
Because, because. The future is drug, the future
is queer and and the future is trans.
So one of your inspirations I want to talk about is legendary
fashion designer Bob Mackie, whofamously designed for Cher and
Tina Turner, who's a favorite ofmine.
(46:09):
God bless her. So I am such a Tina Turner fan.
Why is he such an influence in your work?
You know what I thought about that?
I think it's because you ever watched Parents By Night growing
up with your parents. A long time ago, yes, of course.
You know, and like, I just, you know, they were basically, it
(46:30):
was like a Vegas showcase, kind of right.
Like it was a variety show. There were all these glamorous
costumes and I was always drawn to that and loved watching it
with my parents. And I think that that level of
glamour was what drew me to Bob Matthews Designs like he speaks
about language, you know, like and let me just say yes, Bob
(46:53):
Maggie has been around for decades.
Drag Queens have been inspired for him, like for decades.
Me loving him and whatnot is nothing new.
But when I started drag and whenI bought my first real dress, it
was a Bob Mackey. And I was was like, oh, who is
Bob Mackey? And you know, I just did a lot
(47:14):
of my own research on him and I just knew that like, if style
his aside is what I want to be, you know, that's that's who
Camora Hall wants to be. She wants to be a Mackey woman.
She wants to be glamorous, luxurious.
She wants everything that Paul has never had as a kid growing
up. You know, she drips in luxury
when in reality I'm dripping in student debt.
(47:35):
And so, you know, drag is all about fantasy.
And I live my fantasy through mytrack persona.
Yeah. And as we start to wrap things
up, what plans do you have coming up?
For the rest of this year, of course, you know I will right
now, because let me try to thinkbecause by the time this podcast
(47:57):
airs, I think it'll be over. But I am doing like a Barbie
show at Berlin next Friday, which I'm really excited.
I don't think they posted about it yet, but of course, you know,
they got a, they got a book, theBarb, the Bob Maggie Barbie
doll. So I'm really excited to be part
of that. Just I have a lot of projects in
art that I want to showcase in the next few months.
(48:20):
I've kind of been in this weird creative rut, but I'm like
pulling myself out of it. And like I said, I'm just
reminding myself why I even do drag in the 1st place.
You know, it brings me joy. And you know, I love producing
concept. I love making art.
I love showing people why my drag is at the level that it is.
I want to show people why I was casted on Drag Race, you know?
(48:41):
I want to show people why I'm still around, why I'm still
here, and so just stay tuned. Please follow me in all my
socials at Compmore Hall and I'mjust so excited to show you what
I have in store. And you know what?
And also like part of it too is I'm the type of person is very
like, I just want to see what happens next, you know?
(49:05):
I want to see what's what's going to come my way.
I believe everything happens fora reason.
That is wonderful and I'm so glad to.
Witness your journey to in your growth and and also being able
to hear you talk so, so can you say being so cerebral about your
(49:29):
plans and also how you want yourart to look like.
And I think it's really wonderful.
And I want to ask you one last question.
So if you can talk to your. Gets an age 15 year old self.
What would you say to that person?
OK, RuPaul, all right. I feel like I should pull up a
(49:52):
picture of myself when I was 15.So that's not, you know, it's a
hard question, you know, I I just, I can just like picture
myself right now when I was 15. Just very sad and not sure of
who I'm going to be, what I'm going to do, but sorry, this
(50:14):
sounds kind of generic, but you know, I would just tell 15 year
old Paul that you know, everything's going to be okay,
things are going to work out. Just follow your heart.
You're an artist at heart. Follow your craft.
Don't care what people think about you.
You're going to find success in your own way.
Mara, I want to say thank you somuch for this lively
(50:34):
conversation. I'm.
Just really wowed by you know, your story about your ambitions,
your your sassiness. I mean you bring so much of it
together and I'm just so proud to get to have gotten to know
you this past month and to see to help.
(50:58):
I mean, not not to help but liketo can't think of the right.
I'm kind of mumbling here, but but you know.
To bring your full self in and also you know just it's a it's
it's an honor just to be a witness to to you and to the
work that you're doing. And I really hope that many
(51:19):
people in our community get to hear about the joys of being
being in drag and also to support drag artists and to
support the L, GB, TQ community,especially in the intersectional
with an intersectional lens and.So I can't thank you enough for
being on my show and I wish you so much the best of joy and
(51:41):
abundance. Thank you so much Randy for
having me. It was an honor.
And actually one more thing I would say to my 15 year old
self. Do your makeup faster.
Awesome. Thank you.
Well, that is a wrap for today. And I want to say thank you so
(52:03):
much for listening to my guest and for this episode.
So be sure to check out previousepisodes that you might have
missed. And to stay tuned, check out my
Instagram at Bunmi, which is BANHMI under score Chronicles.
Or you can just type into my Facebook page at The Bunmi
(52:25):
Chronicles or on Twitter at MI. Under score Chronicles and also
before you leave, make sure thatyou send a 5 star review on
Apple Podcasts and be sure to check out for any new episodes.
Thank you so much and again havea wonderful day.
Welcome to the Bunmi Chronicles Podcast.
This is Randy Kemp, host and creator of the podcast.
I welcome you to my final seasonof the show with the theme
titled Finishing the Crumbs. As I am officially wrapping up
this year for good. I hope you enjoy the episodes
for the season. Happy listening everybody.
(00:26):
Hi everyone. This is Randy Kim of the Fund Me
Chronicles podcast and I am heretoday with a friend.
Her name is Kimora Ha. So who is she?
So Kimora is a Chicago native and drag artist of over 10
years, known for her fashion, beauty and glamour.
She competed on RuPaul's Drag Race Season 13 and was featured
in Disney's Hocus Pokes 2. Since then, Kimora has been an
(00:48):
advocate for many social issues,a model and brand influencer.
So we met at a party celebratingthe Asia and Argyle Chicago
neighborhood that was organized by Celebrate Argyle back in
June. So shout out to Sunny Wynn.
I didn't realize I was sitting next to you until you introduce
yourself as Camorra Hall. And yeah, and you didn't have
(01:11):
your drag wear on at the time, but I, you know, I wanted to
share how down to earth you are and how special it was for us to
be in that community space. For me, the Asian Argyle
neighborhood holds a special place in my heart as a
Vietnamese Kamai American. And it is a place where our
families would buy their groceries, take their kids for
their immunizations or to get their hair cut.
(01:35):
Yeah. So what does Asia and Argyle
mean to you? Hey Randy, thanks for having me.
It's my first official podcast, so thanks for popping that
cherry. You know, I'm also very happy we
got to meet at the Celebrate Argyle.
Events. But anyway, to answer your
question, you know, kind of everything you just said, like
(01:55):
Asia and Argyle to me means childhood.
It brings nostalgia, it's great memories.
And you know, you take those things for granted as a kid
because you don't like, you know, you don't think about it.
But as you get older, you look back on it and was like, wow,
this was such a very like happy time, very simpler time.
(02:15):
I just, you know, I did not growup in Argyle, but I grew up
going to Argyle and I just remember every Saturday after
church my parents would take me to the Pho restaurant next to
Dinam, but I think it's no longer there.
But that was like the only reason why I would go to church
was to get some like bomb ass pho afterwards.
(02:39):
Yeah, you know, like you I I didn't grow up in Argyle, but I
went there quite a bit with my family, like every weekend.
And I used to hate going there because it was a long drive from
the suburbs. My dad would spend, I don't
know, an infinite amount of timetrying to find parking, which
(03:00):
was always an event in itself. And you know it, it brings back
a lot of great memories. And how do you feel about Asian
Argyle now after all these years?
I just love coming back to it and kind of being like, I don't
want to say humbled, but it kindof brings me down to earth again
(03:21):
because I I feel like I I'm older now.
I've done a lot of things. And you know, for me, I I will
admit I didn't have the happiestkind of adolescence and whatnot,
but and so I try to get rid of all those memories as I got
older. But now that I'm in like a
(03:42):
better place my life as an adultand coming back to Argyle, I
actually have a different outlook on it.
And I I actually try to rememberall the positive things in my
childhood and analyst since whenI did come to Argyle and like
you said even even things like trying to find parking, waiting
20 minutes in the supermarket just for a spot.
(04:03):
So the. Same thing.
Yeah, exactly. Even like Sun Wah, you know, I
was so happy to see that. You know, I was, I was a son
while when it was a little shackand that was like, yeah, and now
it's elevated. I'm so happy for their success
And you know, even like for Rama, you know, never in my life
(04:24):
would I have imagined for Rama hosting a drag show.
And so shout out to Abby who runs.
Did someone drag along with Auntie Chan Little Tian love of
me and I think a few other people and.
You know, bringing LGBTQ representation to Argyle, which
(04:44):
to me, you know, growing up, I never would have thought they,
our guy, would have been so accepting of queer people.
And so it just puts a huge smileon my face that is that's such a
transformation to see that happen.
And you know, when we talk aboutthat period of time, there is
this growing appreciation. We're seeing people of our
(05:07):
generation come back to it. I mean look at how about yo and
what they're doing. Shout out to that group for
bringing it back, bringing the nostalgia back, but also doing
it in a way that is reflective of the times and done in our own
agency. So I'm proud of that community.
(05:27):
I'm actually, I'm so proud to have met you in that space
during that, during that event. So your parents are Vietnamese
and I'm curious to know what wastheir journey like coming to the
US and what led them to Chicago?Well, sure.
I also wanted to know I also want to act because you're like
(05:48):
you'd even recognize me at the event, which okay, because I've
always try to be very Incognito and it's funny like as a drag
queen. I actually hate attention and
that weird, right? Like, drag Queens are literally
the center of attention. But when I'm not actually, no,
Even when I'm in drag and out ofdrag, I like try to not have
(06:11):
everyone look at me. And it's funny the irony of that
when when I am in drag, I show up with like the most glamorous
dress and big ass hair. I'm like, oh, don't look at me,
don't pay attention to me. So yeah, I'm I'm very, I'm just
very shy. And that's just who I am.
I don't think it's a bad thing. It's just.
You know, I I also try to be very humble, like, yes, I was on
(06:31):
RuPaul's Drag Race, blah, blah. But, you know, at the end of the
day, I'm just, I'm just me, you know.
So I want to come to the event as just Paul, as myself.
And. But sorry, back to your
question. Yeah, my parents, they
immigrated to the United States,I believe in 1981 because that's
(06:52):
where they had my sister. My parents are actually not.
Fresh off the boat, They're actually fresh off the plane
somehow. My mom, because she was pregnant
with my sister at the time, so they flew here, but they gave my
parents first class because my mom was like, pregnant.
And so they flew here in luxury.So they made a great first step
(07:16):
into the United States. But anyway, yeah, they grew up
here in the 80s. They had my sister and my and
again, you don't really like appreciate.
What your parents had to go through until you're much older
and I try to you know think it back on it.
I'm trying to let go all that, like any resentment that I had
we'll get into it if you want. But as an as an adult now
(07:39):
though, I'm just, I'm in all my parents because I'm sure like
yours and many others, they camehere.
So the United States with like almost nothing, but they were
able to provide for a family. They worked really hard.
My parents raised three kids. You know, we're all, you know,
well to our adulthood now and successful in our own right.
(07:59):
And you know, and I had a conversation with like Dad for
his on his birthday and he said,you know, he's really proud of
all of us. He said, you know, I came here,
I worked hard. I raised three kids.
I can die happy. And so that makes.
Yeah, it makes. That was like that was an
(08:19):
emotional moment for me. Like I never My dad is very.
Quiet. He doesn't like to show much
emotion. And to hear him say that was
like, wow, that's beautiful to Sharon.
And also it's very validating tohear when your own family, your
own parents actually says that they're proud of you, that they
can actually let go of this struggle that they've been
(08:42):
carrying in for so long. Having to raise a family, having
to survive assimilation, having to, you know, process their own
traumas coming here, and I thinkit's such a beautiful moment
when they can actually let go and say, I can finally be at
peace, right? Yes, how?
(09:05):
And I'm glad you, and I'm glad you brought that up too.
Like, I was just the whole, I was just saying earlier, I felt
like I was letting go of any resentment or whatnot.
Like my parents also did too. And so thank you for bringing
that up. Like, didn't even think about
it, yeah, Which brings me to that.
Next question is, how would you describe your upbringing,
particularly at a time when you were discovering your own query
(09:25):
identity? Oh, sure.
You know, I always knew I was different.
I didn't know the word gay yet, but I feel like I knew even when
I was six years old, you know, Ijust.
I was different. I did.
I. I didn't want to be like the
other boys doing sports or whatnot.
(09:45):
I wanted to play with the Barbiedolls.
I wanted to hang out with all the girls.
I wanted to gossip and talk about the boys.
You know? I wanted to play dress up when
my parents were not home. When my sisters were at home, I
would literally put on their heels and dresses and like
practice my runway walk. No, for real.
And see, I didn't even know thatwas dragged back then.
(10:07):
See what's meant to be right, how things were going.
But but anyway. I want to say, but the first
time I knew that being gay was like a bad thing or had like a
bad connotation to it was I think I was like 8 or 9.
But for some reason I just always grew up thinking my nose
(10:28):
was really big. I was always very selfconscious
about my nose being wide. I don't know like how that
started, but and this is weird, I will say this is weird for
like a nine year old to say. 8-9year old and during like the
dinner table, literally eating food with my parents, my
sisters, and out of nowhere I was like, mom, I want a nose
(10:49):
job. I literally said I want a nose
job and my mom turned to me and said no, that's gay.
And that was the first time I ever heard I think the word gay
and gay used in like a negative way.
So I instantly knew that it was not OK and that.
(11:10):
Me having my my feelings, my my sexuality, my density.
I had to keep it to myself. Like if I said something, if I
said I was gay, if I came out, it would not go well for me.
And I just. And I think that's when I
started to really become distantwith my family because I used to
(11:32):
be so close to my mom and dad asa kid.
And then, like I would I, I remember I would like.
Be so excited to see them come home from work.
They would hug me, kind of show the same affection.
And then I think when I came to realization that, you know, I'm
gay and they're not going to be okay with it, that's when I
really start to kind of just hide in my room.
(11:55):
I wasn't as the bright kid. I remember being with my parents
and my sisters. So that wasn't a dark time for
me. And you know with I'm sure you
know too, like with. Asian families, we don't really
talk about mental health struggles.
We don't really talk about our feelings.
We just hold it in. And you know, I and I will
(12:18):
admit, I actually didn't even start going to therapy until
maybe, yeah, two years ago, 2 summers ago.
And I wish I did. I just felt like I would have
been so much happier even. Like, yeah, I just know I would
have been much happier. I did go to therapy sooner.
It's Thank you for sharing your journey into your childhood.
(12:40):
And I think about this a lot, too, because as I've gotten
older, I started reflecting moreabout my own clear identity as
an Asian American, as as a Vietnamese kami American, and
thinking about how gay was used as a negative connotation.
It was like there was this expectation of being a man and
(13:05):
how we were often punished if wewere not living up to that
expectation. And it's it's very traumatic
sometimes when we have to revisit those times when our
families weren't validating us, that were often questioning
(13:28):
whether we are normal and that what we want, what we desired
isn't normal. And that was very harmful.
I remembered, you know, growing up, I was a huge Madonna fan.
Shanna Jackson and Mariah Carey.Those were my I I think that's
the, that's the the the triple. I can't even think of the right
(13:50):
word today, but it's it's basically the triangle of
queerness, the way I look at it.And you know, my brother is also
engaged in homophobia. They were saying, well, that's
so gay, I can't believe you liked them.
And I did not have shame, but I felt like I was forced to have
shame into my into liking. I was forced to have shame.
(14:15):
And but I saw liking female pop stars, you know hanging out with
women hanging out with girlfriends, you know, was
something that I preferred to do.
And it's it's hard because because if it feels like you had
(14:36):
to hold yourself back for I don't know how many years until
you until you get to a point where I've had enough, I deserve
to fulfill those desires. And I feel like in some ways a
lot of our own clear community members, especially in our own
community. It feels like our adolescence
was delayed in some ways becausewe took us so long for us to to
(14:58):
reach our to reach our potential, to fulfill our
desires. I remember someone on Twitter
said it best. Like as queer people, we grow up
as a version of ourselves that we are not happy with or we we
we don't. We don't really grow up to be
ourselves. And you know, we don't get to
(15:18):
have those opportunities of likesummer parties and listening to
music we want to listen to and just really being ourselves and
actually question for you, what's your favorite Janet
Jackson song? Great question.
I probably who will have to go with and I know this changes
every week throb. The Rob Throb, yes, from the 19.
(15:42):
90s throb Yes, yes. I love that song so much.
I have to say I am not familiar with it, but I need to listen to
it. I do love Janet as well.
I'm not a huge fan like you are,but my favorite song is Escapade
Is That's another one too. That's.
Another one. Good.
I love that Janet when she was here.
(16:03):
Yes, I did. And guess what?
I got to meet her in person. Hey, as you should, you know.
I mean, all the legendary Divas are coming back on tour.
This might be the last go, so I would too.
I mean, I hope not for janet's sake, but I can also.
See her getting older and also wanting to take care of her son.
But yeah, I mean it was such a magical dream.
(16:25):
Can shoot, but it's also feels like I'm telling my old 12 year
old struggling teen self that life is going to be a lot of
fun. Along the way, you are going to
meet the woman of your dreams, you know.
Literally, not someone I'm goingto marry.
Like, literally. But like an idol.
(16:45):
So yeah, I I I felt like I was doing these things to nurture my
young self that that was unhappy.
Right. So.
That's that's so true. You have such a good point.
Like, we're as adults now, we'redoing all the things that we
miss out on as kids, as adolescents.
Those, you know, those activities that like, I guess,
(17:05):
you know, straight people can do, like, really not to worry
about anything, I guess, right. I was gonna ask you, like, I
think this is something that I'malways very curious about too.
But what were some, what were some of your personal
experiences that led you into drag performance?
And what was it about drag that created a spark for you?
(17:26):
You know, like I mentioned earlier.
I always wore my mom's clothes, my sister's clothes when they
weren't home walking in their heels.
So it's like I was doing drag before I even knew what drag
was, you know? And but I remember the exact
moment I I think I was in. Yeah, it was like freshman year
of college. I think I just came home from
(17:48):
class and my sister Lisa was watching season one of Ru Paul's
Drag Race. So this.
Yeah. So this was like 2009.
So. I I just remember, like, I could
hear her laugh, you know, I didn't know what she was
laughing at. So I joined her in her room and
I was like, what's this? And she's like, I don't know,
(18:08):
it's called Ru Paul's Drag Race.And that was the moment I was
first, I guess, exposed to drag and I was hooked.
And then I went to Loyola University and later on I found
out that every year the LGBT. Resource group at Loyola.
(18:29):
They hold a student and professional drag show, and so
of course I was like, okay, thisis my chance, so go to my first
drag show. That's where I saw my eventual
drag mother. Rest in peace, Lady Taj Mahal,
who also performed with Dita Ritz, Kelly, Lauren and I just
remember telling myself that if I ever wanted to do drag, I want
(18:52):
to be just like her. Taj Mahal.
Curious to know what were you able to do other work besides
being a drag guards as you were you know working through working
through the drag scene I. Was like what what my other
occupations were, right, exactly.
(19:13):
Well, I mean, I worked at Victoria's Secret for a long
time, actually. No.
Yeah. So how?
I don't know how my parents didn't know I was gay.
I think they're they're in huge.No, literally.
They were like, in huge denial. It was crazy.
And, oh, here's the thing too. I will get to it.
But I just remember, like, even as I got older and I was trying
(19:34):
to make it very like a parent that I'm gay or very flamboyant,
I would still like, walk into myparents And then them having
conversations like, oh, you know, I wonder like who he's
going to marry. He's going to need a woman to
cook for him and like, knows howto clean.
I was just like, are you seriousright now?
Like, are we still having this conversation?
Like that's to me to show that they're.
(19:56):
Either in denial or the really thought that acts like straight.
It just was flamboyant. But anyway, yeah, I worked at
Victoria's Secret during my college years.
I bought a lot of my undergarments there for drag.
So thank you Victoria's Secret. Old Orchard.
But actually, and so my first job out of college.
(20:18):
So I studied sociology, Social science research specifically.
And my first I guess like quote UN quote real job out of college
was for this social science institute.
It's located in river N Old Townand I I was hired on as a
research assistant and then I became like a senior research
coordinator and helping with allthe research projects.
(20:41):
Clinical trials helped all aspects of like recruitment,
writing papers, help with grants, what not and actually
still work that job to this day,even after Drag Race and all
that. I just really enjoy the work
that we do. I've always enjoyed helping
people and even though, you know, conducting research, we're
(21:05):
not like directly helping, we'reindirectly helping the bigger
picture. And we mostly focus on people
who have mental health issues, substance use disorders, high
risk of HIV, you know, people, you know, disadvantaged
communities. And so I just felt Network team
was very fulfilling and I've worked at this place for nine
(21:26):
years now and they were always very supportive of me doing
drag, even when I had to leave for Drag Race, when I came back
from Drag Race. And so yeah, they're my family
and I still work there till thisday and I'm very proud of it.
That is awesome. And you know, you talked about
how your parents. Were in denial of your own
queerness for such a long periodof time.
(21:47):
Oh my God. How, yeah, I wonder, how did
your family react to you wantingto get into drag?
Because there's a difference. There's, there's queerness, but
then there's drag, there's transand you know.
That's a whole other layer to contend with, So I'm curious as
to what that conversation must have been like.
(22:09):
Oh, let me tell you. OK, all right, we have a perfect
time. So, OK, let's rewind.
So this was so I was when I was,I started dragging college,
right. I was also living at home at
this time. And so I would literally hide
all my wigs and makeup in my closet.
And you know, of course parents are going to Snoop, you know,
(22:31):
and my parents are were very overprotective of me.
They babied me for a very long time.
And so there was one day where I, like, came home, I think from
work. I think I was like, how old was
I? I must have been like 22/21/22.
So I was like junior senior yearanyway.
(22:52):
And then like, my parents were literally, actually, it was my
dad that first confronted me about it.
So I came home. He was literally sitting in my
bed and literally, like, my closet door was open, my wigs
were out, the makeup was out. And then I was like, oh, shit,
like, we're going to have this conversation, you know?
(23:15):
And so I just remember sitting down in my bed next to my dad
and surprisingly, my dad took ita lot better than my mom.
And so but he told he straight up said, like, are you gay?
I'm like, like, yeah, I am. And so, you know, my dad also
asked me, like, do you want to be a woman?
I'm like, no, Like, this is justfor fun.
(23:37):
And, you know, I don't really know how to explain drag to my
parents. My Vietnamese is only so good.
But I have to explain to them that, you know, this was just
for fun. It's like a costume.
And so I realized later on that,like, my dad was more worried
about me and more scared about me.
He literally, his words were, you know, I don't want you to
(24:00):
get sick. And, you know, I didn't really
realize what he meant until, like, a few years ago because my
parents, they immigrated here inthe 80s.
You know, the only the only knowledge they had of gay people
was AIDS, you know, the 80, the the AIDS crisis of the 80s and
the 90s. And so it all made sense to me.
(24:21):
Why he said that? Because I didn't understand at
the time. And, you know, my dad was just
scared for me. And, you know, they, they were
not very educated on HIV, AIDS and gay people.
And so, you know, I think that'swhy my mom was really worried
too. But my mom was, she took it
really hard. Like it was really difficult for
(24:43):
my mom. She actually didn't talk to me
for like a week or two. And actually, I forgot to say
this, Actually, my mom actually asked my sister.
So my oldest sister, Cammy, she was actually the first person I
ever came out to. She was very accepting of me.
She, she was my best friend growing up.
She still is my my, still one ofmy best friends today.
And so my mom actually asked herif I were gay.
(25:06):
And my sister didn't feel comfortable being the one to
have to tell her. So that's not for her to say.
But, you know, she like, was just like, you gotta ask him,
you know? And so I think my mom just
didn't really want to have that conversation, even though she
knew. But then randomly, like, so I've
been not talking to me for like a week or two.
(25:28):
One day I came home, my parents were just kind of sitting by the
door and things were kind of like, quote, UN quote normal,
You know, just like, hey, are you hungry?
I'm like, no, fine, you know? And like, that was it.
And so I think my parents just didn't really know how to
acknowledge it except to kind ofsweep it under the rug.
(25:50):
Because even after coming out tothem at 22 or so, it still was
kind of like an issue, you know?Like, they didn't really
acknowledge that they know I'm gay, but they didn't really
acknowledge I'm gay. That makes sense.
Like they didn't really want to face it still come to an
acceptance. And even when I I'm with my long
(26:12):
term boyfriend and brought him around, he was still just like
the friend, you know. But I'm 31 now and that was what
nine years have passed. Yeah, almost a decade and so.
And just recently I want to say a year or two.
I think they're finally, finallyOK or accepting of me being who
(26:36):
I am because a few things. So my mom actually considers me
as one of the girls. So literally, yeah, that's
great. Like, it's so funny.
It's so my, I don't really, thisis just like the gist of the
conversation. But my sister was like, yeah,
like, you know, you have, you have 3 granddaughters.
(26:59):
You have another granddaughter on the way.
And my mom was like, yeah. And I have three daughters, too.
And I was just like, I know she that was just her way of being,
except being accepting. And even when I, like, asked if
I could bring my boyfriend around to a family event, she's
like, yeah, of course he can come.
He's your boyfriend, you know. He says she said, yeah, of
(27:20):
course he's your Bong Jai, you know?
Yeah, Bong Jai, which is a boyfriend of Vietnamese instead
of not just a friend anymore. So that was her way of saying to
me, like, you know, I accept you, I love you.
And also with my dad, I brought it up earlier, but I think for
him, another turning point was actually was his brother's
(27:43):
funeral, my uncle's funeral. I just remember I sat next to
him and he really, like, kind ofopened up to me and said, you
know, I just want you to be happy, live your life.
You know, you're an adult now. I can't tell you what to do.
And sorry not to like kind of goall over the map.
But when I had to leave for DragRace, I had to tell my parents,
(28:07):
you know, I couldn't just, like,leave the face of the Earth.
And that's where I was going. So I had to tell my parents I'm
filming a TV show where I have to dress up as a woman.
You know, it's it's it's like I'm being like an actor,
basically. That's how I explained it to
them in a way that they can understand.
And my dad said the same thing. You know, he was like, you know,
I can't tell you what to do. You're an adult, just be safe.
(28:29):
And so I just feel like we're ata good point in our life and
that's when I started to finallyheal from that trauma.
That's beautiful. And I'm so glad that your
parents were also, you know, supportive of you going on to
RuPaul's Drag Race. And I gotta say, how did they
react to? You achieving that fame,
(28:51):
especially as a drag artist, I Iwonder if that must have been
spellbounding for them. You know what?
I wish that were the case. Because they're just, they're
just so out of touch because they don't watch TV.
You know, they just, they just discovered Facebook and you know
they they don't they don't know what I I've tried to explain to
them. I've even told them that I'm
(29:11):
going to be in a Disney movie and my mom's like okay, but how
much money are you making now it?
Never ends. Yeah, it never ends.
So my brotherinlaw, actually, you know, he made a joke a few
years back. But it's so true.
It's like, you know, at the end of the day, they don't care
you're gay. They just care if you're poor or
(29:32):
not. You know, like it's like we
didn't travel to this country, you know, 40 something years ago
just for you to be like, you know, not living to your full
potential. And so no, like they, I mean
it's in the best way. Like they don't care.
Like they're they're happy that I'm doing what I what I'm doing,
(29:54):
but it's just, but it's just like they're not like they don't
care, you know, They're happy for me.
Like I'm doing what I want to do.
They're like okay, whatever. And so actually when I, when I
told them I was going to do thisshow, they actually thought it
was a scam. They thought that I was going to
get kidnapped in LA, which is kind of true.
They kind of did kidnap me and like put me in a a van, an
(30:15):
undisclosed van and drove me to set.
But but yeah, they like, it sounds bad, but like they don't
care, but in like a good way, you know, like they don't.
You got what I'm saying? It's hard to, yeah.
It's hard to explain. Yeah, I'm curious to know.
I'm pretty sure audiences definitely want to know is what
is behind the name Camorra Hall?Oh my God.
(30:37):
So actually my first drag name was actually a Yoko Tsunami.
I have no fucking clue why I bought him in Japanese.
I didn't. I just wanted something like
very Asian. And so when I debuted in
college, I was Yoko Tsunami. But when I started taking drag
seriously and started being mentored by my drag mother, Taj
(31:00):
Mahal, she was like, First things first.
You need to get rid of that name.
You need something more serious.And so, but so actually my
friend at the time, Nikko shoutsmy bestie Nikko, he was like,
well what about the name Kimora?And you know at the time Kimora
Lee Simmons was really popular. She had a very Asian sounding
name. But I wanted to spell it like
(31:21):
differently since like stand out.
And you know, I couldn't find any drag queen, any person named
Cut Mora and spell the way I spell it the way I do.
So, you know, I felt like it waskind of like quote, UN quote
original. And I I brought it to my drag
mother, asked her her opinion. How do you, what do you think of
the name caught Maura Hall And she said she loved it.
(31:42):
It had a nice ring to it And so I just, it just stuck, you know,
it sounds kind of classy, elegant, little exotic, Asian.
So it's perfect. For Rupa's Drag Race, I know
everyone has seen your appearance on it, and how did
you feel about the aftermath of it?
Because I know that. I've I've watched them
interviews of you. I know that you've had some
(32:03):
regrets to it, but the way it was done, but a lot of us that
saw it also saw that you were very beautiful and very elegant.
And I I'm very curious because Iknow that the world drag can be
very brutal. It's absolutely and especially
as like one of the few which I would talk about later on as as
(32:26):
one of the few Asian Americans, I feel like.
There's got to be this pressure to to succeed and it's still,
even though it may not be in theSTEM field, but it's still
competition that we are so conditioned to have to perform
well and and and and especially in the world of drag that you
(32:47):
were, you know, that you were vying for.
Absolutely. You know, it's it's funny
because I thought, like, I was physically prepared for the show
in terms of, like things, but mentally, emotionally, I was
not. And I was not in a good
headspace filming. And I'm not gonna lie to you,
you know, going home first sucks.
(33:09):
Like, it sucks. And especially when you know you
have so many people rooting for you at home.
Like not just your your family, your friends, you feel like you
need to represent the entire Asian community.
It's Chicago, the world. And I didn't know if I was going
to be the only Asian one on the cast that I was.
And so I felt even more pressure.
(33:31):
And but you know what? I've kind of let that all go.
Yes. Coming back home from the show
when it aired and everything, I was really sad about it.
I was even bitter about it. But you know, at the end of the
day, you know, I did it. I'm really proud of myself.
I don't have to wonder what if anymore, you know, Like, sure,
(33:55):
it had turned out the way I wanted to, but I fucking did it.
And you know, and that's when I realized, like, I can't be
bitter about it because, you know, I got what I wanted from
the show. Honestly, I got the platform,
the name. I've had so many opportunities
because just because I was on RuPaul's drag races, like, you
know, there's nothing to be upset about and you know, going
(34:17):
home first, yeah, it does suck. But I bet you there's so many
other drag Queens would have loved to be in my position even
if I'm then going home first. So it's like don't be bitter,
just be grateful and happy. And I'm so fortunate for all the
success that I have gotten despite going home 1st.
(34:37):
And you know, you know what, I think it's just that age of
mentality of like just work hard, you know, to keep working
hard no matter where you place in life.
You just be good at it, just do your best, find your niche, work
on it and be successful. And so, you know, for me, I just
really, you know, I will say like even as a drag queen, you
(34:59):
know, you when you think of a drag queen, you think of like
the club, the bar, performing, performing and performing is not
my strongest. Yeah, RuPaul's Drag Race.
But you know, like some Queens get their life on stage.
I get my life in front of a camera.
You know, like I like doing photo shoots.
I like, I like being more of like a a constant creator
(35:21):
digital artist. And I found, I found my success
there and I have a lot of fun being like a model brand
ambassador, I guess like a drag influencer as you can say.
And yeah, I just, I have all these amazing opportunities that
are kind of in that in that medium.
And so I just kind of stuck withit post Drag Race.
(35:42):
And I'm just, I'm just not bitter, you know, I'm so
grateful for RuPaul's Drag Race and even coming back on season
14 for that guest appearance. I don't know if you watched it
or not. You know, that kind of felt like
my redemption episode. That felt like my All Stars run
wrapped in 40 minutes. If you haven't seen it yet, go
watch it. But I had a lot of fun coming
(36:05):
back. It's amazing how fun things can
be when there's no pressure of competition, huh?
Indeed. And as a Vietnamese American,
what was it like navigating the drag space, especially when
there are still fewer Asian Americans?
And in a way, you've touched this.
You touched upon this earlier, but how does that impact the
work that you do as a drag artist?
(36:27):
Of course, you know, I I just kind of felt like because we
have such a huge platform, we really gotta use it to kind of
uplift others. And this was during, especially
during the time when we felt, when I came back from filming
and even when it aired, we were still in the time of stoppage
and hate, you know, the racism against our community, you know,
(36:50):
Asians. And just it was astounding to
me. I never experienced that before
and I just really wanted to use my platform to really spread
that message across. I really want to do something
special with all of my Asian drag sisters here in Chicago.
We did a photo shoot for. It was actually for the yellow
runway. And, you know, I know yellow has
(37:13):
been used in a discriminatory way.
But like, for me, like, I love the color yellow.
You know, I think yellow is so beautiful.
And, you know, if you want to call me yellow, call me yellow.
I think yellow is such a beautiful color.
I'm proud of it. I'm like reclaiming it in a way,
(37:34):
you know. So part of doing that photo
shoot, that project with them was kind of reclaiming the word
yellow and showing like the beauty of it.
And that, you know, people always kind of group us Asians
together right as as one. But I want to show that we're
all different shades. We all have our own stories, our
own experiences, our own journey.
And, you know, I tried to even though, even though I didn't
(37:58):
have to show, show all of them. But I did try to incorporate,
you know, my Asian heritage, my Vietnamese heritage in my runway
package. And to show like, hey, we did it
like just like it's not just me that made it to this platform,
we all did. You know, like when one of us
shines, we all shine. So I just really wanted to
uplift the Chicago Asian drag community, all Asians
(38:21):
everywhere, as best as them could.
Even if that you know, even though I went home first, you
know that doesn't mean that I can't stop and I can't uplift
others. You know in brief times.
There's been many anti queer in trans laws that have heard the
LGBTQ community along with the drag bands like Tennessee for
(38:42):
example. What can you share about the
effect that it has on you and your community this year?
Absolutely. It's funny because when I first,
when I first heard about that, you know, like people calling us
groomers, pedophiles, you know, talks of a drag band, we're like
it's not going to happen. You know, like like no one's
(39:04):
going to take this seriously. And then then it did.
You know, and I I can't say specifically, but you know, I
had a lot of, you know, opportunities with major brands
and corporations about, you know, pride things or like drag
center content. And you know, they fell through,
(39:27):
You know, they kind of like ghosted me.
It didn't pan out. And they know I was really like
confused and somewhat like hurt by it because it's like in the
past these companies have stuck by the queer community, the gay
community, drag artists and had no problems showing support
years ago. But like, why now?
You know, why now? Are you back in a way?
Like, where were you? You know, like when we, I know
(39:49):
we kind of make fun of corporations for like rainbow
washing and just slapping on a rainbow.
But it was really disturbing to see the lack of companies and
corporations not showing their support.
You know, and you just really, you know, how do I say this?
It's like drag has never really been about money, but you know,
(40:13):
it's nice, right, To be paid forwhat you want to do.
But it's just, it just really baffled me how all these
exciting opportunities that I thought I had coming my way,
just kind of. Fell through.
Didn't happen because of this conversation around drag Queens,
the queer community, trans people.
(40:35):
And don't get me wrong, I'm so grateful for the opportunities
and the partnership that I've had during Pride and shout out
to the companies that had that continue to stick for the
community. But yeah, like, not just me, but
my drag sisters who do love performing and what not.
Like a lot of them, I've lost a lot of gigs just because of this
(40:56):
fucked up you know conversation about drag Queens and like, we
look at the statistics. You know, you know it.
I know it. They know it.
Like most people who are majority of recorded pedophiles
were not are not drag Queens. Show me a drag queen that has
caused harm to children. You know, like, I just sorry,
(41:17):
talking about this, just really pissing me off.
And that's not on you. Just as a drag queen as a gay
person. It's a queer person.
It's like, come on now, are we? We're literally in the stone
ages, you know? I feel like we're going to be in
the Stone ages. Which will also ask me because I
think this is such such an important time that we're it's
(41:37):
an important time right now because we do need to talk about
the impact that these laws have had on the community itself as a
whole, but also. I don't want to stay there.
I don't want to stay in that deficit too, like for me.
I also want to like as a person who also supports the drag the
trans community. I want to also share or to hear
(42:02):
the voices of those who believe in the abundance of the
community and. It's so one of the questions
that that stick out to me is like what are the best things
about being dragged for you thatpeople may not know about and
what does the future drag look like to you?
And that's the thing too, you know, I sometimes have the
question that myself like I needto remind myself why I even do
(42:26):
drag in the 1st place. Like drag.
I will always love drag, whetherthe money is there or not.
Drag is my artistic outlet. It makes me happy.
It seems so goddamn happy to do drag.
Like my favorite thing about drag is conceptualizing a look
and bringing it to life. You know, I I don't think
there's anything more powerful than seeing a vision of yourself
(42:51):
and turning into reality. And that's kind of what we kind
of talked about, right? Like as adults, we are kind of
making up for all the things we didn't get to do as adolescents
as kids. You know, I my own the Barbie
doll. I'm my own Bob, Maggie Barbie
doll. Like, I I like, I just there's
nothing more exciting to me thanpulling together a drag look
(43:11):
head to toe. Like I'm telling you, I am a
artist, I'm a creator. And you know, it was.
And I have to remind myself thatthat like I will continue doing
drag, I will continue producing arts and you know whether
companies are going to brands are going to continue supporting
(43:32):
us or not that's not going to stop me from doing it.
You know that's why I got that'swhat you got to remember a drag
has always been about protests and you know my whole look just
getting into drag, the wigs, theheels, the pads.
That is a protest that's a performance right there that
every that is gender performance.
And you know I I think that whether this whole drag band is
(44:00):
drag talk, whatever it's going to roll over or not hopefully it
does. We're still going to be here.
We're not going anywhere. You know trans people, gay
people, the queer people, we have existed millions of years
okay like we ain't going anywhere.
We're going to still going to beon your TV screens, the movie
screens. You can't get rid of us no
matter how hard you try And that's The funny thing too.
(44:23):
It's like all these people are putting so much energy into anti
drag laws, anti trans laws, whenthey could be doing something
else, you know? Like why can't we just find a
cure for cancer, find housing for homeless people?
Like, there's so much more things we could put our energy
and time and money into. Why do you care if I put on a
fucking wig on? You know, like make it make
(44:45):
sense. Thank you for amplifying this
and for amplifying this important work that you and your
colleagues are doing and, you know, drag.
It's a it's also grassroots too.You know it it starts from the
people who, the audiences that come in to support the community
(45:06):
that are queer themselves or trans or nonbinary.
And for them it's like drag is aplace of joy.
It's a place of safeness, it's aplace of celebration.
And so I love what you're sayingin this because.
You can try to kill as much joy as you can, but you can't
(45:27):
completely destroy it. You just can't.
And I'm glad that this is the kind of conversation that we
need to have, that that our communities are not going to be
tied to victim, to tied. They're not going to be tied to
being victims. You're only going to amplify
their strengths and their potential.
(45:48):
And I can't wait to see what comes of it.
Because, because. The future is drug, the future
is queer and and the future is trans.
So one of your inspirations I want to talk about is legendary
fashion designer Bob Mackie, whofamously designed for Cher and
Tina Turner, who's a favorite ofmine.
(46:09):
God bless her. So I am such a Tina Turner fan.
Why is he such an influence in your work?
You know what I thought about that?
I think it's because you ever watched Parents By Night growing
up with your parents. A long time ago, yes, of course.
You know, and like, I just, you know, they were basically, it
(46:30):
was like a Vegas showcase, kind of right.
Like it was a variety show. There were all these glamorous
costumes and I was always drawn to that and loved watching it
with my parents. And I think that that level of
glamour was what drew me to Bob Matthews Designs like he speaks
about language, you know, like and let me just say yes, Bob
(46:53):
Maggie has been around for decades.
Drag Queens have been inspired for him, like for decades.
Me loving him and whatnot is nothing new.
But when I started drag and whenI bought my first real dress, it
was a Bob Mackey. And I was was like, oh, who is
Bob Mackey? And you know, I just did a lot
(47:14):
of my own research on him and I just knew that like, if style
his aside is what I want to be, you know, that's that's who
Camora Hall wants to be. She wants to be a Mackey woman.
She wants to be glamorous, luxurious.
She wants everything that Paul has never had as a kid growing
up. You know, she drips in luxury
when in reality I'm dripping in student debt.
(47:35):
And so, you know, drag is all about fantasy.
And I live my fantasy through mytrack persona.
Yeah. And as we start to wrap things
up, what plans do you have coming up?
For the rest of this year, of course, you know I will right
now, because let me try to thinkbecause by the time this podcast
(47:57):
airs, I think it'll be over. But I am doing like a Barbie
show at Berlin next Friday, which I'm really excited.
I don't think they posted about it yet, but of course, you know,
they got a, they got a book, theBarb, the Bob Maggie Barbie
doll. So I'm really excited to be part
of that. Just I have a lot of projects in
art that I want to showcase in the next few months.
(48:20):
I've kind of been in this weird creative rut, but I'm like
pulling myself out of it. And like I said, I'm just
reminding myself why I even do drag in the 1st place.
You know, it brings me joy. And you know, I love producing
concept. I love making art.
I love showing people why my drag is at the level that it is.
I want to show people why I was casted on Drag Race, you know?
(48:41):
I want to show people why I'm still around, why I'm still
here, and so just stay tuned. Please follow me in all my
socials at Compmore Hall and I'mjust so excited to show you what
I have in store. And you know what?
And also like part of it too is I'm the type of person is very
like, I just want to see what happens next, you know?
(49:05):
I want to see what's what's going to come my way.
I believe everything happens fora reason.
That is wonderful and I'm so glad to.
Witness your journey to in your growth and and also being able
to hear you talk so, so can you say being so cerebral about your
(49:29):
plans and also how you want yourart to look like.
And I think it's really wonderful.
And I want to ask you one last question.
So if you can talk to your. Gets an age 15 year old self.
What would you say to that person?
OK, RuPaul, all right. I feel like I should pull up a
(49:52):
picture of myself when I was 15.So that's not, you know, it's a
hard question, you know, I I just, I can just like picture
myself right now when I was 15. Just very sad and not sure of
who I'm going to be, what I'm going to do, but sorry, this
(50:14):
sounds kind of generic, but you know, I would just tell 15 year
old Paul that you know, everything's going to be okay,
things are going to work out. Just follow your heart.
You're an artist at heart. Follow your craft.
Don't care what people think about you.
You're going to find success in your own way.
Mara, I want to say thank you somuch for this lively
(50:34):
conversation. I'm.
Just really wowed by you know, your story about your ambitions,
your your sassiness. I mean you bring so much of it
together and I'm just so proud to get to have gotten to know
you this past month and to see to help.
(50:58):
I mean, not not to help but liketo can't think of the right.
I'm kind of mumbling here, but but you know.
To bring your full self in and also you know just it's a it's
it's an honor just to be a witness to to you and to the
work that you're doing. And I really hope that many
(51:19):
people in our community get to hear about the joys of being
being in drag and also to support drag artists and to
support the L, GB, TQ community,especially in the intersectional
with an intersectional lens and.So I can't thank you enough for
being on my show and I wish you so much the best of joy and
(51:41):
abundance. Thank you so much Randy for
having me. It was an honor.
And actually one more thing I would say to my 15 year old
self. Do your makeup faster.
Awesome. Thank you.
Well, that is a wrap for today. And I want to say thank you so
(52:03):
much for listening to my guest and for this episode.
So be sure to check out previousepisodes that you might have
missed. And to stay tuned, check out my
Instagram at Bunmi, which is BANHMI under score Chronicles.
Or you can just type into my Facebook page at The Bunmi
(52:25):
Chronicles or on Twitter at MI. Under score Chronicles and also
before you leave, make sure thatyou send a 5 star review on
Apple Podcasts and be sure to check out for any new episodes.
Thank you so much and again havea wonderful day.
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