Homeless Teen Finds Purpose In the Art and Business of Drag
Image Courtesy of @therealkamamyl via Instagram
AUGUSTA, GA — While doom and gloom permeated the outside world in April 2020, then 19-year-old Elias Xavier found release in the solace of his bedroom. For the first time ever, he’d put on a dress and a wig that he bought with his federal stimulus check and with zero qualms uploaded a selfie onto his Instagram page with the caption: “C'mon quarantine, let's get sickeninngggggg!!” The comments below showered Xavier with praise. “[The post] responded really well with people. I was shocked. No makeup whatsoever — just a wig and a dress.”
Three years later, the drag persona Kamamyl Blacc has steadily made a name for herself in the Augusta drag scene, along with its neighboring counties. In an era where anti-drag bills have been introduced in at least fifteen states, one would assume that pursuing a career as a drag performer would be more headache than it’s worth for a 22-year-old. But artistic expression isn’t the only motivator for the star on the rise. “Sometimes I don’t get out of bed unless it’s for a check.”
Just a couple of months after Kamamyl as a drag act was realized, she was forced to leave home because her parents emotionally abused her. For almost three years now, she has lived in a hotel room — essentially homeless. Kamamyl aims to make being a drag performer a career path that can hopefully take her to a big city far from Augusta. Honing her makeup and performance skills and saving funds to invest in more tailored clothing will prepare her for national platforms like drag pageants or television shows like RuPaul’s Drag Race.“I need to make sure I have all my ducks in a row before auditioning.”
Kamamyl Blacc may be young in age and with few performing years under her belt (what’s referred to as a “baby queen”), but she performs classic ballads by Phyllis Hymen and Barbara Streisand via lip-syncs and dons flapper dresses like someone with a much older spirit. “There were definitely situations where I had to make myself physically, mentally and emotionally alert of what’s going on around me,” the performer says. “I matured so fast.” Kamamyl’s reputation has made the rounds at the neighborhood gay bars and clubs in Augusta and its surrounding counties, primarily through the local “Drag Race” competitions where a queen’s fashion, lip syncs and talent abilities are judged by a panel of drag performers and experts. Though the highest she’s ranked is as a runner-up she hasn’t let that deter her, competing about 3 times every year without fail.
Drag is art and can be a way to make money, but it’s also innately political in our current climate for its performance and subversion of gender and gender stereotypes. Kamamyl made history in November 2021 by being part of the first group of drag performers to perform in Rabin County, GA. “Well what it means to me is…that’s a good question. I guess I never really thought about it,” she laughs. “I was just like, ‘Ok, cool. I’m getting my picture taken for a newspaper. That means I’m gonna be famous.’” Even in Kamamyl’s own Augusta county, there are drag queens but not many queens of color who are visible in the scene. “Even in [my local bars] people will come up to me and say, “Thank you for representing our community.” When asked if she’s ever afraid to perform in those rural, conservative areas, especially in the climate we’re in: “I guess I wasn’t really afraid. It was just like, ‘I wanna get paid,’” she says with a laugh.
Most drag queens join a “house,” typically that of the queen who put them in drag for the first time or fostered their performance skills. But ever the lone wolf, Kamamyl originated her own house: The Haus of Blacc Cherry. For a while it was a house of one, but Kamamyl recently adopted a drag child, the local Augusta queen Demi Happy Returns. “An amazing performer. We did several competitions together, which they beat me in.” Despite that, Demi gladly accepted Kamamyl as their drag mother, adding to Kamamyl’s reputation and legacy in the Augusta scene.
For a baby queen, Kamamyl has a few key accomplishments in her repertoire and she’s done it with very little support from family or friends. “Not to get melodramatic, but certain things that happen to people can make them statistics. And I’m kinda glad that I did not end up a statistic,” she says. “I’m still going through it, but it’s getting a lot better. Some days I don’t want to get out of bed, but I’m here.” She says with his bright smile. In her everyday life, she doesn’t use her familial surname anymore, by the way, as she’s currently in the process of legally dropping it and going by just Elias Xavier.
Kamamyl dreams of taking her act to bigger cities like New York or Atlanta. She’s currently working on original music to start performing along with her lip-syncs. “I have material for about 1-2 [original] songs right now.” When asked where she sees herself in 5 years: “Hopefully alive.” She pauses, but doesn’t laugh her usual laugh this time. “Hopefully I can get in the studio and start recording.” Her advice to anyone who’ll listen is: “Don’t be afraid to do things on your own. Don’t be scared of your own autonomy. You have to believe that the more you become reliant on yourself the universe will work with you, instead of against you.” Tonight, she’ll go back to her hotel room to work on her craft in solace.
