Inside Chicago's Drag King Scene

Chicago drag kings will be performing at the California Clipper tonight including Lu Mac-Williams, better known as Cosmo Dragón Fiero.

The Little Village native dressed up as Cosmo on his 21st birthday during quarantine, which later led him to discover the city’s drag scene.

What’s Chicago’s drag king community like?

“There's not as many drag kings as queens, but there's definitely a renaissance happening right now in Chicago. Drag kings are often times not on the bill at all. And if they are, it's just one in a show. People often expect them to be less entertaining or tokenized. But drag kings are entertaining as f**k, and all different types of people can be drag kings.”

How has Cosmo helped you explore your gender identity?

“When I first discovered Cosmo, I was identifying as a woman. Painting on the facial hair, I still loved my facial features. I almost looked more like myself with a heavier brow and mustache. It was gender-affirming. I realized I was trans probably a couple months ago.”

Where do you want to take Cosmo next?

“I don't think I want to do drag full time, but I want to do it consistently — like having a show every week. I also love story hours for youth. There's lessons you can learn from drag and trans people that can apply at all ages like how to see yourself and listen to others. Drag makes you ask questions like, ‘what do I wanna look like? Or what do I like?’”