Dragutante Fundraises to Make Queer Dreams Come True

Dragutante is one of the first organizations specifically designed to provide a safe space for kids under 18 who want to perform in drag. Founded by Robin Fulton and her son Jameson, aka Ophelia Peaches, in 2017, Dragutante has since been featured at Denver Pridefest as well as in a reality series on Discovery+, Generation Drag. 

“I had a 13th birthday, and I told my mom I wanted to have a drag queen birthday party. So we had a makeup artist friend do my drag makeup and put me in this peach-colored wig with a tiara on my head and goodwill dress, and I went and watched a drag show at Hamburger Mary’s, and I just felt like myself,” Ophelia Peaches tells OFM. 

“I know a lot of queens will say that ‘When I put drag on for the first time, I felt like a totally different person.’ For me, it was kind of the opposite. I felt like, after I was in that drag makeup, I was myself more.” 

From there, the mom-and-son duo sought out other kids with a passion for drag. What started as a simple photo shoot quickly became a massive event. This day-long event features young artists from around the country, many of whom have never performed to an audience of this scale before. For most, this is a Cinderella moment. 

“It’s usually a full house, and the floor shakes, and the crowd is screaming. And that memory is so important for these kids” Fulton tells OFM. 

Growing up queer can be challenging for anyone. Dragutante has provided a community, not only for kids who may not be accepted by their peers but for their families as well, for whom watching their children experience love and acceptance within themselves is equally as moving. 

“We had one kiddo who before the show was really nervous. And they came out and started performing, and their mom is trying to video. As I watched her, she had tears streaming down her face, and she wasn’t even holding the camera so that her child was in the frame. So I took the phone from here, and I looked at her and said, ‘Girl, I got you,’” Fulton says. 

“And for me, that was an empowering moment. Because I’ve been in that mom’s shoes. I felt that overwhelming sense of, ‘Look at my child becoming amazing, becoming themselves.’ You can’t hold that amount of pride in your chest, you just can’t.”

Though the company has had its fair share of national attention, Dragutante is a nonprofit organization that relies on its sponsors and donors to make its participants’ dreams a reality. That’s why this November 6, Dragutante will put on its first fundraising gala in order to secure funding for next year’s main event. 

The highly anticipated gala is scheduled to be held at The Studio Loft at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Doors are at 5:30 p.m. and the event will go from 6 to 9 p.m. Guests can expect to brush elbows with some of the most talented drag kids in the country while supporting an amazing cause. 

For more details and ticket information visit dragutante.org, or follow them on social media @dragutante.     

Photography by Robin Fulton