Ladycat for Empress 52: An Interview with Candidate Ladycat Lavera De’ore

Ladycat Lavera De’ore is running for Empress 52 of the Imperial Court of the Rocky Mountain Empire (ICRME) with voting taking place this Saturday April 12. I had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with Ladycat for an emotional conversation about raising money for the LGBTQ+ community, how queer folks can get into activism, and inspiration for how to stay positive in today’s political climate.

Let’s breakdown the court system for those who may not be familiar with how it works.

We helped start the Pride Parade. We helped start The Center; we raise money for other 501c organizations by doing charity work. We do hands-on work and drag shows to raise money. We go out throughout the year and work in the community then we put in our applications to run for Emperor or Empress. After we do that, we hold candidate functions which I just had that raised $3,200 (for the community).

So it’s much more like a system of activism rather than a pageant? And you are running for Empress this year?

Ladycat: Yes. Empress 52 to be exact. We are going into our 52nd year of being around.

How did you get involved with the court system, and what inspired your campaign?

I’ve been a part of the court system for approximately 15 years. I saw the way that (court members) were doing their activism within the community, being hands-on and raising money, supporting the community, and that’s what I’ve always been doing anyway. Then I came on as the entertainer to several reigns. Gabriella But’zin, Empress 42, allowed me to be a part of her reign. So I came in, and I got to see how it worked from the inside. I was part of their board of directors for three years. Then I was on John Crenshaw’s reign as his Baron on the Emperor side. I was entertainer again; then I was Princess Royal 46. This last year, I was coordinator with Gabriella But’zin for one of their big events, Snowball.

That is an impressive list of work.

This year, I talked to my mother, and she said I should just run and go for the goal and see if maybe I can put a positive spin and outlook on the way that people see the court system because there’s a lot of people in this community that are like, “We don’t really need the court anymore, we can raise our own money.” But the court system allows us to do that on a larger scale and you can get out in the community with groups of people instead of just two or three and do hands on work. I believe in the court system. I believe that we can make a positive change, and I believe we can help take care of the community.

I’m surprised anyone would be against such a positive system.

I will say that, just like any organization, there’s always going to be problems, and it’s always going to show up on social media.

Because ICRME is an older organization and has such deep roots, has it always been inclusive, or has that shifted in recent years?

It has shifted in more recent years. There were a lot of things that the older generations did not understand. I’ve been a community member and activist for 25 years, so there was a lot that we had to learn. Like, when transgender people came to the forefront of the scene, we had to learn different pronouns. We had to learn how to adjust and how to treat people and how to behave ourselves whenever we were going forward within the community because it doesn’t work the same way it used to. For us to be able to move forward, we have to be able to understand everybody. We have to listen more than we talk, and we definitely have to be able to reach out and be able to touch people’s hands and hearts.

The younger generation seems to be getting radicalized right now because of the political climate. As an activist, can you give some guidance to the younger queer generation that’s looking to jump into activism? Is there something for everyone even if they aren’t comfortable marching in protests?

Yes, there’s always things for everybody. As far as the court system goes in their activism, you will not see us out there marching, but we will be raising money for other (charitable organizations). You can join the court; you can raise money, do drag. There’s other options there for people who are more introverted. There are groups that are formed here in the Denver area that you can become a part of and you don’t have to be at the front of the scenes. You can help create signs; you can help bring out water. There’s tons of groups that actually help with face-forward activism that don’t require you to be the face of the activism.

What advice or words of encouragement would you give to the LGBTQ+ community right now?

Keep your head up, and keep fighting. We’re here together. I know it’s rough. I get very emotional about these things, but I want everybody to understand that we can do this, and it’s not going to be easy. It never has been. When I started activism, it was just as bad, or even worse. I got hit with a bottle over my eyebrow; I’ve been turned over in trash cans, I’ve been called every slur on the face of the planet, but you gotta keep fighting. We have to have something for our future. So, hey, I’m with you. If you’re with me, let’s keep fighting together.

Let’s end this with some queer joy because we can really use that these days. Can you tell us something that makes you happy or a recent success that you’d like to highlight? Give us a win.

I have a permanent win in my life. I have my beautiful husband who is transgender. I’ve got several people in my life that have been amazing encouragement and shown me how to do things like raise money, including Gabriella But’zin, Anthony Aragon, Jasmine James. Those are some of the powerhouse people who have taught me how to keep my head up, along with my husband, who keeps my sanity in check. I have a beautiful 8-year-old that I’m building a future for. In one of the pictures, there’s me holding a child’s face and singing to them. That’s my child. That’s my daughter. That was the part of the song where it says, “I’m going to prepare a place for you.” So that’s what I’m doing. I’m preparing a place for our youth so that they still have a place to go to at the end of the day. I’m here, and I want to be that safe space for everybody. Let’s make change together.

Photos courtesy of Ladycat Lavera De’ore