Meet Noveli, The Alt-Monarch of Denver Drag
In the world of Denver drag, three things are universal: death, taxes, and profound respect for Noveli. Few artists manage to be so beloved on a human level, as well as an artistic one. Their art is iconoclastic while coming from a place of love. Their work is a beautiful melting pot of Latina, Christian, Pagan, Gothic, and queer cultures, all of which are key aspects of Noveli’s personhood.
Friend and local burlesque performer Laura Wold says, “Noveli chooses to love things unabashedly and often invites others to join in.” Everyone who crosses Noveli’s path cannot help but to be charmed by their wisdom and patience. Their art is an education, which makes sense because when they aren’t performing and producing, they are teaching college students.
“My whole life is a grey area,” they say. They have lived a life of extremes. They started off in a trailer park down in the borderlands of New Mexico. “I know what it’s like when your EBT runs out and you have to dig through the couch hoping to find enough change for a can of spaghettiOs.” They also know what it’s like to have a Phd from a top tier university, and to be part of the faculty at another. As a child they were surrounded by machismo and conservative, overbearing religion. They were told that queerness, and spirituality outside of the Christian church were sinful choices. But they aren’t choices at all—They are fundamental parts of Noveli’s identity and understanding of the world.
“I had so much to unlearn,” they say with a slight chuckle. If you engage with their drag, you will see challenges as well as homages to these uncomfortable aspects of their past. They aren’t angry about this past strife. If anything, their tribulations have given them tremendous empathy and patience. “There was a time when I could have been seen as sexist, homophobic,
ignorant,” they say. They hold a fundamental belief that most people move through the world with good intentions. Noveli’s family didn’t ever hate them for being different. They were genuinely terrified for Noveli’s immortal soul, which did come from a place of love.
Noveli struggles to find people who understand the whole of their lived experiences and identities. Not many people in their professional academic settings truly comprehend their art, or the kind of poverty they faced. Many people in the alt drag world don’t know the pressures and privileges of academic life. They wind up having to educate people about the aspects of their personhood in one way or another everywhere they go, and often, that’s painful. They are usually able to breathe through the pain and use these uncomfortable moments as teachable ones.
“We shouldn’t have to be the ones to educate people, and it sucks that we have to, but if not us, then who?” They go on to say “But that’s my approach.” Others don’t have the mental bandwidth to educate imperfect allies. According to Noveli, their feelings are justified and they shouldn’t have to. But if a person does have the patience and bandwidth for these conversations, they are worthwhile to have. Noveli’s worlds collide in hilarious ways. Once they invited some of their fellow university faculty members to one of their shows. They were scantily dressed as Jesus Christ. They learned after the fact that their coworkers had been seated close enough to the stage to see their entire backside. Noveli, by occupying both of these spaces, is uniquely qualified to bring these worlds together and increase everybody’s understanding and empathy.
Noveli spends a lot of time in London. As much as they love London for the socialized medicine and the overwhelming “fabulousness,” it’s an enormous pond, making Noveli feel like a smaller fish, reminding them why they love Denver. London has a venue shortage—too many artists and not enough venues—and the available venues are expensive to perform in. In Denver, venue owners are more open to different types of art, giving Noveli more options.
But venues and culture are changing in troubling ways. Gladys the Nosy Neighbor, a defunct venue, was dedicated to alternative queer art. Other venues are changing to make profit margins higher, creating spaces that are less safe for drag performers and fans. Drag is under legal attack in other states, and social media scrutiny everywhere.
What Noveli wants is for authentic alternative drag and queer culture to continue to thrive. Their advice to younger, newer performers is to be themselves and stay true to their interests and perspectives. “Don’t just be what you think a drag performer is supposed to be.” The extremes of their background have made them the truly beloved artist and human, and we could all stand to learn something from that example.
