Party at Aurora Pride with Alaska 5000

Are you ready to hit the beach and soak up some sun? In addition to all the other festivities at Aurora Pride, there will be a very special guest. Joining the party is none other than Alaska 5000, Season Five contestant and All Stars 2 winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race. We had the pleasure of catching up and having a kiki with Alaska before her visit.

Hiiieeee, Alaska! Thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today!

Of course! Happy to be here!

We are very excited to have you as a headliner for Aurora Pride! How excited are you to be here for Colorado’s first beachfront Pride, and how surprised are you to attend a landlocked beachfront Pride?

Well, how is it possible? [Laughs]. How are you doing it? I’m impressed! I mean, I love Colorado, and it’s so beautiful out there. So, I am excited to get to come and be a part of your Pride celebration.

What does Pride mean to you, and why should it be important to others?

Well, on the outside, Pride looks like the time for us to dance shirtless and get wasted in the daytime. As important as those traditions are, Pride is a time for us as a queer community to stand up and say we are here. We see each other; we demand to be seen by the world and respected and treated like humans. We are still fighting for our lives and our rights as far as fair treatments and f*cking human rights. So, we are still fighting for it, and Pride is the representation of that.

Aurora Pride’s slogan is “for all,” and we are all about giving everyone a seat at the table, even if you don’t bring money. How do you think we can make Pride more inclusive?

I love that you’re doing that! I mean, a lot of Pride festivals are for people who throw out that extra money to buy a ticket. It’s really cool that you’re doing that. If you are one of those people who is fortunate to have disposable income, then you can go ahead and donate to the cause so they can turn it out and make it fabulous.

This year also marks the 50-year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. When was the first time you learned about Stonewall?

I don’t know when I first learned about it, but I think I learned about it in-depth in college. We had a course called queer theatre, so we got a really well-rounded crash course of everything queer and queer history, and Stonewall was definitely a part of that. We had an amazing instructor.

What can audiences expect from an Alaska performance?

Oh geez, I don’t know [laughs]. I usually don’t know myself until I hear the music play on the speaker. I am looking forward to performing my new song called “Pride.” I mean, it’s kind of appropriate for this time of year. It’s a really fun song, and I get to wear rainbow print, and that’s always enjoyable.

And you pulled a Beyoncé when you dropped your new album, Vagina. How has the record been received by the public?

The response has been really good, and it was really encouraging that it went to number-one. I am glad that there are people out there supporting drag music and queer artists. It is very encouraging and makes me happy.

In addition to drag, has music always been a big passion of yours?

Yes, definitely. I mean, when I was a little kid and had to take piano lessons, I kind of hated it, but I didn’t realize how much music was a part of my life. We had music playing all the time, whether while I was in my room drawing or it was just around the house. So, that really continued to influence me. I still listen to music all the time. All different types of music. And I love getting to make music. It is one of my favorite things to do.

Millions of people obviously know you from your time on RuPaul’s Drag Race. How would you say the show has changed your life?

I mean, it’s like the before Drag Race and after Drag Race. It has changed my life so much, and it has given me the opportunity to have a career doing this crazy thing called drag that I love so much. It never dawned on me how crazy of an opportunity it has been, and I am certainly grateful for all of it.

What were your thoughts on the most recent season? I know you were pulling for our Denver girl, Yvie Oddly. Why?

Well, she’s amazing! She is one of those rare moments where somebody singularly unique comes through the show, and it was her moment. You know, she brought it to the runway; she brought it to the challenges, and she also brought it to Untucked. She’s very well-rounded, a really cool person, and an inspiring young artist. So, I’m proud of her. Well played.

How would you say drag has evolved since your time on the show?

Well, the biggest thing is that it’s cool to be a drag queen, and everyone wants to do it. That was not the case when I started drag. Everyone looked at me like I was crazy. People were like, you want to do this thing where you go out in public dressed up?  Even though it’s dangerous and you can get beat up and get glitter all over your house? Are you sure?’ Yeah, the biggest difference is that everyone now wants to do it. Also, we now have Amazon, eBay, and YouTube. If you are a young drag queen starting out, those are your drag mothers.

If given the opportunity to compete again, would you?

Yes, definitely. It’s been one of the greatest pleasures of my life to get to go into that crazy pink room. If I ever got the chance to do it again, I of course would love to do it again.

You were also ranked number seven last month on Vulture’s “Most Powerful Drag Queens in America.” I saw that the article received mixed reviews. How do you feel about it?

I think the sort of ranking system that they used was dehumanizing, and it was really disrespectful. Okay, I’m number seven. Whatever. I think all the other people listed were put into these categories, and I’m like, what good is this doing? We are not millionaire celebrities in Hollywood where you are saying these are the 10 sexiest celebrities. We are young artists working our *sses off to f*cking make it and to keep ourselves afloat. So, to do that sort of demeaning, I’m not going to call it journalism, and  to do it during Pride Month, I thought it was ugly, tacky, and I personally want somebody from Vulture fired because of it, and as the seventh most powerful drag queen on earth, I hope I can make that happen!

What powers do you think Bianca could do? She’s number one.

Well, she’s just fine about it! She’s like, I don’t know why everyone is so upset about this article. I thought it was great! Like, shut the f*ck up girl.

What kind of legacy do you hope to leave?

Geez, I mean, Oprah said that you can never know what your legacy will leave, because what we do and things we put out there, we don’t know what kind of impact it will make. I know that drag means a lot to young people who are finding themselves and finding their way in this weird, complicated, and changing world. So, if drag can do something with that, I hope it will reverberate through their lives in whatever way. And I am still on the journey myself, so I don’t know what my legacy will be.

I am still on the journey myself, so I don’t know what my legacy will be.

How’s Lil’ Poundcake?

Well, she’s in and out of jail. We’re doing the best we can. Please pray for her.

What’s next for Alaska? Any upcoming projects we should be on the lookout for?

I never know where life is going to take me, so check out my website alaskathunderfuck.com to see where I will be next!

Photos by Santiago Felipe