Stilettos and Smiles at RuPaul's DragCon 2016

Star ForemanCulture

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The second time around, RuPaul's DragCon has become a massive, not-to-be-missed event, featuring signings with favorite drag superstars, panels for both the pro and the fan, and an exhibition floor that was twice the size of the first con.

Billed as “the first drag convention in Herstory,” the convention itself shows how the performers one would see in little clubs back in the late 1990s (shoutout to Menagerie in Riverside for introducing one of the first real professional drag shows in Southern CA) have become a worldwide phenomenon, due in no small part to the little show that could, RuPaul's Drag Race. 
We are now seeing the kids that grew up with drag culture being almost (gasp!) mainstream getting to meet their own heroes, men and women living “their own truth,” as RuPaul said in his keynote address on Sunday, May 8. 
One high school girl went up to her heroine and just started to cry. It was obvious that for this girl, this was a defining moment of her life. The people of Drag Race represent hope and laughter, and promote a greater understanding of the LGBT community to the world around us, making this generation of almost superstars the most accepted in history. RuPaul's DragCon doesn't just prove it gets better, it shows that it is already better. 
As RuPaul would put it: “RuPaul’s DragCon is the place to find your tribe. For all the super creative and super sensitive people out there who live in a world that says that you’re too much or that you don’t fit in, DragCon says, ‘Welcome home, baby.'”

Photos by Star Foreman

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