#houstondrag

On a couch inside Siphon Coffee, the first HTX Drag interview took place. It felt fitting having this conversation with a drag performer just down the street from The Menil Collection. Just as the de Menil’s impact on the Houston art scene has been closely studied and widely celebrated, the drag in Houston deserves the same treatment. Drag performers are their own canvasses; they adorn themselves in fabrics, rhinestones, sometimes even balloons. They are the scientists who make themselves the subject of their own artistic experimentation. 

I’d like to tell you a bit about the drag history of Houston, which dates as far back as the 1930s. According to Houston LGBT History, a public online archive, the Wagon Wheel Night Club was one of the first spaces for “female impersonator” performances. The club’s existence was only a few years due to two arsonists setting the building ablaze in 1938, according to a “The San Antonio Light” article featured on the site. The kings and queens throughout past decades have fought against efforts to eliminate their presence in the city. Thanks to them, we can have our drag shows today. 

I met Sauvignon Blanca in 2023 while working at the Nook Cafe and Rooftop, a two- story coffee shop and bar. She and other drag artists- some of which you will meet later- would arrive on Monday evenings to compete in the first season of Persephone’s Game of Drag. Christopher Gonzales (he/him) began experimenting as Sauvignon Blanca (she/her) in the small town of Marfa, Texas, where he said, “there was little to no drag.” Gonzales and his partner, Paul Chavarria, responded to the scarcity of a night life by acting as a source of it. Through parties and pride events, the duo created a vibrant queer space in the desert town from 2018- 2020.

Top photo: Sauvignon Blanca striking a pose on stage at Marfa Pride 2022. Bottom photo: Sauvignon Blanca for season one of PGOD. Photos provided by Christopher Gonzales.

It only feels right to say that since her move to Houston, Sauvignon Blanca’s presence has aged like fine wine. In a city that feasts on nothing less than interesting art, she established herself as an exciting addition to the drag menu. After the first sips of her aesthetic and energy, you’ll see that it’s a messy delicacy you can’t find anywhere else. This interview spills the ingredients of her character, walks you through the process of her artistry, and gives you a perspective of the creative lens she views the world through. 

HTX Drag is all about the Houstonians who are defining the artform in their own ways today. Flourishing with diversity, Houston offers an undeniably excellent drag scene and overall queer culture. As present-day legislation attempts to lay a blanket of restrictions over the LGBTQ+ community, it is proven through these stories that we are still thriving through unshakeable foundations. 

This is the first of many stories. 

Stay tuned for Sauvignon Blanca’s interview next week!

In Houston’s drag world, legacy is built not just on glamour, but on discipline. Few performers embody that principle as clearly as Chevelle Brooks—a pageant queen whose career spans more than three decades and whose reputation is rooted in precision, presentation, and community.

For many in Houston’s drag scene, Brooks represents a particular tradition: the polished, pageant-trained entertainer who approaches drag as both art form and profession. From national titles (Miss Gay US of A 2000; Miss Continental Plus 2002; Universal Show Queen 2019; and many more) to local recognition as Houston’s Entertainer of the Year, Brooks has spent over 30 years building a career that blends theatrical performance with the meticulous standards of competitive drag.

Chevelle Brooks photographed by Gavin Calais

Her story, however, begins far from the rhinestones and crowns.

Brooks was born in Louisiana but grew up in Houston after moving to the city at just three years old. By the early 1990s, Houston’s LGBTQ nightlife scene was vibrant and expansive, with drag performances happening not only at nightclubs but also at daytime art festivals and community gatherings.

It was in these spaces that Brooks first encountered drag—not as a distant spectacle, but as a living, breathing art form happening all around her. Watching queens move between venues and command audiences sparked something in her. Drag looked like freedom: a way to express creativity, confidence, and star power all at once.

That spark led to her first performance in 1991 at a talent show at Studio 13, one of the many clubs that helped shape Houston’s queer nightlife history. The debut, she recalls, was far from glamorous. “I didn’t have anything ready,” Brooks says. “No shoes, no dress, no hair.”

But Houston drag has long been sustained by the community. Friends and fellow performers rallied for Brooks, pulling together pieces of a look so she could still compete. What could have been a disastrous first outing instead became a defining moment. Oh, did I forget to mention that she won that talent show?

It was proof that the stage was exactly where she belonged.

Stay tuned next week for more on our beloved Houston icon!