Kiki Slugqueen: the drag queen who wants to take you on a spirit journey guided by snails.
Photo by @_chris_sorensen
I used to think my spirituality and my queerness were incompatible
In 2017, I discovered the wild creative world of Brooklyn drag. I would go to drag shows and queer parties on Saturday nights to see queens like West Dakota and Juku... then wash off my makeup and head to church the next morning to serve on the prayer team.
I felt so alive and affirmed by being a part of these two very different communities, but there was no crossover or dialogue between them. I felt like my spirituality and my queerness were incompatible. I would imagine scenarios where I could “queer up” my spirituality, like coming to church in drag, or doing a scripture-inspired lip-sync at a drag show… But all those things felt corny, and wouldn’t really become the bridge I wanted to build between these two parts of myself and my communities.
From Brooklyn to Borikén
My spirituality and my queerness weren’t the only parts of my life that were at odds during this time. I visited Puerto Rico (Borikén in the indigenous Taíno language) for the first time, and was captivated by its radical queer/arts community as well as the island’s natural beauty. At the same time, I was alarmed by the reality that Puerto Rico suffers continuously under its status as a modern day US colony.
Again, I found myself in a tension between two communities (US & PR) and unsure of how to place myself in relationship to them. When I came back to Brooklyn, I studied more about Puerto Rico and continued to build my relationships with new friends on the island and the diaspora community in NYC -- all the while trying to figure out how to best leverage my privileges, abilities and resources to support community-led efforts in PR. After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico that fall, I supported as much as I could remotely from NYC and six months later moved to San Juan to join the team of El Departamento de la Comida.
we have the power to regenerate ourselves
The past 18 months of living in Puerto Rico is another article entirely, but I will share one key learning that led me to develop my current practice of Queer Readings: we have the power to regenerate ourselves. I have been immersed in a movement of people in Puerto Rico who focus their efforts on practices such as regenerating our lands and our food systems, reclaiming the ways we relate to our own bodies, and re-envisioning what community looks like. By participating in these efforts, I realized that I could also lean into what is most near and personal about my spirituality and queerness to discover my own way of connecting with both God and my community -- and it doesn’t have to look like a church service or a lip-sync performance. It can be as simple as a genuine, inspired interaction between two people, one of whom happens to be my character, Kiki Slugqueen. Kiki is a mystical drag queen who has the power to channel her muses to connect with any type of person through the medium of Queer Readings.
What is a Queer Reading?
A queer reading is a one-on-one, intuitive reading that draws insight, guidance, and conversation from either 4 everyday objects you have with you, or from Kiki’s original deck of cards. Kiki’s readings are one component of her “queer practice” as a performer. Queer practice includes any methodology that questions existing power structures in order to create more possibilities for more people.
A Queer Reading IS...
similar to other intuitive readings -- its goal is to provide guidance, insight, and playful entertainment through a one-on-one exchange, mediated by objects.
A Queer Reading is NOT…
derived from pre-existing symbologies (like tarot, for example), but instead uses the personal objects and experiences of the reader and the recipient to reveal new perspectives and possibilities.
The Power of the Personal
By placing our personal objects as the central framework of a reading instead of inherited symbols, there is an opportunity for us to strengthen our ability of 'reading' new possibilities for ourselves, from messages that have come directly from ourselves.
Photo by @wasitrodge
How The Queer Reading is Unlike Anything You’ve Ever Seen at an Event
The Social Event
Queer Readings provide an intimate and reflective space within an event, where people can process their emotions, desires, fears, etc. This can be especially powerful by providing a retreat space within events that are more social and high-energy.
The Drag Queen
Instead of presenting as an untouchable diva who shines on stage, the role of the drag queen in a Queer Reading is to be an empathetic listener who empowers the participant to become the protagonist of the ‘performance’.
The Intuitive Reading
Queer Readings avoid much of the resistance and baggage that can come with other spiritual readings, because the source of the reading lies within the two individuals seated at the table. It does not require that the participant buy into any particular religion or spiritual doctrine. Queer Readings simply acknowledge that sharing our personal stories is the most universal way to connect, grow, and heal together.
If you’ve read this far, you might be like… I WANT A QUEER READING!
But wait KIKI… why slugs?
Slugs are these creatures we usually see as gross, dirty, or pests in our culture. So, whenever I can, I bring live snails/slugs with me to my readings. I believe that meditating on the things that we find uncomfortable can be a source of expansion and growth. As a result of being a slug queen, I’ve come across a lot of beautiful facts about these amazing animals. Here are some fun facts that might turn you into a snail/slug lover ;)
Slugs are post-gender! Most gastropods (the scientific class of both slugs and snails) are hermaphrodites, and can reproduce with any gastropod of their species that turns them on.
Some slugs are solar powered. The Elysia Chlorotica species eats algae, which then live inside her transparent body and photosynethize, creating chloroplasts that feed her from the inside.
Nudibranchs, a particular group of sea slugs, literally are what they eat. They use the pigments from their food sources to change the color of their skin and camouflage from predators.