LGBTQIA+ Performers & Writers
Drag. Burlesque. Music. Acting/Film. Writers/Poets.
Drag Performers
Ophelia Johnson
“Quarantine finally made me take a second to see the person staring back at me in the mirror was a broken one. I was taught at a young age to keep a happy face on but having nothing but time makes a person reflect and see what can truly be changed if one wants to. Once I did that I realized that doors could be open and my dreams could be obtained. I’m now finally getting to live out the dreams 10 year old Patrick wanted for himself. I wanted to be a teacher, a chef, and an actor. I get to teach high school age kids about culinary and am a drag Queen under the name Ophelia Johnson. I have a loving husband and tons of cats, and with all these joys self doubt can still sneak in. It’s an everyday battle but I’m here for the fight.”
Spreada Lajoy
“I have lived in Portland for almost 20 years and am blessed to be part of such a big beautiful community. My time here in Portland has gifted my the opportunity to wear many hats: nanny, bartender, performer, restaurant manager and drag queen. I’d say it’s the hat of friendship that’s the biggest blessing!”
Letta Dicken
“Letta Dicken is a plus size, up and coming Drag Queen entertainer in the Portland Area, representing all of the plus size beauties and showing that big is beautiful. Letta loves to inspire, bring joy and create meaningful and fun messages in her art and performances. As a pillar in the LGBTQIA+ community, she is proud to be out and support and advocate for her community; and continue to fight for equality and LGBTQIA+ rights. Letta was born and raised in Belfast, Maine and had her first Drag Performance in her senior year of high school in February of 2020. Over the past few years, Letta has cultivated an inclusive and vibrant drag community at the University of Southern Maine. Producing, hosting and performing in monthly drag shows with 10-14 regular USM Student Drag Performers and anywhere between 50-100 students in attendance. Letta even won 1st place at USM's 22nd Annual Royal Majesty Drag Show in 2022. She has restored and re-established USM's Queer Straight Alliance, after the pandemic had taken a big hit and temporarily ended many student organizations. Letta is on the QSA Student Board and helps run the organization for her second year in a row, still creating tons of queer programs and events at USM. She was also a resident assistant and was the RA for USMs residential LGBTQIA+ Floores and created queer programming for residential students before moving to the West End of Portland in April of 2023 to start her professional career as a Drag Queen!”
Bunny Wonderland
“I’ve been a lot of things in my short lifetime. Drag, Magick, Art, Teaching, Love; they’re all an act of temperance. Great things happen in that weird liminal space, between one place and the next.”
Burlesque Performers
Cinnamon Maxine, They/Them
Cinnamon is a burlesque Performer and Performance Artist in Maine. Check out more of their work @cinnamonmaxxine on Instagram.
Biagara Falls, She/They/He
"Hi! So I took a wicked long time to think of something to write about myself….self. self. Self! That's it! Talk about the self! Specifically, the journey to self love. To anyone reading this, I understand how absolutely downright challenging it is to deeply love yourself. You are not alone! And to those who have reached that steady and long-term point where you have loved yourself, I super admire you. Kudos to you! That mental and emotional work must have been chock full of so very many ups and downs and intense internal battles. And so, no matter where you are in your personal self-love journey, I hope you not only get there as painlessly as possible and live as authentically as possible, but also more importantly, I hope you enjoy that adventure that is your own beautiful life. Good luck in your journey to love yourself!"
La Petite Mystique, They/Them
"I finally feel at home in Portland. After years of struggling with my identity. I feel that I’m finally surrounded by a loving supporting community who give me the strength and courage to be myself & explore who I am.”
Vivienne Obsidian
“Literally a week before the world shut down I signed a job contract that said I would move here in 3 months for at least 5 years. Moving to a new place where you don't know anyone (in the middle of a pandemic nonetheless) has been a trying experience - especially since I am very much an extrovert! In the last year and a half I've fallen in love with Maine - the woods, the water, the nature in any season, really. And knowing that's how I feel being here before even truly discovering a queer community only makes me that much more excited for the future.”
Radio
“For me exploring my sexuality meant finding my passion. Whether it was long nights, in ballet tights, in the studios growing up, or seeing a little bit of me inside of the queers in my community. Each time I took a leap of faith outside of my comfort zone I discovered another facet of me. Growing up Black and Queer in Sweet Home Alabama was a recipe for a trauma flavored funnel cake lightly powdered with social injustices and fried in micro aggressions, but it molded me into the unapologetic artist you’ve all come to know today.
When I moved to Maine, it took me a while to find my community. Often, I’d stop myself from opportunities, due to fears of inadequacy and imposter syndrome, until I was lucky enough to meet a group of like-minded individuals with THEM Burlesque, a queer burlesque troupe that I’ve been with for over a year at this point. It started off with THEM, but quickly expanded into the rich, vibrant, and welcoming queer artist community of Portland.
In the end, I just want to be living proof that you can overcome the struggles of your environment, find and thrive in your niche, and you can shine through the darkness the world puts on all of us with the strength and love of our fellow LGBTQIA+ community.”
Music
VIVA The Sensation, She/Her
"All I know for certain is that I have this moment, however long it lasts, and I have my values. After that, the rest comes naturally.”
Matthew Scala, He/Him: Singer, Vocal Coach
"Dreams don’t die, so keep an eye on your dream’...ok, so I couldn’t have picked a cheesier Sondheim lyric to quote. But hear me out - a lot of today leaves much to be desired. I’ve tried to have a positive outlook through all of this, and passing that on to my private students and music performing colleagues. Recently, this has proved to be difficult with a job in the performing arts industry. However, I keep reminding myself of these words, and remember that even though the music has died for a bit, it will bounce back twice as strong. Looking forward to opportunity in 2021!"
Disco Dungeon, He/Him: DJ
"I’m a social worker, I’m in recovery, I’m biracial, I’m gay, I make techno music, I’m a Pisces and my saving grace is Leo moon. I moved to Portland from boston about five years ago, to start over. My life was out of control, and I was finally ready to try something new. I’m very grateful for all of the wonderful people I’ve met here who’ve helped me along my way. Cancel culture is something that I have come to understand as poisonous. Having difficult, awkward, messy, in other words “honest” conversations is the only way out. When we can sit with one another and not leave till the conclusion. If love is not the conclusion, the work is not done.”
Redtide, He/They: DJ
"When I moved back to Maine about ten years ago there weren’t many queer spaces so some friends and I started a party called sub/merge. We wanted to make a politicized queer dance party that raised money for rad organizing. I basically started DJing in order to thrown that party, but in the process I fell in love with dance music, particularly club sounds from micro pockets of cultural resistance & resilience all over the world. I love playing unknown and unexpected sounds & pop favorites to singing along too. There are more queer spaces now than there used to be, which is a welcome way Portland is evolving. I’m still contributing in my small way by throwing & DJing parties. I have some events I’m really excited about coming up: Each first Friday between May & July @discodungeon and I will be bringing you JUICED: a queer party at @citrusportland. For Pride on June 17 I’ll be throwing my semi regular QUEER AS IN… at @flasklounge. I’ve got a few more things in the works this summer, so follow me at @redtide207.”
Lindz, They/Them
"I’m a queer and trans non-binary multi-hyphenate creator who mostly makes queer and trans media for kids and families. I write books and tv, I perform and act, and I run my own small online business. I grew up in New York but for some reason always dreamed of living in Maine. That was just a pipe dream for a long time, something I didn’t think would happen until retirement (what does that mean anyways?). My wife got an opportunity to move here summer of 2019 and after some initial hesitation we drove everything we had up north. We fell in love with life here. My work can be really hard, especially considering the current political climate where trans kids and queer education are under attack. But my mental health has improved so much because I’m able to shut off the hustle and bustle of my busy and sometimes fraught work days by driving my dog ten minutes to the beach for a picture perfect walk along the water complete with majestic light houses.”
Acting / Film
Mark, He/Him: Filmmaker
"I've been a full-time Mainer now for 3.5 years, after vacationing here for almost 10 years prior, and I haven't missed my past city life that much. Maine is an inspiring state with so much to see, and New England helps my creative juices flow. I've worked in entertainment my whole life, so I luckily have been around queer people for years, but I didn't become fully settled with my sexuality until my mid 20s, once I was in a committed, loving, supportive relationship that led to marriage, and now I can't imagine not being part of the queer club. I'm an indie filmmaker and casting director based in Kittery, and I like to include queer characters in my short films and often push for queer actors to audition for roles I'm casting. My latest short film Your Last Summer is very queer, coastal, and creepy, and I have ideas for more queer-centric horror films to make in the area. I'm also a podcaster and host a show called Release Date Rewind that you can find on your favorite podcast app, on YouTube, and on Portland Media Center's Channel 5. I'm happy to add my trivia-loving gay perspective to the film podcast community as friends and I discuss favorite movies and TV series of any genre from the past that are celebrating milestone anniversaries. My years in casting led me to also become an acting coach, so I teach classes and workshops all over southern Maine and online. Some of my acting students have not only secured an agent or manager after working with me, but went on to book roles in films and TV series throughout the east coast, from Apple TV+ to Nickelodeon, from Saturday Night Live to Sesame Street, which makes me even more proud. You can support my work at linktr.ee/mjp_pov. @mjp_pov @releasedaterewind
Tadin, He/Him: Filmmaker
“It took me a long time to understand and feel confident expressing my queer identify. As a cis man who presents fairly masc, I often felt uncomfortable with what being a man was supposed to look like a according to society. Eventually I realized I could express my feminine side and could wear clothing that reflected that, and that wouldn't make me less of a man. I feel very grateful for the community around me that's supported me throughout my life. I still have a long way to go but getting better every day."
Sampson, He/They: Theatre Artist
“I’d like to talk a little bit about the dissonance in the Trans community right now. I see a lot of people saying, ‘You have to have dysphoria to be Trans. You have to have gone through suffering to be apart of this community,’ and I entirely disagree. Why are we gate keeping within our own group? Don’t we get enough of that from cis people? I’d like to invite everyone to think more about euphoria, and how their gender is aligning in a positive light. Let’s stop tearing each other down and instead lift each other up. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but you’re enough just the way you are. Happy Pride month everyone.”
Writers / Poets
Megan, They/Them: Playwright
"I miss working. Weird, right? But when you work in theatre sometimes you take for granted how amazing your job is. So...I just have to adapt! Adaptation. Just another thing you get accustomed to in this weird, weird time.”
Ian, They/Them: Writer/Actor
"Queer is the best word to describe me, there are other more specific terms, of course, but queer encapsulates my heart more than anything else I've encountered."
Marpheen, He/Him: Writer
“I spent a lot of my 20s being an overachiever, trying to make a difference, being the first in my family to graduate college and go to law school and grad school, running for office, writing a book. Now that I’ve turned 30, I’m realizing that I can take a moment, pause, and breathe. I feel now that I know I can do it and I’ve got what it takes to succeed in my professional life, I’ve realized I put a lot of my personal life on hold. Time with family, going on dates, time to deepen friendships. Of course COVID had taught me that as well. So I’m entering a whole new decade of my life with personal goals.”
Samaa, She/Her: Writer
“One of the whitest things about the late 1980s was Nestle's ad campaign designed to convince us that their white chocolate bars (Alpine White bars) were actual chocolate rather than the sweet wax we all knew them to be.”
Rylan, They/Them: Writer
My writing often explores identity, isolation, queerness, and is always inspired and informed by living in Maine. Right now I am working on revising a work of fiction that delves into queer inheritance and what we pass on to the next generation of our community. I think for many LGBTQ folks, one’s family tree isn’t necessarily a linear concept. We cultivate our own circles of support and the heirs to what we leave behind could be anyone we share an identity with — and I think that’s pretty magical. Part of what I love about my job at The Telling Room in Portland is that I have the opportunity to support and celebrate queer youth who are writing in our state. I’m inspired by their work every day, and I hope that by amplifying and lifting up their voices we can create a richer literary landscape that’s inclusive of LGBTQ experiences in every genre. It’s never too early to take someone’s writing seriously and to support them as they grow as an author.”
Camille, They/Them: Writer
Camille, They/Them
“I'm lucky to have amazing friends in Portland who love me for exactly who I am. For the first year or so after coming out, I really struggled with isolation and had to work through a lot of growing pains. It's been really incredible to see that as I've learned more about myself, and leaned more into my authenticity, my life has become so full of friendship, connection, and love. The energy from my queer community has helped me achieve some goals that have felt incredible, like making zines and learning how to play guitar! I feel really lucky that I get to be myself and I wish that for everybody, especially my trans and gender nonconforming homies (trans flag trans flag). And yeah, if there are any queers in Portland who watch One Piece hit me up!”
Ainsley, She/Her: Poet
“I like to exist in the veils between reality. Magic and whimsy are core to my being. I find my queer joy in chosen family, poetry, community, storytelling, and art of all kinds. You can find me reading weird poetry at open mics or vibing at local queer haunts in Portland! Also, if you see a winged beast fly over the old port on a full moon, just give me a warm and friendly wave. It can get chilly up there at night.”
Lauren, She/They: Poet
“To be a queer Black woman & alive is an act of resistance. I have just swallowed the sun. I have just put the words Black and queer in my mouth at the same time. One of those words has been lodged in my throat for half a decade— they taste good together. They surprise me, by sharing the space in my smile.” Lauren is an engineer + poet living in Portland, ME. She loves her cats (Bean & Boone), her Subaru, and golfing. Lauren’s work is featured in Barrelhouse, Empty Mirror, Across the Margin, Homology Lit, and more. Her debut chapbook “You’re My Favorite” won the 2023 Maine Literary Award for Book of Poetry, and is out now with Thirty West Publishing.”
Liam, He/They: Poet
“Liam, you can put on literally any outfit and be confident. you're a queer icon." --recent five-star yelp review. "Liam (he/they) is a 35-year-old poet, musician, and visual artist. he is queer, trans/genderqueer, and demisexual. he is polyamorous and has two lovely longterm partners. he will always be one of the best listeners you know. liam's art, and his gentle boldness, challenges the status quo. liam's work explores gender and queerness, classism, mental health, the sacred and the profane, the painful sweetness of love, the dimensions of desire, and the tempting shadow sides of religion and human nature. liam has a tendency to be mischievous; his loved ones have a term, "Liam'ing," for when he is trying to convince them that there are 15 types of metal that legally must be used in building treeforts. liam's debut poetry chapbook, EVERY DAY A DIFFERENT DAREDEVIL, is available through @LUPERCALIApress (2021).”
Maya, She/Ey/They: Poet
“I'm very grateful for the chosen family and the community I have built here since moving to Maine almost six years ago at the time of these photos. I'm very grateful for my first poetry collection coming out via @gameoverbooks, Judas & Suicide. I'm very grateful for continuing to choose to stay alive. Thank you, Kyle, for these photos and for the chosen family and community you have built in this series. Thank you for taking my photos again. :) <3”
Shosh, She/Her: Poet
““I think identity can be a curse and a blessing. As humans we yearn to find ways to explain and define our individuality. In the US it seems to be heavily pushed in society to define ourselves based on what we do for work and our overall productivity. For the last 6 months I’ve been dealing with post concussion syndrome. Concussions are no joke, and can be categorized as mild to moderate traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Dealing with a TBI has changed my life in so many ways, but identity is the biggest one. I have started to redefine who I am. I am more than the identity of a Special Education Teacher that I’ve held onto for the last 6 years. My work and my productivity do not define me. I am a Jewish Queer Poet with a passion for disability advocacy, now more than ever before. I am a friend, sister, and daughter. I am a human who cries at the ocean and sunsets, who feels deeply and fully without shame. I am learning to love this new version of myself through bittersweet duality- holding the pain and the beauty of this life within the same breath. If you’d like to read my poetry, you can find me at @shoshannahvioletpoetry.”
Jae, They/Them or Just Jae: Poet
“As a queer elder poet, I take advantage of every opportunity to live proudly in a binary world as a non-binary person. Here's a bit of my poetry:
“Exhausted, I claw at my female skin
worn thin over male bones,
digging to sing my song aloud.” (You can read the rest of Monday Night Choir Boi in Red Rose Thorns Journal)
Jenny, She/Her
“I am a collage artist, poet, singer, nature lover and teacher. Being an educator sits at the very core of my being. I work in Early Childhood and I have always believed that nature is the greatest educator of all. Children can experience awe and wonder from looking up a tree that seems to touch the clouds. They can face challenges, fears and build resilience. They can learn empathy and strength from watching the smallest insect. Nature teaches children how to connect to our world in the most empowering and meaningful ways. ‘As we begin to feel our common bond of life with living things around us, our actions become more harmonious in an unforced, natural way, and we become concerned for the needs and well-being of all creatures.’ - Joseph Cornell ‘Sharing the Joy of Nature’
In the classroom or in nature, I want each child in my care to feel safe, seen, heard and understood. That is our job as educators. We have a responsibility to meet children where they are at. We are there to gently guide and fiercely stand by and support these tiny humans along their journey to being their most true and authentic selves.”
