Arts & Entertainment

Marvel introduces mutant drag queen Shade

The mutant is a part of the X-Men

Published

8 years ago

January 11, 2019

Mariah Cooper

For the first time in the history of Marvel, there is a drag queen superhero.

Shade, a mutant who is part of the X-Men, was introduced in the fourth installment of Marvel’s “Iceman” comic. She has the power of teleportation and can create “pocket voids” through her handheld fan. Shade makes her first appearance at the Mutant Pride Parade.

“‘Ello Manhattan! It’s your emcee, Shade,” she says.

“And I got none to throw at Dazzler’s set!” Shade says about another mutant’s performance.. “Let’s give her another round of applause.”

There's a Drag Queen mutant now and I am here for it. Iceman #4@SinaGrace pic.twitter.com/S6vZ9Hhpeu
— Best of Marvel/DC (@BestOfComiics) December 20, 2018

Shade was the brain child of out writer Sina Grace and artist Nathan Stockman.

“I really wanted this series to push readers to new and better stories about the whole queer experience and how it applies to being both a mutant and a superhero,” Grace told The Advocate. “There’s a million different queer perspectives and we’re only scratching the surface.”

Grace also told NewNowNext that his inspiration for Shade came from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestants Shea Couleé, Monét X Change, The Vixen and Dax ExclamationPoint.

Shade returns in the fifth issue of “Iceman” (available now) and in “X-Men: Winter’s End,” which will be released in February.

Out & About

Equality Chamber hosts Pride in Business Expo and Profits & Pours

Entrepreneurs, business leaders, professionals to meet at Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs

Published

33 minutes ago

October 4, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

(Photo by auremar/Bigstock)

The Equality Chamber of Commerce is bringing together LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs, business leaders, professionals, advocates, and community partners on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 2:30 p.m. at the D.C. Mayor’s Office for LGBTQ Affairs (899 N. Capitol Street, NE).

This is an afternoon and evening focused on one essential question: How do we build businesses and a business community that can thrive? The Pride in Business Expo and Profits & Pours with Stephanie will create a powerful forum for connection, practical knowledge, and economic opportunity at the Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. The Pride in Business Expo, taking place from 4-7 p.m., brings the region’s LGBTQ+ business community together to showcase businesses, build relationships, discover resources, and create new opportunities.

Out & About

Learn more about Virginia’s queer history

‘The Remarkable Visibility of Hannah Nokes’ event scheduled for Wednesday

Published

46 minutes ago

October 4, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

(Image by larich/Bigstock)

Queer Virginia Contributor Amy Bertsch will host “The Remarkable Visibility of Hannah Nokes” on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. at Sprouse Rare Book Room inside the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library (717 Queen St., Alexandria, Va.).

Amy will share the story of Hannah Nokes, an African-American transgender woman who made headlines in 1933 when she testified in a high-profile murder trial. Learn about Nokes’s life, her place in history, and the broader social context of her remarkable story. Her story is among those featured in the book “Queer Virginia: New Stories in the Old Dominion.”

Out & About

Annapolis Pride arrives this weekend

Sixth annual LGBTQ celebration held in Maryland capital

Published

2 days ago

October 2, 2026

Tinashe Chingarande

Annapolis Pride is set for Saturday. (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

The Sixth Annual Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 11 a.m. on the streets adjacent to St. John’s College.

The theme of this year’s Annapolis Pride Parade and Festival celebration is “United in Pride, Together We Thrive!” Saturday’s parade will begin on St. John’s Street adjacent to St. John’s College, continue along Calvert Street to Northwest Street, to Church Circle, and onto West Street. The parade route then turns onto Amos Garrett Boulevard and eventually ends on Constitution Avenue near Maryland Hall.

Those with disabilities will be able to watch the parade from a special viewing porch at the Graduate Hotel at 126 West St. An Annapolis Pride volunteer will be there and available to assist.

For more details, visit the festival’s website.