Arts & Entertainment
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ world tour stops in D.C. on Aug. 6
‘WERQ the World’ returns live drag performance to country’s largest stages
Some of the most popular queens from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will perform live at National Harbor outside D.C. on Aug. 6 as part of the official “WERQ THE WORLD”tour.
In recent months, drag queens have received significant media attention, much of it from right-wing figures criticizing events like Drag Queen story hours and brunches. However, the colorful, creative performances continue to be wildly popular, and this year’s “WERQ THE WORLD” tour marks the return of RuPaul’s live U.S. tour after a COVID-enforced hiatus.
“In this year’s live production, an experiment gone wrong sends audiences spiraling through time with no way of returning to 2022,” publicity representative Jeff Dorta said in an email to the Blade. “The queens will whisk fans on a magical journey through iconic periods of history in hopes of returning them safely home.”
The Blade spoke with Daya Betty, a Season 14 finalist on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and one of the queens who will be performing in D.C., who talked about getting started in drag, her “WERQ THE WORLD” experience so far and how drag performance unites audiences.
“I’m a Type One diabetic — that’s actually where my name comes from — and I started out in a small town called Springfield, Missouri,” Betty said. “There’s not a lot going on there, except for a college and lots of little dive bars, which is actually where I got my start. I didn’t get my start in a gay bar like a lot of other drag queens do. I got started in a biker bar, which is pretty fun and very telling of the Midwest.”
“Being in the Midwest and growing up queer, you kind of have to create your own family with your own friends and build your own community,” Betty continued. “That’s really where my passion for drag stemmed from and what caused me to audition for the show.”
BLADE: Drag has gotten a lot of media attention lately — some of it negative. In your experience, what is the best part of being a drag queen?
DAYA BETTY: Being from a small town, I didn’t really see a lot of queer people on TV or in magazines, I felt like I was kind of sheltered away from that. So, the fact that drag queens are literally being showcased on TV shows, on billboards, in fashion spreads, they’re walking in fashion week — I think it’s cool to see not only drag in the regular sense but drag in the mainstream and in common things.
It’s so true what people say — as long as we are putting ourselves out there and we’re letting our faces be shown, there’s always going to be critics and people that that don’t want to look at us. But I think that in a sense this makes us work harder, and when we do get to be featured in mainstream things, it makes it that much sweeter.
BLADE: What is it like to be part of “WERQ THE WORLD 2022,” and what features make this year’s tour special?
BETTY: It’s not just queens from one particular season of “Drag Race” — you can see queens from as early as season 6. We each have our own personalities, and that is very much reflected in the numbers that we create. That’s something I really like about WERQ THE WORLD — we have a huge say in what we perform, what we do and what we get to showcase — and ultimately just get the best representation of who we are and what we stand for individually.
We did Radio City last night, and I think we almost sold out Radio City Music Hall, so just the fact that that’s a thing right now is insane and super, super cool. It shows the level of professionality that not only the queens have, but everyone — the tech, the crew. We like to say it’s as if drag and a Broadway musical were somehow mashed together. It’s a production, it’s more than just your local bar gig.”
BLADE: Have you had a favorite part of the tour so far?
BETTY: I think just being able to be around people again — being able to see people and being able to connect with people one-on-one. During the pandemic we did a lot of digital drag, but it’s not the same as having a face-to-face performance or a face-to-face conversation. Not to sound too cliché, but really we live off of that live energy that the crowd likes to give us.
Although WERQ THE WORLD did a European tour during summer 2021, this summer is the first time the live tour has performed across the United States since 2019. Daya Betty said that stopping at cities throughout the country has made the world feel much smaller, as she notices what their audiences have in common.
“You think the world is such a big place, but the more you travel around and meet people, you realize that everybody just likes to smile and have a good time,” Betty reflected.
BLADE: How does drag performance bring people together, and what makes it such a beloved space for the LGBTQ community?
BETTY: I think it’s just watching people be authentic and be true to themselves — people putting themselves out there and then being recognized for it and being able to create a career and support themselves financially off it — that’s such a cool thing that we’ve created as a community,” Betty said. “Just like when you watch a television show, you connect with certain characters because you see little parts of yourself in them — I think that’s why.
It is so fabulous to be on a huge stage and have this big platform, but I think at the end of the day, we’re all drag queens; we come from the same place, we all started in bars or local clubs. I think we need to put just as much respect on people that have been on TV or drag queens that are in mainstream media and on local performers as well, because that’s where we all start and that’s where we all learn.
Celebrity News
My evening with Madonna
Gay icon headlined the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Editor’s note: International News Editor Michael K. Lavers and Photo Editor Michael Key will be on assignment in the Netherlands through Aug. 10. They will be covering World Pride in Amsterdam.
AMSTERDAM — Madonna and 6,000 of her closest friends celebrated World Pride at Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall early Sunday morning. I was fortunate enough to be one of them.
Madonna last Wednesday nearly broke the internet when she said on social media in Dutch that “I got somethin’ I wanna talk about,” referring to an opening line in “Danceteria,” one of the tracks on her “Confessions II” album that has received rave reviews since its July 2 release. The track has been on near constant replay on my playlist since I first heard it.
— Madonna (@Madonna) July 28, 2026
MISTR — a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term care that has organized Madonna’s Club Confessions shows in the U.S. and the U.K. — later confirmed the rampant speculation. I woke up on July 30 to an email in my inbox from MISTR and the World Pride Music Festival PR team that said I was on the press list.
Madonna was indeed going to headline the World Pride Music Festival that Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced, and I was going to be there. OMFG!!!!
The gay icon had one more surprise in store.
The Dutch internet on Saturday once again broke over speculation that Kylie Minogue was going to appear alongside Madonna. I was getting ready to leave our hotel in Amsterdam on Saturday night when I saw a video of the two of them together.
“Madonna is now teasing Kylie Minogue on her social media … she may be one of her ‘special guests’ tonight,” I wrote in a text to Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff at 8:46 p.m.
“Have fun! This is turning into the gayest concert ever,” he responded.
I arrived at AFAS Live shortly before 11 p.m. My press contact walked me and two other Dutch journalists into the venue’s cavernous main room known as the Black Box. We made small talk for a few minutes before I started to walk around and listen to Josh Harrison who was on the decks.
Madonna was scheduled to take the stage at 1:30 a.m., but she is known for being late — she is Madonna and she does what she wants. Hayla, a British singer, and Bebe Rexha are among those who performed ahead of Madonna. Thousands of sweaty men — including a group of Australians next to me who were eagerly awaiting Kylie’s anticipated appearance — packed the Black Box and were dancing, anticipating what was to come.
MISTR CEO Tristan Schukraft at one point came on stage and declared Madonna was indeed in the building. The moment for which we were all eagerly waiting finally came shortly before 2:30 a.m.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage.
Stuart Price, who produced her “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album in 2005, manned the decks during Madonna’s set.
She opened it with “I Feel So Free” from “Confessions II.” Madonna then sang “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria” to which this reporter — and everyone else — sang along.
Madonna then teased a surprise before she began to perform “Love Sensation.” Kylie soon appeared on stage. It was nearly too much for my fellow partygoers from Australia. It was indeed the gayest concert ever!
Madonna and Kylie performed “Love Sensation” together. They then sang “Hung Up” and “Sorry” from “Confessions on a Dance Floor” to round out the set that ended shortly after 3 a.m.
Madonna and I share the same birthday — Aug. 16 — and I would like to think she and Kylie gave me an early birthday present. In all seriousness though, it was an amazing night for me and for everyone else who was fortunate enough to be there.
“On the dance floor I feel so free,” says Madonna in the opening of “I Feel So Free.”
For those few precious hours at AFAS Live I did not think about the Trump-Vance administration and the myriad ways it is destroying the U.S. I did not think about the National Guard troops deployed to D.C. I did not think about the pointless wars that continue to ravage Ukraine and other countries around the world. I simply lost myself on the dance floor and celebrated an icon who has always stood with my community.
Thank you, Madonna.
The Petal Release Party and Drag Show was held at Spark Social on Friday, July 31. Performers included Tiara-Missou, Labianna and Darcy de la Cuadra.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Celebrity News
Madonna headlines World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
Kylie Minogue made surprise appearance alongside gay icon
AMSTERDAM — Madonna on Sunday headlined the final night of the World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam.
The gay icon took the stage shortly before 2:30 a.m. local time (8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday) during Club Confessions, a set that MISTR, a telehealth platform that offers free access to PrEP, Doxy PEP, STI testing, and long-term HIV care, organized.
“Mother is here and this is gay heaven,” said Madonna when she took the stage inside Amsterdam’s AFAS Live concert hall that can hold up to 6,000 people.
Stuart Price, who produced Madonna’s 2005 “Confessions on a Dance Floor” album and “Confessions II,” which debuted on July 2, DJed the set.
Kylie Minogue made a surprise appearance. She and Madonna performed a new remix of “Love Sensation” from “Confessions II.”
(Washington Blade video by Michael K. Lavers)
“Throughout my career, I’ve always supported efforts to fight HIV and AIDS, and that fight begins with education and access,” said Madonna in a MISTR press release. “With MISTR, (CEO) Tristan (Schukraft) is expanding access to HIV prevention and sexual healthcare for everyone. Through this work, he’s helping preserve and strengthen LGBTQ+ spaces while investing in the communities and culture that have long sustained us.”
Minogue in an Instagram post thanked Madonna, Price, Schukraft, and MISTR.
Madonna appeared at The Abbey in West Hollywood, Calif., in April. Madonna in June celebrated Pride month with a pop-up performance in New York’s Times Square.
Jake Resnicow and Insomniac produced the World Pride Music Festival that also featured Bebe Rexha and Paris Hilton, among others.
“Pride has always been about bringing our community together,” said Resnicow. “At a moment when too many people are being told to hide or make themselves smaller, gathering openly, joyfully, and without apology matters more than ever. I couldn’t be prouder of what this festival brought to life in Amsterdam — one dance floor, completely free.”
Buttigieg indicates he may run for president in 2028
Remembering Elliot Leonard, generous visionary who helped LGBTQ communities thrive
My evening with Madonna
PHOTOS: Petal Release Party
Madonna headlines World Pride Music Festival in Amsterdam
PHOTOS: Lambda Legal in the Pines
Calendar: July 31-August 6
Taiwan’s government has failed to update process to change gender markers on ID documents
Come showcase your singing, poetry talent
