For decades, drag performers have made a home in the ancient ridges and valleys of the Appalachian mountains.
In Cumberland, Maryland, in the historic Embassy Theatre downtown, you can catch a glimpse of something glamorous and unique to this corner of the Rust Belt.
Photographer Michael Snyder, who grew up in nearby Frostburg, first experienced the Cumberland drag scene more than a decade ago. He would return again and again, before starting to photograph the drag performers. His pictures capture the glamour and grit of Cumberland’s queens.
Bruce Baker, known on stage as Mary Jane LaFay, joins us to talk about performing in Cumberland's drag scene.
Snyder's photography exhibit, "The Queens of Queen City," is open July 29 through August 19, 2023 in Allegany Art Council's Saville Gallery in Cumberland.
Later in the show, Kijana West discusses founding a new hub for LGTBQ+ community building in the region. Safe Space Cumberland opened last November, and offers virtual and in-person services.
The story of queer life in Allegany County is also captured in Rae Garringer's essay in the recent edition of the Virginia Quartely Review, produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.
In addition to writing, Garringer is the founder of Country Queers, an ongoing, multimedia, community-based oral history project documenting rural and small town LGBTQIA+ experiences.
