Juliette Stark, Plus-Sized Pop Princess of Western New York- Image courtesy of Juliette Stark, collage by Lee Ames
As a student at SUNY Fredonia, I’ve always been a fan of the queer community this liberal arts school provides. From Pride Proms to LGBTQIA+ events, it’s always been a priority that all people feel welcome.
However, none of this would be possible without Juliette Stark, the Plus-Sized Pop Princess of Western New York, who puts on monthly drag shows and campus-wide events.
This past week, she hosted the fourth Menage a Caw at Fredonia’s local Raven and Thorn (better known as the home of the ‘Tell Tale Heart’ or the Edger Alen Poe themed bar).
This experienced Queen got her start in 2018 when she performed for the first time. However, drag isn’t for the weak, and as many say, practice makes perfect. She spent months learning the art, experimenting with stage makeup to make it more extreme, and practiced, practiced, practiced.
It wasn’t until she met her sudo-drag mom at a Pride alliance show that she was told she had what it takes within her.
You see, drag isn’t really an independent art; it’s a collective of people made up of a diverse community of performers and creatives.
Juliette found her community at SUNY Fredonia, where she started doing campus shows before COVID. This is when she found her drag community, and where they eventually migrated to Zoom shows during lockdown.
It showed her the future she could have in drag and how important art can be to bring people together. Community members were tuning into the online performances, and Juliette found herself getting closer to the Buffalo Queen scene, which is how she got her first official booking around June of 2021.
Soon, she met her drag mom and continued to host her first ‘drag bingo’ in the Williams Center on Fredonia’s campus. Not long after, she began her journey hosting monthly shows out of BJ’s, a local bar in Fredonia, before switching over to a queer-friendly space that opened up, named Monster Beach. Here she hosted Kiki at The Tiki drag shows with seasoned and baby queens alike.
She learned all about doing in-person shows and how to manage all the moving parts a performance takes with multiple Kings and Queens.
There, she met Madam Alexander, her drag daughter, where she could begin to share her skills with up-and-coming queens.
It wasn’t long after their start at Monster Beach when the bar suddenly closed, but all was not lost when Raven and Thorn picked up the Fredonia drag scene. Now housing the monthly shows and giving space for those to perform and enjoy the art of drag.
Throughout it all, Juliette Stark has grown into her drag persona, finding her style and aesthetic that best represent Juliette as the woman we all know and love.
When asked about drag, Stark felt strongly that drag is political; however, she is “there to perform and to entertain, and I don’t want politics to be a barrier” for that. Drag hasn’t been in the media that long, but it’s meant to be comedic, lighthearted, and fun. Her mentality is “why not show it?” These performances are all about positivity, lighthearted laughter, and the bright energy that comes from colorful wigs and a few vodka crans.
She went on to explain that Fredonia didn’t always have the most consistent drag scene, and has worked hard throughout the last few years to build that identity for those willing and open. As far as we can tell, the town is forever grateful for this, and Stark is just excited to see such a loyal group of people that come out to their performances and to see such a supportive crowd return time and time again.
The Fredonia Drag Collective is a mix of local queens of varying degrees, from learning baby queens to seasoned performers from the Buffalo Area.
Her dream now is to see the Fredonia drag continue and grow.
To have new people come in and try drag out, and to give them the chance, if they want to be serious about it. To create a safe space for those looking for queer entertainment, and provide spaces for college students and locals alike.
So, what’s next for Juliette Stark?
With goals like performing in New York City, and makeup collaborations for queens to have a set specifically connected to all the things someone might need to do drag, and growing as a Twitch streamer, this queen has many things on her bucket list.
We know we will be keeping our eyes open for any news on RuPaul’s Drag Race, or Marvel acting roles– but for now, you can always catch her once a month at Raven and Thorn. There, you will get a themed show every other month, and the best entertainment a person could ask for.
If you’re interested in more from Juliette, check her out by searching @thejuilettestark and consider taking a trip to see her live and in person.
Our Agenda, Our Way
A huge thank you to Juliette Stark for all the support here at The Gay Agenda!! Make sure to give her a follow, along with all the other queens at Menage a Caw: @thejuliettestark, @strangebeauty.rarebeauty, @mmealexander, @lottaproblems2025, @toriphoria, @shea.dheaux, @boy.divisiondrag, @miss_harmony_bombshell, @maeve_garv2024