Final Project

On the night of Nov. 19 into 20, a mass shooting occurred at Club Q, an LGBTQIA+ nightclub in Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States, making it the 604th mass shooting of 2022. Five people were killed, and 25 others were injured, 19 of them by gunfire. The accused was also injured and taken to a local hospital.

The shooting once again highlighted the dangers and hate crimes that the LGBTQIA+ community still face today and the importance of not letting these mass shootings get slipped under the rug. Eden Tighe, a member of the community, feels similarly.

Tighe, 19, from Sharpsville, PA, art therapy major, who uses she/they pronouns, found an interested in drag in the spring of 2021, while watching popular drag tv show "RuPaul's Drag Race." The term "drag" refers to the performance of masculinity, femininity or other forms of gender expression. A drag queen is someone who performs femininity and a drag king is someone who performs masculinity. The term may be used as a noun as in the expression in drag or as an adjective as in drag show.

With the word "free" in graffiti behind her, Tighe, in Miss Wonda form, strikes a pose underneath the Sgt. David W. Wallace III "Walleye" Memorial Bridge on Nov. 23, 2022, just three days after the Club Q shooting. "The tape is to symbolize not only how I have been silenced in my community as a trans woman who does drag but also those who lost their lives at Club Q," Tighe said.

Tighe has always had an interest in art, from painting to sketching to pottery. She even first majored in animation at Edinboro University, now Penn West Edinboro. She said drag peaked her interested because "it was every art form combined."

Tighe slowly started immersing herself more into the drag community, watching all seasons of RuPaul's Drag Race in about a month and started becoming a regular audience member in the nearest drag clubs in her area, which is about 30 minutes away in Youngstown, Ohio.

"When I visited the clubs, like Club Switch, it just felt like home," Tighe said. "I was just out as gay at this point, and drag, along with therapy, helped me become more comfortable with my transgenderness."

Tighe reaches for their throat to find their voice. "Drag has helped me find myself and my voice, putting myself out there in ways I didn't think I could before," Tighe said. "Which is why when any violence happens in the community [LGBTQIA+ community], it is so important for our voices to not get lost."

After only attending a few shows, Tighe decided that it was time to take the stage.

"I came up with my drag name while watching WandaVision and decided Wanda was a powerful name," Tighe said. "I wanted to make it a pun like every drag performer, so I changed the 'a' to an 'o' to make Wonda, like it's Wonda-ful. Then added 'Miss' in front because it felt even more powerful, which is what I wanted the character to be."

Tighe basks in the sunlight, letting previous "darkness" go behind her. "I just remind myself of how lucky I have been to not experience any violence or feeling unsafe in general throughout my time in drag when these things [the Club Q shooting] happen," Tighe said. "Youngstown, where I perform the most, is the third poorest city in Ohio, so Youngstown drag tends to be more creative and resourceful, which I see in the overall community too."

Being a naturally creative person, Tighe wanted to make their own stage costumes and props. With a sewing machine and a dream, Miss Wonda started to take form.

"I learned to sew when I was younger from my grandma and any other tips and tricks I have learned from YouTube or from my drag grandma," Tighe said. " I like to make most of my outfits because I feel even more authentically myself. Sewing is also one of my hobbies. When you have sewn together a garment and then you get to wear it on stage, it makes me feel even more pride because it is me investing heavily into my craft. "

The term "drag grandma" refers to the individual "families" that drag performers create, as many tend to be outcasted from their family and community because of their sexuality, interests, and passions. Being a younger performer, Tighe naturally slipped into a drag family, being the baby of a small group of about five people. Their drag grandma is the most seasoned performer, like the grandma of the family.

Tighe looks towards the sunlight with the word "boobie" in graffiti behind her. "I am really lucky to have a supportive mom to help me with my transitioning process," Tighe said. "Not many people get that, so they never really feel that they are their true selves because they cannot afford the ridiculous prices of gender affirming health care."

Inspiration for Tighe's performances is fairly simple, as they can come from her just looking at something and thinking "what if I was that?" She likes to highlight what "people may not think about." An example of this is a shower thoughts number that Tighe created, a mix of Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" with gas noises, as sometimes people "just fart in the shower naturally and think nothing of it because they are alone." This comedic style is the base of Miss Wonda's persona.

"My drag style is very campy and comedic," Tighe said. "Miss. Wonda is a way of finding and building confidence, pride, and happiness for myself. She has been a way for me to explore entertainment in any sort of way I have imagined. She also is a way for channeling my creative ideas and strong emotions I may feel at the time."

Tighe smears lipstick over the tape on their face. "When people in power continue to not listen and pass stricter gun laws during these times of violence, it feels like things get even messier and our [LGBTQIA+] voices get further suppressed," Tighe said.

In Miss Wonda's persona, Tighe has been "a cat, dog, Dusty the saw from Handy Manny, Anton Ego the food critic from Ratatouille, the meteor that destroyed the dinosaurs," and so much more. Through these characters, she also has been able to represent some of the diversity of the drag community.

"I would like people to know that drag is not just dressing up as a woman," Tighe said. "There are drag kings and non-binary performers as well. In fact, half the time I would not say Miss. Wonda is a woman because of the characters I play. Overall, it is a community filled with love and support. Drag and the drag community is a home. It is where I feel no judgment, and if there is judgment I have enough strength to ignore it. "

Tighe puts their head down and looks in the distance. "Anytime an attack on the LGBTQIA+ community happens or when I come back home, I try so hard not to get back in my headspace before I was out," Tighe said. "I know my worth because of drag."

In light of the Club Q shooting, Tighe "wants to stress the sense of community and chosen family and friends" that drag and the LGBTQIA+ community has brought her.

"Drag also has made me a stronger person," Tighe said. "For example, I now know my self-worth. I feel an important thing in life is finding your people. Last year when I first ventured off to school, I had no sense of who I was and had few to no people to support me. Now a year later, I have 'my people' to support me, understand me, and be there for me when needed. "

Tighe tries to break free from her arms tied behind her back. "I have so much hope for the future and hope the least amount of lives are lost before real progress is made," Tighe said. "I want to be a part of that change by still being Miss Wonda and performing for as long as I can."

Tighe plans to continue performing at clubs in Youngstown, Cleveland, and Akron, Ohio and will be hosting a 18+ sitcom themed show for the second time in Cleveland in January.

Outtakes from the photoshoot, showcasing Miss Wonda's quirky side.