Soothing the Pride Month Hangover

Every year since 1999, June has been the recognized month for the LGBT community to take a deep breath, shimmy itself into a rainbow-colored bodycon dress called PRIDE, and live fabulously for 30 days in celebration of their right to be recognized as part of the melting pot of society. More plainly, to be “out” and proud rather than silent in plain view. 

Pride Month was inspired by the Stonewall riots in New York, which occurred after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in Lower Manhattan, on June 28, 1969. The following year, the first Pride March was held. Three decades later, President Bill Clinton declared June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In 2011, President Barack Obama expanded the recognition to include the entire LGBT community.

It’s been suggested in recent years that Pride Month be extended to the July 4 holiday, but that idea almost sets up a showdown between the Pride rainbow and the hardcore-spangled wing of Team America. 

John Hickey is undaunted by the prospect of such negativity, and inasmuch as Michigan is not poised to ban fabulousness anytime soon, so his Malickey’s Presents promises an oasis of pride on an otherwise vanilla calendar of entertainment options. But drag is starting to come out into the light of day. Both Hamilton Street Pub and Historic Masonic Temple held drag shows in the past few months, and MI Table hosted a drag brunch.

To those who feel they are being force-fed an LGBTQIA- alphabet-soup agenda of perversion, consider the prevalence of heterosexual imagery in society. Ingrained in our institutions, popular culture, and the advertising of just about any product – is the innuendo (both subtle and blatant) of heterosexual allure, titillation, and satisfaction. Being demonstrably “put off” by people whose lifestyles are allowed into the light of day – rather than kept in the shadows – telegraphs insecurity while revealing a “blind spot” on the moral compass where the Golden Rule resides. 

Yet today, if my personal beliefs do not accept your lifestyle, my business can turn you away, so sayeth the Supreme Court.

What’s Drag Got to Do With It?

People must continue to coexist, and while our differences seem to be a way to distinguish ourselves, it’s also important to understand that accepting the differences of others should carry equal weight expressing our own individuality. Call it a dance between tolerance and empathy.

One could posit that drag has come to symbolize empowerment: in other words, pride in action. The uninitiated have no qualms drawing conclusions about what happens at a drag show. But the spectacle of a striptease sexualization free-for-all is caricature of a quaint reality: Drag shows feature a variety of campy, costumed performers that celebrate positive energy, bawdy attitudes, and the flexible boundaries of the postmodern sexual revolution. 

Attendees at a Malickey’s Presents Drag Show occupy all hues of the rainbow: gay, straight, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, nonbinary, and those who are still figuring it out. The atmosphere is one of festive anticipation as people get settled in, socialize, and scan the crowd to see who else they might know in attendance. 

Hickey, a Caro native, wanted to revive the drag shows he used to hold at Malickey’s Pub on Madison Avenue, which he operated from 2007 to 2015. So in the fall of 2021, he approached Rob and LuAnn Ervin about having a drag show at Bemo’s Bar just down the street from his old establishment. The first show was on Halloween 2021, a date custom-fit for costumed revelry.

In terms of making connections with performers in the area, Hickey had to start from scratch. “I was cold-calling people,” he recalls. 

Hickey originally became familiar with the drag scene in South Bend, Indiana, where he lived for 10 years after leaving Caro. “I worked in a bar, or had friends who were performers, so when I came back [to mid-Michigan], I had culture shock,” he explained. “I thought I could have a gay bar here, I thought it would be alright. I had no clue that it was not gonna fly.” 

Hickey and his family kept the Hunter’s Bar name when they bought it, but when Hickey’s stepfather, Dave Malenfant, had a falling-out with the previous owner, they changed the name to Malickey’s – a mash-up of Malefont and Hickey. 

“It was a very mixed crowd,” Hickey recalls. “A lot of African Americans, a lot of Hispanics, it was a melting pot, but it wasn’t a lot of whites. I was okay with that, and I thought I’d just mix the two together. Well, the black people liked the gay people, but the gay people were afraid of the black people.” Friday nights became known as Dark Night, because the clientele was mostly black people. Saturday nights became drag night.

“Our first drag show, everybody in the bar dressed in drag,” says Hickey. “Girls dressed as guys, guys dressed as girls, that was 2008. And then we had a ‘drag race’ out front. We put all the purses at the end of the block and everyone had to run and get their purse and whoever got theirs first, won. We were kind of in the community’s face, to be honest with yo

But the prevailing sentiment, today as 15 years ago, says Hickey, is “Hey, we’re here. And we’re not going away.”

Saturday Night’s Alright for Drag

Since the first show on Halloween 2021, Malickey’s has presented seven drag shows at Bemo’s, with the next one scheduled for July 15. Justin Machelski (DJ KIT) first met Hickey during the Malickey’s Pub days, and the two reconnected at Bemo’s. “When I saw John and mentioned doing something together, I had no clue he was starting to do drag shows,” says Machelski. Recently named Best DJ at the 2023 REVIEW Music Awards, DJ KIT has worked every Malickey’s Drag Show since the second one, the day after Christmas 2021.

Every performer will provide him with a mix of the songs they will perform days before the show, and he goes to work weaving the playlist of performances, strategizing break music, and curating a general vibe. 

“Working with this community is a huge privilege,” says Machelski. “These are real entertainers who take themselves extremely seriously. When someone’s been doing their makeup for hours, it’s more of a production and you want your music just right. I would expect to work with a couple divas.”

Hickey gets his performers through various connections he’s made through his expanding network. Many performers also make their own colorful, whimsical, and surprisingly elaborate costumes. While the performances mostly involve lip-synching and creative movement, a couple performers actually sing and create their own mixes as well, which adds additional variety to the evening.

Aside from the booker, the DJ, and the performers, the essential ingredient that defines any good drag show is the emcee. Hickey has found his ace and wild card with Crystal Harding, who will once again lead the festivities on July 15. As she pumps up the crowd, setting the mood as well as expectations, Harding ensures that all “tribes” – as well as any drag show “virgins” – are recognized, playfully hazed, and made to feel welcome. 

“I started doing drag at 16,” says Harding, who lives in Sterling Heights and does shows all over Michigan and beyond. “I was hanging out with a group of friends that were Latin. I didn’t have any gay friends ‘cuz I was Arabic and kinda closeted. I used to sneak into a club called Male Box in Detroit. I met one of the kids there and I started hanging out with them every weekend.”

“I was scared of drag queens ‘cuz I didn’t know what it was about,” says Harding. “I saw two drag queens at the club I used to go to. They were bigger, heavyset queens, and that scared me.” Still, Harding was intrigued. “They had a show every Sunday, but I never made it, ‘cuz I had school every Monday.” 

One week there was a cancellation and a replacement was urgently needed to fill the show. Encouraged by her friends, Harding ultimately volunteered to give it a shot.

“The first song I ever performed in drag was ‘I Think I’m in Love’ by Jessica Simpson.” When Harding hit the stage, “all I saw was flashing lights and money!” The compliments and adulation flowed like champagne. “Since then, 19 years later, I’ve been hooked.”

From Michigan to Ohio to Florida, Canada, and Chicago, Harding loves bringing the drag experience to different cities, states, and countries. Drag is “a hobby that turned into a job because that’s how I bring in my income,” she explains. Harding was busy during Pride Month; among her appearances was hosting Motor City Pride at Hart Plaza, one of the largest Pride shows in Michigan.

Drag has changed considerably in the two decades since Harding started. For instance, the expansion of how people identify has evolved. “I personally don’t understand it, but I respect it.  For me, I identify as ‘him’ so I like to be considered a ‘him.’ When I’m in drag, yes, I don’t mind being called a “her” out of respect. But I like to let people know that’s my art. I’m a male that impersonates females, and I like to, not trick anybody, I like to show how good I am at transforming from a male to a female or a male to an entertainer. That part, I can only speak for myself.” [Note: This article refers to Harding with she/her pronouns out of R-E-S-P-E-C-T.]

Harding looks forward to Pride Month every year as her coming-out party. “I’m not hiding who I am, it’s just out of respect for my family’s reputation,” she says of her low-key private life. “I’m very close to my family. They all know what I do, but we don’t talk about it. Not because they’re disgusted by it or anything, it’s just that they’re ‘old school.’ I just figure, when they’re ready to ask, they’re ready to know.”

Aside from a few risquè jokes she has available for certain scenarios, Harding does all her shows unscripted, treating every event as a new experience. “I don’t like to be predicted. I like people to think, ‘Omigod, what’s next?!’”

Perhaps some raunchy, simulated sex acts? Nothing could be further from the truth, assures Harding. “It’s all about performance and pageantry. No one wants to mess up their costume.”

In addition to her emcee duties, Harding always performs during the evening. Joining her at the July 15 show will be Lucy Misfit, JonBenet, and Sirinity Sapphire. Cover is $10 and there is a 21+ age limit. Doors open at 8; show starts at 9. Some Heels will be performing on the patio, and the first 100 people through the door will receive a swag bag from Nice & Naughty.