In Kyiv, Drag Queens Perform to Forget The War — And to Defy Putin

Arthur Ozerov, who volunteered for the military, used drag to help unlock a part of himself he’d been suppressing.
Members of the audience reach for drag queen Adele during a drag show in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Members of the audience reach for drag queen Adele during a drag show in Kyiv, Ukraine.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost

KYIV, Ukraine ― The crowd at G-Versace Club ― mainly queer men, but also a sizable proportion of young women ― went as wild for every performer as the audience might at a Beyoncé or BTS concert. The Feb. 11 show opened with “the Go-Go GIANNI Boys,” a troupe of scantily clad, svelte men who danced choreographed numbers. Then, six drag queens with names like Gina Smile or Alcodiva took to the small stage, lip-syncing to both Ukrainian and international hits.

Inside this dark, smoky underground club, one might not have had any clue that a brutal war was raging in this country. Yet it had been just about a year since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Go-Go GIANNI Boys perform on stage during a drag show at G-Versace Club in Kyiv.
The Go-Go GIANNI Boys perform on stage during a drag show at G-Versace Club in Kyiv.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost

While all were eager to forget the war for a few hours, it wasn’t ignored, either. Toward the end of the show, all of the drag queens gathered on stage for one grand ensemble piece. Together, they stood tall while the entire club sang along with the popular “Army Remix” of “Oi u luzi chervona kalyna”, a powerful military anthem that has symbolized Ukrainian resistance since the War of Independence from 1917 to 1921.

Drag queen Biologiy, center, performs with the Go-Go GIANNI Boys.
Drag queen Biologiy, center, performs with the Go-Go GIANNI Boys.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost

That Saturday, the club opened at 2 p.m., which is standard for wartime weekend parties in Ukraine’s capital. Martial law means that civilians aren’t allowed out on the streets after 11 p.m. in Kyiv. The show was over by 9 p.m., giving people time to get home before curfew. The early end didn’t stop people from having a good time, with the bartenders pouring drinks and the patrons grinding and dancing until the last minute.

“[The drag show] relieves the emotional burden from the war for a short period of time, helps us to relax and chat with friends,” Arthur Ozerov, who was the star of the show as drag queen Aura, explained to me via Telegram, a popular messaging app.

Arthur Ozerov in his military uniform at his home outside of Kyiv, where he keeps bees and has a garden.
Arthur Ozerov in his military uniform at his home outside of Kyiv, where he keeps bees and has a garden.
Laure Chor for HuffPost
Ozerov shows his makeup kit.
Ozerov shows his makeup kit.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost

Ozerov is no stranger to the military. When the war began last February, he volunteered to join the military administration. In April, the world watched in horror when a mass grave containing hundreds of bodies was found in Bucha, a town outside of Kyiv, after Russian forces withdrew from the area. Ozerov got to work making more than a hundred wooden coffins by hand and delivered them to Bucha.

Despite what he and the rest of the country went through, there was an unexpected positive outcome of the war, he said.

“I became much more open. The war made me brave,” Ozerov said. “I came out [as gay] in June, it allowed me to be free now. I calmly talk about my passion for drag culture and am not afraid of judgment from others.”

Ozerov gets ready to perform as Aura at G-Versace Night Club.
Ozerov gets ready to perform as Aura at G-Versace Night Club.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
Aura poses on stage before a drag show at G-Versace Club.
Aura poses on stage before a drag show at G-Versace Club.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost

In addition to his work in the military administration, he found another mission he believes helps his country: speaking up for the LGBTQ community in Ukraine, which continues to face widespread stigma and discrimination. A poll last year showed that 4 in 10 respondents hold a “negative view” of the LGBT community, compared to 6 out of 10 six years ago.

But Arthur wants to show the world that his country shares the same values as Western democratic states, in contrast with Russia, where President Vladimir Putin’s regime has cracked down on LGBTQ people. Drag shows and clubs like this one demonstrate how Ukraine is different, Arthur believes.

Aura wears traditional Ukrainian dress while performing on stage with backup dancers.
Aura wears traditional Ukrainian dress while performing on stage with backup dancers.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost

“This shows Ukrainians that we are Europeans, we value and respect freedom among LGBT culture in the European Union, and we want the same freedom to exist in Ukraine as well,” he said.

“Ukraine is a free country, it was and will be.”

See more photos from the G-Versace Club drag show below.

Drag queen Adele gets ready in the dressing room before performing at G-Versace Club.
Drag queen Adele gets ready in the dressing room before performing at G-Versace Club.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
Members of Go-Go GIANNI Boys get ready backstage.
Members of Go-Go GIANNI Boys get ready backstage.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
Drag queen Biologiy poses with patrons.
Drag queen Biologiy poses with patrons.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
The audience takes photos during the drag show.
The audience takes photos during the drag show.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
Drag queen Chaika poses inside G-Versace Club.
Drag queen Chaika poses inside G-Versace Club.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
Stervela poses in the changing room before the drag show.
Stervela poses in the changing room before the drag show.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
Patrons embrace in front of the coat check counter.
Patrons embrace in front of the coat check counter.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost
A dancer performs in front of a TV screen showing the Ukrainian flag.
A dancer performs in front of a TV screen showing the Ukrainian flag.
Laurel Chor for HuffPost

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