San Francisco selects D’Arcy Drollinger as first drag laureate in US

The nation’s first-ever drag laureate was named Thursday in San Francisco.

Well-known drag performer and nightclub owner D’Arcy Drollinger was selected to the ambassador-esque position by Mayor London Breed, who called her a “a bright star” in the Golden City.

The role lasts for 18 months – a span where Drollinger said she plans to make the city “sparkle.”

“My goals are to make San Francisco sparkle. I think drag performers bring a lot of sparkle and humor and glamor and silliness to the world. I think that is part of why drag is so successful,” said Drollinger, a man who uses feminine pronouns when in drag. 

She said she intends to be in drag “pretty much 24/7 for the next 18 months.”

She begins her new role weeks before Pride Month gets underway.

Her duties, which earn her a $55,000 stipend, will include producing and taking part in drag events while serving as a spokesperson for San Francisco’s LGBTQ community.

“I hope that the drag laureate position telegraphs to the rest of the country that drag is not something to be scared of,” Drollinger, who owns Oasis nightclub, said. “Drag is something to celebrate.”

Before Drollinger was selected, the job posting was looking for someone to “embody San Francisco’s historic, diverse and inclusive drag culture, elevating the entire community on the national and international stage.”

Breed told The Associated Press Drollinger has been a leader through celebration or tragedy.

New York City previously introduced legislation to create the same position in 2021 but it got stuck in a committee.

New York City Councilmember Kristin Richardson Johnson, who recently dropped her reelection bid, plans to push to see the position become a reality.

Her legislative and budget director Jack McClatchy didn’t give a specific reason why the effort stalled. 

With Post wires