Roller-skating drag queens on the Oakland watrerfront bring a new spin to Pride
On the edge of Oakland, right by the bay, something fabulous is afoot.
Drag queens, those glittering stars of the late-night stage, have rolled out of the dark and into the park. They've traded the spotlight for sunlight, the velvet rope for a view of the bay, and high heels for four wheels.
The result? Rollin' With the Homos - a monthly drag skate party held at Township Commons. It's part talent show, part roller derby, and part something you've never quite seen before.
At the center of this rolling rainbow is a queen named Angel Food Cakes, which might explain why everyone here is eating it up.
"I think it's a mixture of people love watching skaters," said Food Cakes. "You know, they love seeing somebody doing something so kind of unusual, and it can be beautiful, but it can be silly and dangerous."
What began as a scrappy sidewalk performance quickly gained traction, turning into a highly popular monthly show. There was no script, just skates, rhinestones, and a whole lot of heart, said co-founder Nicki J.
"Most drag performers - we're all out in the clubs and it's late night and it's not all ages," Nicki J. said. "And this is a way that we can connect with the community."
It all comes as the ACLU reports over 570 anti-LGBTQ+ bills have been introduced nationwide this year. More than 50 have already been signed into law, most targeting trans Americans.
So here, under the open sky, Rollin' With the Homos has become something bigger than a show - it's a statement on wheels.
That mix of spectacle and sanctuary is what draws 16-year-old Cora McSkimming, who performs as Trashley. She's not old enough for the clubs, but here she can skate alongside the queens she admires.
"I think it's about the community," McSkimming said. "It's a celebration of queer joy."
Speaking of joy, 4-year-old Joy Clinard has been attending since she was in diapers. Her dad, Drew Clinard, makes sure she never misses a roll.
"She loves drag queens," he said. "She's been coming here since she was 2, and she thinks these are like celebrity-level, as-good-as-it-gets drag queens."
Rollin' With the Homos happens at Township Commons in Oakland every fourth Sunday of the month.
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