Dizzy Grant Diamandis Combines Drag With HIV/AIDS Education

Drag queen Dizzy Grant Diamandis, affectionately known as “The PrEP’Ed Queen of Colorado,” was just a teenager when she made her drag debut in 2012 at The Center on Colfax during an all-ages drag night. Born in Mexico and raised in Aurora, Diamandis ventured into the art form by studying the covers of fashion magazines at the grocery store and trying to re-create the looks at home.

“I used to always pick them up and try to copy the makeup the models had on. I’ve always been infatuated with photography and makeup, and somehow all of it got mixed into drag,” she recalls. “I didn’t have anybody to play with makeup with or do their makeup, so I just did it on myself.”

Now 24, Diamandis has combined her passion for drag with her dedication to HIV/AIDS advocacy to create PrEP’Ed, a drag show that provides attendees with vital resources for HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and mental health care.

Although Diamandis has no idea where she got the name Dizzy Grant, “there are singers in Mexico that have the last name Diamandis, and I liked the Spanish feel of it,” she explains. Her drag is largely inspired by strong Latina women, including those who raised her. “Growing up, we were always surrounded by my family members, who were all Hispanic women. We always spoke Spanish at the house and always listened to Mexican music,” she says. “I loved the beauty of it, and whenever there’s a performance and someone dances, you can tell there’s a lot of passion and attitude.”

While Diamandis doesn’t perform Spanish-language songs much anymore, she still leans toward Latin-inspired music. “It was a bit hard to perform those songs when my crowd typically spoke English,” she explains. “But there are songs out there that have Latin-feeling instrumentals that I like to perform, like J.Lo and similar artists.”

Her HIV/AIDS advocacy work was kick-started around 2018, after meeting her partner and doing her own personal research on PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a prescription medication that reduces one’s chances of getting HIV when taken regularly. About the same time, Diamandis turned 21 but had a rough go at performing in 21+ spaces. “After being a drag performer for many years prior to being 21, I had some difficulties with the bar scene. Whenever I was booked, I felt very used and made to feel inferior by drag queens who had been doing my art form for a couple of months. I did not care for the toxic negativity,” Diamandis says.

“When I was down and discouraged, my partner was very blunt with me and told me, ‘Being that you have done this for years and have done benefit shows helping others, you have what it takes to create your own positive form of drag and give back to the community you love.’ He gave me the idea of a safe-sex show, since he had colleagues in the medical field and a medical background,” she continues. “I loved the idea, and together we created PrEP’Ed.”

In August 2019, they hosted the first-ever PrEP’Ed show at VYBE. While the venue is an LGBTQ+ club, the event series is open to everyone. “I wanted a whole community event, not just for the LGBTQ community, but also for our straight allies, because HIV is not just a disease in the gay community; it affects the entire human race,” notes Diamandis. “VYBE has been very gracious with us, and they provide the venue for free. Every PrEP’Ed show is a little bit different, but our show usually starts with me introducing everyone. I tell everyone what PrEP is, and I usually have two organizations speak, one in the beginning of the show and one in the middle, just so they can provide some resources for the audience members.”

She’s partnered with local nonprofit organizations such as HeyDenver and Connect for Health Colorado, which offer speakers during the show and are on hand to answer any audience questions. The guest organizations also provide free HIV testing, either on site or for attendees to take home. “I always ask them if they have any home testing kits or an HIV testing van outside the venue that they can provide,” Diamandis says. “We always have one or the other, but there are times that we are very lucky and have both.”

The event also showcases a variety of Denver performers. “One thing about my shows is I like to have a variety, not just drag kings and queens,” Diamandis says. “We have live singers, sword swallowers, burlesque performers. It’s usually three performances, then we do a game and raffles. The prizes are provided by local sex shops that support the cause.”

And the event doesn’t only educate about HIV/AIDS: “With every show I have related to PrEP, I always like to provide another cause. For example, the very first PrEP’Ed was centered around HIV and mental health awareness,” Diamandis says. She adds that mental health care can be a crucial part of HIV/AIDS treatment because of the anxiety and depression many experience after receiving their diagnoses. Part of Diamandis’s messaging is letting people know that while those feelings are valid, they don’t have to be permanent: “I just like to give a shout-out to people and say, ‘You’re not alone, and we have resources to help you.'”

As the development of medications like PrEP demonstrates, HIV/AIDS research and treatment have come a long way since the initial onset of the 1980s AIDS crisis. However, there is still much progress to be made and more work to be done to dismantle the stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS. The shame and silence around it presents a striking barrier to some people, deterring them from getting tested, asking about a PrEP prescription or seeking treatment. But at PrEP’Ed, Diamandis aims to create a comfortable environment where people are encouraged and empowered to take control of their sexual health.

“I come from a Hispanic community, and in my culture, HIV is typically not talked about. Sometimes people are afraid to reach out to organizations, or to go to a clinic and get tested,” Diamandis says. “One thing I love is when people tell me, ‘Hey, I was too ashamed to contact someone, but when I went to your show, there was someone there,’ or ‘Thanks to you, I’m now on PrEP.'”

The next PrEP’Ed event will be at VYBE in September, so follow Diamandis on social media for updates, and in the meantime, check out her new bilingual educational TikTok series on sexual health, PrEP’Ed With Dizzy. “It’ll be about PrEP, tips on safe sex, how you can get on PrEP,” Diamandis says. “I noticed sometimes our queens in Denver don’t make videos in Spanish, so since I speak both, I’m making it a whole series in both languages.”

Giving back to the community has always been Diamandis’s primary motivation: “I wanted to have a show that doesn’t just take from people. The LGBTQ+ community is surrounded by bars, and there are times when the bars just take your money and get you drunk. That’s fine, but my thing is, let’s give back to the community,” she emphasizes. “My goal is for the shows to continue, so we can all get educated regardless of our sexuality or gender identity, and to eventually take my PrEP’Ed shows all over the state of Colorado and to other states.”