Colorado Drag, Initiatives and Variety Awards Return to Denver

Visibility, recognition, a celebration of queer lives with a sprinkle of confetti and cake, and a night full of dancing — that's what Denver-based drag entertainer, producer and philanthropist Jessica L'Whor ("Miss Jessica" for family-friendly performances) dreamed of when she created the Colorado Drag, Initiatives and Variety Awards (DIVAs) in 2018.

Although L'Whor brought queer nightlife awards to Colorado, the concept is nothing new: LGBTQ+ hot spots have a history of hosting nightlife award shows, such as Chicago's Gaggys: Chicago Drag and Nightlife Awards; New York's annual Glam Awards (a city staple since 1997); and Atlanta's new WUSSY Nightlife Awards, also known as the Peachies.

The annual festivities honoring queer bartenders, performers and community members go deeper than gold-plated trophies and an entertaining evening of humorous comments from a witty emcee. LGBTQ+ nightlife is a pivotal aspect of queer history, and gay and lesbian bars and clubs have long been heralded as vital community institutions. The mere existence of these institutions is inherently political — they developed as a result of pervasive social, legal and sexual persecution and are meant to be spaces for marginalized individuals to find connection, kinship and love. Some have even been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ activism; the historic Stonewall Inn in New York City, which became a national monument under President Barack Obama in 2016, remains the most well-known example.

Denver's history of queer nightlife stretches back to 1939, when the city's first gay bar, the Pit, opened. Other spaces followed, but remained underground as they faced constant threats from the Denver Police Department's vice squad. The squad targeted bar patrons for jaywalking, propositioned gay men while in plainclothes to entrap them, and arrested them for kissing, hugging and dancing — actions labeled as "lewd conduct" and "public indecency." The Gay Coalition of Denver (GCD) found that in 1973, 98 percent of those arrested for "offer of lewd conduct" were gay men. That year, the Denver City Council repealed four laws regarding cross-dressing, loitering, renting out rooms for "purposes of sexual deviant purpose" and enabling police entrapment after three hours of testimony from supporters of the GCD.

In 1974, a civil court ruled that police could not enforce laws against LGBTQ+ people in a discriminatory manner or continue to arrest them for displays of affection such as kissing and holding hands. The Triangle, originally a leather and denim bar for gay men, opened that same year, followed by Tracks in the 1980s. The Triangle fundraised for AIDS Service Organizations, and Tracks co-founder Marty Chernoff housed queer individuals in the club; he also helped pay health care bills for those with AIDS.
Before creating the DIVAs, L'Whor noted that the Mile High City's historic LGBTQ+ nightlife, and those who make it possible, deserved recognition. "I was like, 'Why can't we celebrate Colorado queerness?' Allies, venues, people involved in shows — that was really where the inspiration took off, and I ran with it," L'Whor says. "I wanted to find a way that we could have one community party that nobody had to work and they could just interact and mingle with each other...and just be together."

The 2024 DIVAs will be held in Meow Wolf's Perplexiplex venue on Monday, February 26. The event encourages attendees to dress to impress; there will be plenty of Instagram-worthy photo ops. Access to Meow Wolf's Convergence Station exhibit between 5 and 7 p.m. is also included with each ticket.

This year's list of award categories was released in November and includes Outstanding Community Member, House of the Year, Best Bartender and Best GoGo Dancer, to name a few. L'Whor's favorite category is the classic Freshest Faces of Drag, a tradition that Westword contributor Keith Garcia started when he coined the phrase in a 2016 article highlighting the city's best new drag performers. That list included L'Whor, who enthusiastically adopted the category for the DIVAs. She even created a cheeky spinoff: The 2023 Not So Fresh Faces award went to well-established drag performers such as Andrea StaxXx, Coco Bardot and Felony Misdemeanor.

When Garcia pinpointed L'Whor as a drag-up-and-comer, she was 22 years old, attending Colorado State University, and just beginning to dominate the stage in heavy makeup and stilettos. "I came from a place of hating drag," she says. "I said it was gross and disgusting. I was also very confused about my sexuality. And then I tried it. I put on makeup and a wig and a bra, and I loved the transformation.

"My boyfriend at the time said I was ugly and should never do drag again," she adds. "But I fell in love with it and continued doing it every chance I got, even in the privacy of my dorm room, until it became a once-a-semester, once-a-month, once-a-week, now-six-days-a-week thing."

For L'Whor, performing in drag means lifting moods, inciting laughter and sparking joy, even if it's temporary. She can "change people's perspectives about their day," she says. "Whether they're walking in having the best week...or walking in having the hardest, most terrible week — I have an opportunity with my hosting or my performance to let them leave laughing harder or feeling better about themselves than when they walked in.

"My favorite part is seeing people's facial reaction to feeling that escape I want to provide," she adds.

DIVA nominations are left open to the community; through multiple rounds of votes, L'Whor whittles the lengthy list of nominees down to the top ten for the final round. Overall winners are announced at the awards show.

The DIVAs are always accompanied by an electric after-party, and this year's will be held at X Bar. A shuttle ride to and from Meow Wolf to the bar, free admission into the after-party and one complimentary shot is included with a ticket to the awards show. "You go to Meow Wolf for the awards and the glam and the beauty," L'Whor says, "but [X Bar] is where the party is at."

When 10 p.m. strikes, her role as host will be complete, leaving L'Whor free to celebrate. She's looking forward to going all out at X Bar, adding that the after-party will be a take-the-next-day-off kind of event. There will be vendors, games, blow-up activities, free food and a show of all-star drag performers. Such entertainers as Fantasia Royale Gaga from season five of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, Stacy Layne Matthews from RuPaul's Drag Race season three, and 2023's Miss Trans U.S.A., Chevelle Brooks, are just a few of the party's esteemed performers.

Although L'Whor adores the after-party, her opening speech at the DIVAs is always her highlight of the night. "I feel like I almost cry every single year because I'm literally looking out and speaking to so many different varieties of people," she says, noting that this year will be extra emotional for reasons she can't disclose. "There's such a power in seeing those faces.

"The other part is when people are recognized that don't feel like they're going to win or feel like they're even worthy to be nominated to begin with," she adds. "When they win and have a chance to express their gratitude for being seen, for having some visibility, it's life-changing to see people feel like they're acknowledged for the work that they put into something they love."

Colorado DIVAs, 7 to 9:30 p.m. Monday, February 26, Meow Wolf, 1338 First Street. Tickets are $15 until Saturday, February 24. DIVAs after-party, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m., X Bar, 629 East Colfax Avenue, $25 at the door or free with a DIVAs ticket.