Why I Give: Maxine LaQueene
Maxine LaQueene
Maxine LaQueene (she/her) is an Austin icon in the LGBTQIA+ community. Having worked 12 years as a fulltime Drag performer, she uses her talent to not only entertain, but to advocate. Standing tall at 6 '4'’ (without the heels and wig), she knows her super power is confidence - confidence in being trans, being queer, and being a voice for those who may not be heard. She regularly gives back to the local community by performing at nonprofit events and taking action at the Texas Capital.
Maxine feels a responsibility to give back, reflecting on the Maya Angelou quote, “I show up as one, but I represent thousands." Maxine says, “That's really why I do what I do. I may show up as me, but I represent so many people from our community, and that's why I show up. To represent not only myself, but them.”
We had the pleasure of sitting down with Maxine to hear why she gives in honor of Pride Month.
Q: You are doing so much, Maxine. Between your weekly Drag shows, nonprofit performances, and advocacy, you are busy! What keeps you so motivated to give so often?
I love to work. I love to be busy. And I'm just community driven. During Pride Month especially, I'm so excited to get to do so many queer shows and events. And what's important about that is every single event I'm a part of gives me the opportunity to give back to the community.
I think that there is so much power in my presence that my favorite thing to do is show confidence in being trans, being queer, and like it's almost like a love letter. If you see me out, in the wild at a show, at an event, I want you to feel that confidence that I exude because everyone deserves the chance to feel that.
We say representation matters and I think of it in a different way where there are so many people that I've had the privilege of them coming up to me and saying, you know, thank you for just existing and and living in your truth because seeing you be confident and and truly not give a f*** about how people perceive me, I know that it inspires others to do the same. And sometimes all it takes is seeing somebody live in their truth wholeheartedly for it to spark that journey for somebody else.
Q: We want to hear more about your activism. You were just at the Texas State Legislature speaking at Senate committees, you go to the capital often. Can you share how you got started with your activism?
I like to say that I am a professional menace to conservatives. I feel like it's on my resume at this point. It's wild to be at the capital enough times where there are DPS officers and people who work at the capital that know who I am. I think it's important to stand in the face of the people that dictate how we live our lives and say to them, "Look, I am the person that you were targeting. I'm forcing you to look at what you are passing legislation on.”
A lot of these lawmakers who want to create a narrative of queer people and minorities have not been exposed to those people. And so when I show up and look them in the face, whether you like it or not, you're going to have to acknowledge me.
I really first got started being politically active during Trump's first presidency. 2016 didn't turn out how we wanted it to. And I remember being up all night into the next morning. Almost like the stages of grief, right? Bargaining and rage, then acceptance. And I remember having a performance a few days after that. I was just so lost on what to do. How do I process this? At the time I didn't really see how therapeutic performance art could be. Until I did that show a few days later, and I performed “Monster” by Lady Gaga. That moment opened up the doors in my brain to say, “Wait a minute, there's something here.” I think there's really importance in my Drag if I use it for activism.
Q: What would you say to someone who might feel inspired to want to follow in your footsteps and come along to be an activist too?
I would say the first thing is do your own research. There's no correct way to be an advocate. So get to know the representatives. Get to understand your district. What district are you in here in Austin? What district are you in Texas? Get to know YOUR representatives. The House, the Senate that represent you because they're the people that will directly impact your day-to-day life. On a local level, there are so many advocates that are just starting out that aren't educated on the representatives that they vote for. So do your own research because it's up to you to form your own opinion on how you want to be an advocate.
Then the second thing I would say is to protect your peace. One of the biggest and most irritating things about being at the legislature is how long the days are. I've been in Drag at 8:00 a.m. to testify for a bill because committee hearings start at 8:00 a.m., which means I had to get up at like 4:00 a.m. to get ready. But just because I’m there at 8 a.m. to testify in front of committee, doesn’t mean they begin to hear testimonies on our bill first. A lot of the time they like to push the more “controversial” bills to the end to wait us out all day. One of the bills that I testified multiple times for, I was there at 8:00 a.m., committee began at 8, and I did not testify for that bill until 5:00 p.m.
A lot of these lawmakers understand the ramifications of these bills because they make it difficult for us to show up. So to drop a card, you have to be at the capital at 8:00 a.m.. You have to be on their Wi-Fi. You have to be there while the bill is being discussed in committee. Otherwise, you will miss out.
And that’s why I say you have to protect your peace. Every advocate, anybody who is politically active and activated, needs to take time to disconnect from everything. Because if you're online seeing the headlines after spending 10 hours talking directly to lawmakers, it can be very draining.
After a full day like that, I turn my notifications off, I turn my phone off, and I just live my life for a good 24 hours. It just helps to disconnect. It gives me time to process what happened in the legislature without having outside opinions. And it gives me peace of mind, you know. Otherwise you'll burn out so quickly. That happened to me during the last session.
Q: We were first introduced in the spring when you hosted a 24-hour Amplify Austin Day fundraiser for the Atheist Community of Austin. So that brings us to ask, In addition to trans rights, what other causes are you passionate about?
Oh my gosh, it's so much. Trans equality and queer rights are a big part of my personality. But something else I talk about a lot is sobriety. I am almost 600 days sober from alcohol and hard drugs. People in our community will reach out and ask, "Well, how did you sober up and how have you pushed through it for a year and a half?"
For me, I think about “what are the coping mechanisms that are positive that can remove me from feeling like I would need to drink or need to take drugs?” A lot of it stems from the fact that I am a Drag entertainer. So I'm in the public eye. I'm around the lifestyle of people that love to party. I didn't even realize how many drugs I was doing until I took myself out of that and said, "What if I just tried sobriety for a month?" A month turned into two months, two months turned into four months, and so on and so forth. And now I'm at a point where I feel like I'm on a roll.
I want others to understand that if you fall, you're not defined by when you use, you're not defined by if you relapse. I define sobriety on the overall goal.
Q: With June being Pride Month, we wanted you to share some of your favorite LGBTQIA+ nonprofits.
Oh my gosh, girl. There are too many to list. Obviously, Equality Texas, they are a huge proponent for getting information out about how to become an advocate, how to be active in the Texas legislature.
Transgender Educational Network of Texas. It's called TENT. They do a lot of specific advocacy work with the trans community here in Texas.
I also do a lot with Unite the Fight. It is one of the largest queer fundraisers in the state of Texas with lots of Drag performances. I find that Drag is the best outlet for raising money because we're loud, we're obnoxious, we get people's attention, and Drag entertainers are like mascots for the LGBTQ community. So I think when you put Drag front and center, we get s*** done for good!