CAMPAIGN
Drag Laureate Program
CAMPAIGN
Drag Laureate Program
Applications for 2025 Drag Laureate of San Francisco are LIVE!
San Francisco's Drag Laureate will serve as an ambassador for the Art of Drag performance, San Francisco's LGBTQI+ culture and community, and our City's nightlife and entertainment.2025 Drag Laureate Application
Thank You To Our Exiting Drag Laureate D'Arcy Drollinger
D'Arcy Drollinger is an actor, writer, director, choreographer, producer, entrepreneur, and a native San Franciscan. D’Arcy is the owner and artistic director of OASIS, which employs 200 individuals and was voted San Francisco's best nightclub/cabaret. D'Arcy is the executive director of San Francisco-based nonprofit, Oasis Arts, dedicated to providing access and resources to LGBTQIA+ artists. Other credits include The Producers (first Broadway production), and Hairspray the Musical (first Broadway production). D’Arcy is the creator of Sexitude™, the body-positive, age-positive, sex-positive dance experience based in San Francisco.
D'Arcy collaborated with the HRC's own Director of the Office of Transgender Initiatives Honey Mahogany, Juanita MORE!, Oasis Arts, and the Civic Joy Fund to produce "San Francisco is a Drag!" Our City's newest LGBTQI+ cultural celebration is held during the first week of December, when drag performance is celebrated by Kings and Queens and throughout San Francisco's streets and nightclubs.
D'Arcy, whose drag career began in the early '90s, has written more than a dozen original works, including Bitch Slap, Temple of Poon, and Disastrous, as well as the web series Hot Trash. Drollinger’s first feature film, Shit & Champagne, became an instant cult classic. D’Arcy is the producer, director, and co-star of the long-running Bay Area holiday tradition, The Golden Girls Live.
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oasis built a parklet and partnered with local restaurants for sidewalk dining drag shows. D'Arcy also created Meals On Heels, which employed out-of-work drag artists who delivered food, cocktails, and socially-distanced lip-synch performances to clients who needed a little “sparkle” during shelter in place.
Drag Laureate Event Requests
Interested in inviting San Francisco's Drag Laureate to join your community event?
The Drag Laureate serves as an ambassador for the City and will attend events throughout the year, as approved by and in coordination with the City.
Please note all event requests are subject to Drag Laureate availability and are not guaranteed.
Event requests are requested to be submitted a minimum of 30 days prior to the date of the event. All event requests will receive a notice with the status of the request within 14 days of submission.
Resources
About
The idea for a drag laureate program stemmed from San Francisco’s LGBTQ+ Cultural Heritage Strategy. The task force identified the needs and concerns of the LGBTQ+ community, articulated critical goals to address these needs, and presented a set of recommended actions for the City and local organizations. Among the suggestions was a call for innovative programing including “the creation and funding of LGBTQ+ artist residency opportunities or the development of City Drag Laureate positions to recognize the significant longstanding and ongoing contribution of drag artists to San Francisco’s culture.”
The Human Rights Commission re-established its LGBTQI+ Advisory Committee in 2022. With guidance and support from the Office of former Mayor London Breed, this working body, the San Francisco Public Library's Hormel Center, HRC's Office of Transgender Initiatives, and Arts Commission worked with community leaders, including Sister Roma of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to create the Drag Laureate program.