The City of West Hollywood is now accepting applications for its inaugural Drag Laureate Program. Applications should be submitted no later than 6 p.m. on Friday, September 30, 2022. Application requirements and submission information is available on the City’s website.
The Drag Laureate is an honorary position for the City of West Hollywood and will be a champion for drag arts and culture. They will serve as the official ambassador of West Hollywood’s LGBTQ community and nightlife by supporting local businesses and promoting arts and culture in West Hollywood.
The inaugural West Hollywood Drag Laureate will serve for a term of two (2) years, beginning November 2022 and ending October 2024 and will receive a $5000 honorarium each year. They will work with City of West Hollywood staff to carry out the Drag Laureate duties, including:
- Attend and participate in six (6) West Hollywood business grand openings/ribbon cuttings and/or West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce mixers or events to support local West Hollywood businesses.
- Provide a drag performance at three (3) City events.
- Organize one (1) yearly event in conjunction with City staff to promote drag culture (such as a panel discussion or performance workshop). The event during the second year will occur toward the end of the Drag Laureate’s term and will focus on, and showcase, the Drag Laureate’s work over the prior two years and how they have engaged, empowered, communicated, and educated the community about drag culture and how the Drag Laureate has supported the business community.
- The Drag Laureate will also have the opportunity to participate in a documentary to be produced by the City which will feature a glimpse into a day-in-the-life of a drag performer and will showcase the Drag Laureate’s work in West Hollywood.
The West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce will partner with the City on the Drag Laureate program. Specifically, the West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has created a new entertainer membership level specifically for unrepresented solo artists. The Drag Laureate will receive a complimentary Chamber membership which will provide them access to member resources and benefits, connections to bookings, opportunities to develop professional relationships with other businesses, support and fellowship from the greater business community, promotion and visibility throughout the West Hollywood business community, and marketing and promotion platforms and opportunities.
Additionally, through the West Hollywood Small Business Foundation (501c3) the Drag Laureate will have access to resources, information, and direct training related to building a business and marketing plans, creating budgets, setting up a business, promotion, brand protection, understanding contractual agreements, social media/website design, and more.
Only drag artists with a significant connection to the City of West Hollywood will be considered, such as: lives and/or works in the City, has volunteered on a regular basis for community programs that deliver services in the City, and/or has organized or participated in events that were co-sponsored by and/or took place in the City of West Hollywood. Please refer to www.weho.org/streets to confirm that the residence address, work address, and/or the activities being presented for qualification are in the City of West Hollywood. Current City of West Hollywood appointed officials, elected officials, and City employees are not eligible to apply for the Drag Laureate position.
For more information about the Drag Laureate program, please contact the City of West Hollywood’s Business Development Division, at (323) 848-6856 or at business@weho.org. For people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, please call TTY (323) 848-6496.
West Hollywood is not a serious city.
I’m voting for Dee Snider and Marilyn Manson, the two most talented drag queens on the planet. But do we really need a “Drag Laurete”? I was embarrassed just typing that! Who gets paid to think up this stuff as WeHo sinks?
Cry about it.
John Erickson would be perfect for this.
This is an utterly absurd and inane idea. I’d rather have a lesbian in men’s clothing than this. Hmmm…why is there no drag in the lesbian community?
There is lol. Did you even bother using google before asking this question?
good grief
Trust me, this grief ain’t good. It’s moronic. Drag Laurete. Lol.
Gay culture has been too dominated by RuPaul and his queens for over a decade now. Can we have an inagural WeHo hot BOY laureate instead???
Sounds painfully boring.
Someone like Erickson, with nail polish and dyed hair. Who believes he’s funny? But, in reality, he is about as amusing as a dead baby’s toy—the one thing he could accomplish considering his day job. Do a big pratfall from West Hollywood to Oshkosh, with Sepi Shyne and Lindsey Horvath on his back!
I seriously have no idea what you’re going on about.
Read slower and you’ll get it eventually.
What is there to get?
Talk about being non-inclusive. Who cares Erickson does that? What does that have to do with our politics, policies, and decisions? One of the things that I love about the city, is that people can be who they are. Perhaps you don’t love that fact.
If West Hollywood was a freak show – Erickson would be a featured attraction.
How about instead we have Smart, Successful, and Totally Non-Stereotypical Gay Dude Laureate?
Well just about anyone can apply, since everyone is “slaying the runway” whatever that’s supposed to be.
Only in West Hollywood would you see something like a First Drag Laureate.The larger gay-friendly cities could do this too,but the bureaucracy would be too much.West Hollywood is a small enough city to do this in detail.
Fantastic idea.
What about a semi drag queen? Then John Erickson could apply.
What is a semi drag queen?
John Erickson.
I don’t think he is a drag queen.
I color my toenails, and I’ve been known to dye my hair. I am not a drag queen. Do you even know what a drag queen is? I’m not even a semi drag queen. Whatever the hell that is. But commenters on here, often bash Erickson for things like this, when they should be attacking his ideas, policy decisions, etc. Things that you might not agree with. This is so petty. And irrelevant.
It is not irrelevant when John Erickson is now the streetwalker for developers like Faring having replaced Lindsey Horvath who we hope will lose and we never have to look at her face again.
Please, explain to me, how the color of his hair, or his nails, has anything to do with that? Referring to people that do such a thing, as a streetwalker, is absolutely appalling. Or even comparing a drag queen to a hooker. But I think your handle, says everything I need to know about you.