Miss Zarah Misdemeanor

by Denny Patterson

Born and raised in the Mile High City, Miss Zarah Misdemeanor is a lovable, high-energy drag queen who can always guarantee a fabulous time. For her day job, Miss Zarah is the CampSeen Director at YouthSeen, an organization working with queer people of color with mental health and wellness, but by night, she is a diva extraordinaire, who primarily does shows to help raise money for different organizations in and around the Denver community.

In addition to performing at brunches at popular queer venues such as Triangle, Hamburger Mary’s and the Clocktower Cabaret, Miss Zarah has a monthly show at X Bar called XYZ. In June, she will be performing at Black Pride Colorado, a program she co-founded with Dr. Tara Jae.

OFM caught up with Miss Zarah to talk more about Black Pride and her drag artistry.

How excited are you to be performing at this year’s Black Pride?

I am so excited! This will be our third year doing the Black Pride celebration, and we have a lineup of several fun events. I can’t wait.

Who is Miss Zarah, and what is she all about?

Miss Zarah is a fun, high-energy, loveable drag performer who loves to entertain and bring joy and happiness to her audiences. I’m all about bringing joy, love, and just celebrating who we are as a queer community.

When and how did you discover your love and passion for drag?

I've always been a performer. I started when I was around 8 or 9 years old, and I’ve done lots of theatre and musical theatre. So, I’ve always had a love for performing, but the first time I got into drag was when I was in college. I did it for a friend who was a visual arts major. She was doing a painting of The Last Supper, but she wanted to have all drag queens for it. She asked me to be her Jesus, and when I got into drag, I just loved it.

It brought out this different side of me that I didn’t know existed, and that was the start of this amazing drag journey that I'm on now. I love that I can use drag as a creative and performing outlet, but it has also given me a platform to really advocate, support, and help my community, which I really, really love. I'm all about supporting and helping to elevate my community.

What can one always expect from a Miss Zarah set? Definitely a high-energy number. Whether that's an upbeat bass or a ballad, I'm always giving you that energy that you love, and I like to do a tight lip sync. I love lip synching. It's my favorite, but honestly, I ultimately just want to bring joy and light. That's what I always strive to do when I'm on stage. I want to be a joy and light to everybody that’s out there watching, and I want you to leave my performances and shows feeling happier and inspired. I just want people to have a good time.

What do you think makes the Denver drag community unique and stand out from other drag communities?

I think Denver has a very eclectic group of entertainers. We have a variety of identities, races, and ethnicities that are represented, so I think it’s a pretty diverse community. I feel like for the most part, we as entertainers get along. If we don’t get along with a different entertainer, we know how to be professional. We do our job and then go home.

Besides performing, what else are you looking forward to the most about this year’s Black Pride?

I am co-founder of Black Pride Colorado with Dr. Tara Jae, and our goal with creating this was to give queer Black folks the opportunity to take up space and have ownership. The reason why we can do what we do today, as queer people in general, is because of our Black and brown ancestors. They truly paved the way, so I really want people to learn the history and be able to educate themselves on why we're able to do the things that we do today, and it's because of Black queer people, Black trans women. They were at the forefront of the Pride revolution in 1969.

What does Pride mean to you?

It means freedom and celebration. To be able to show your pride and be happy with who you are as a human and your queer identity, I think that is so beautiful. You should be able to share that with the world, and I think that’s what Pride is about—sharing your true, authentic self with the world, not being ashamed of that, and being happy, proud, and confident.

Do you remember the first Pride event you ever attended?

Oh my God, yes! I think it was 2008; that was the first time I went to Pride, and feeling the vibe of everybody showing up and just being who they are, whatever that is, it was beau- tiful and amazing. It was so much fun, and I feel like when you get the opportunity to experience that, it takes you into that place where you know you can be proud. You can live that true, authentic life that you deserve to live.

What are some future goals you hope to accomplish with your drag and platform?

I love working with children and younger kids, so a goal of mine is to be able to incorporate educational programming for children through my drag persona. I love doing drag story time and stuff like that, and it’s so fulfilling to see kids who are just so accepting. They don't care that I'm a man in a dress reading them books. They're just there to go along for the ride, and they're accepting and loving.

I want to be able to let everyone know, regardless if you’re queer or not, that you can go and live your life authentically. Be proud; be kind, and be respectful to yourself, as well as other people. That's what it's all about. So, my goal is to really dive in and start doing more educational programming for children through my drag.

Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you’d like to mention or plug?

I’d just like to say, whenever you can, come and support local drag artists. Even If it’s not me, just go out and support local drag entertainment, especially with the political climate that we’re in right now. We need the love and support.

Stay up-to-date and connect with Miss Zarah by following her on Facebook and Instagram @heymisszarah. For more information on Black Pride, visit blackpridedenver.com.