This story is part of our “Reasons to Love Houston” package, published in the Spring 2025 issue.

Houston has historically been, and still very much is today, the core of Texas’s LGBTQ+ culture and advocacy. Archivists and documenters work hard to preserve local queer history so it’s not lost to time. Many nonprofits are on the ground in Houston’s helping people with their specific needs. And drag is still alive and well...we even have drag queens and drag kings. We spoke with Blackberri and Barry Mii Dandy about what drag means to them.

Blackberri, the drag queen slaying around town.

Known as “The Bearded Beauty of Texas,” Blackberri is a nationally renowned performer who has appeared on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and won multiple local awards solidifying her as Houston’s favorite drag queen.

How did you get into drag?

Blackberri: I went to school for musical theater in Louisiana. I really didn’t enjoy it, so I moved to Texas, and then I started to go to school for fashion design. I had a friend that did drag, and I would help them with their costumes and fix zippers and tighten dresses and stuff like that. And one day I was like, “I think I can do this.” I signed up for a local drag competition here in Houston, and I had no experience at all, like, never put makeup on my face. And I just kind of figured it out. I threw it on, and then I just started doing drag. It just kind of happened as, like, a dare to myself.

What do you enjoy about it?

B: I think getting onstage and making people laugh and have a good time. That was the thing that brought me joy, seeing everyone else’s reactions and them not worrying about what’s going on outside of the bar. That’s what made me enjoy myself.

What went into creating the Blackberri drag persona?

B: I got the name “Blackberri” from being Black. Also, because I’m thick and juicy. I was trying to think of something that went with that. In the gay community, we have something called “bears,” which are bigger guys with facial hair. And because I’m a bearded queen, I thought that would be really cute to have “Blackberri.” But it’s also “bear…” I was being really meta.

What have been some of the highlights of your drag career?

B: I did a Facebook Super Bowl commercial that was out of nowhere. It was life-changing. And then last year, I was a contestant on The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula season five, and I made it to the finale. I almost won. Those gave me an opportunity to tour across the country, perform in front of hundreds and hundreds of people. I’ve been able to travel across this beautiful country just doing drag.

Where do you see the drag scene in Houston going in the future?

B: There’s so many entertainers that have blown up in Houston recently, like myself and Mistress Isabelle Brooks from RuPaul’s Drag Race. And last season on Dragula, they had another contestant from Houston. I think the doors have opened up, and I feel like the world finally has its eyes on Houston. I feel like we’re only just beginning our ascent into greatness.

Barry Mii Dandy, the drag king who’s making space.

OutSmart magazine named Barry Mii Dandy its “best new drag king” in 2022, and two years later gave him their “favorite drag king” award.

What are your favorite things about drag?

Barry Mii Dandy: I’ve always loved fashion and dressing up. And even before I did drag, I would wear wigs on a day-to-day basis. So I think being able to put my creativity in wanting to play around with makeup and fashion and making a character. Outside of drag, I’m very shy, so I think drag also gave me an outlet to be able to want to have attention, but in a way that I’m performing it. I’ve always danced my whole life. I’m not classically trained or anything. As I always say, “I’m just Mexican and I got rhythm!”

What inspires your wonderful, very detailed costumes, like the hilarious Elf on a Shelf?

BMD: Honestly, I love a good theme. If somebody gives me a theme to work off of, I will come up with something to fit that. I love movies. I love music. I love bands. I love a bunch of stuff. My brain just works so well with some kind of prompt, I guess.

Where do you hope to take your drag career from here?

BMD: I feel like I’m a very day-to-day kind of person, but if I was to try and have a goal, I would love to be able to perform on every single stage in Houston. That’s a feat that a drag king usually doesn’t get here in Houston. So I would love people [to] see me and it’s like, “Oh, OK! I get it.” Outside of Houston, I’d like to, at some point in my career, travel around the country.

How would you like to challenge yourself every time you hit a new stage?

BMD: My goal for this year was want[ing] to try and get bigger and somewhat more elaborate costuming. I do love to create my own accessory pieces and headpieces and stuff like that. If I am able to go on more stages, I will be able to create bigger things. So it’s more to look at, because I love little details. I love a little extra-ness.

What would you like to see for the drag community here in Houston, moving forward?

BMD: I think we’re already very diverse, but I feel like the main stages that we have sometimes aren’t the most diverse. I would love to see more kings. I would love to see more nonbinary performers. I would love to see more artsy performers, because we do have stages for all of this, but I feel like they’re very pick-and-choose-y. I feel like it would be amazing to be able to see different styles of drag.