Queering the Stage: A Few LGBTQ+ Icons

Celebrating LGBTQ+ Burlesque Performers. Burlesque has long served as a platform for self-expression, satire, and the celebration of sexuality in all its forms. For the LGBTQ+ community, burlesque has been both a sanctuary and a spotlight, a space to be seen, celebrated, and unapologetically queer.

From performers who challenged gender norms decades ago to today's queer icons reshaping the art form, LGBTQ+ performers have always played a central role in burlesque. Here's a glitter-soaked look at the luminaries of queer burlesque.

🌈 A Queer Legacy: Where It All Began

Though burlesque dates back to the 17th century, LGBTQ+ performers began making their mark more visibly in the 20th century, particularly in underground clubs, speakeasies, and vaudeville houses where gender norms could be bent and broken.​

One of the earliest iconic drag king burlesque performers was Stormé DeLarverie, often referred to as the “Rosa Parks of the LGBTQ movement.” Stormé was a biracial lesbian and male impersonator who toured with the Jewel Box Revue, America’s first racially integrated drag show. Stormé wasn’t just dazzling on stage, she was also a key figure in the Stonewall Uprising. After Stonewall, DeLarverie worked as a bodyguard and bouncer, protecting LGBTQ+ individuals in New York's West Village. She remained active in the community until she died in 2014. 

Storme DeLarverie

🔥 Burlesque Legend - Satan’s Angel: The Devil Herself, A Queer Firestarter

Satan’s Angel (1944–2019) was one of the most iconic and fearless burlesque performers in history, and an out and proud lesbian at a time when few dared to be. Known for her signature fire tassel act, she was famously dubbed “The Devil’s Own Mistress, Queen of the Fire Tassels.” Performing from the 1960s through the 1980s, and again in her later years during the neo-burlesque revival, Satan’s Angel shattered gender norms, challenged the male gaze, and carved space for queer women in an industry often dominated by heteronormative expectations.

She shared openly about her relationships with women throughout her life and career, mentoring younger LGBTQ+ performers and never compromising her authenticity. Her performances were unapologetically sensual, but they also carried a fierce independence and raw power that made her a role model for queer femmes in burlesque and beyond.

🗨️ "I’ve always been gay, and I have no qualms about telling you that I am. Whether I’m on TV, radio, the Internet, wherever, oh yeah everyone knows I’m queer.”  — Satan’s Angel

Satan's Angel

✨ Queer Icons in Modern Burlesque

There are many modern queer icons in the burlesque scene today, but here are a few for you.

Kitten N' Lou

What happens when a diminutive drag king and a bodacious burlesque queen fall in love? Well, this married duo, Kitten LaRue and Lou Henry Hoover, are award-winning burlesque artists who blend comedy, classic striptease, and fabulous gender play. Their dynamic, glittery performances deconstruct heteronormativity with flair, and they’ve been featured in The Huffington Post, Out Magazine, and on stages around the world, including the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Vegas. Together, they've helped define what queer burlesque looks like in the 21st century. ​

Frankie Fictitious

Frankie Fictitious is a queer Filipina-Chinese American burlesque performer based in California and one of the most celebrated artists in the contemporary burlesque world. Known for her spellbinding presence, exquisite costuming, and command of classic striptease, Frankie brings old Hollywood glamour into bold modern narratives.

She made history by winning Miss Exotic World: Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2019 at the Burlesque Hall of Fame, one of the most prestigious titles in the art form. Her performances often incorporate both traditional and neo-burlesque aesthetics, blending sensuality with cultural pride and powerful femininity. In interviews, Frankie has spoken about the importance of visibility for queer performers and performers of color in burlesque spaces, and she’s inspired a new generation to embrace the art form as a site of empowerment and creative resistance.

🗨️ "Burlesque is a radical act of self-love, especially when your body and identity have been politicised or marginalised." — Frankie Fictitious

Sweetpea

Hailing from Minneapolis, Sweetpea is a queer burlesque artist known for her fiercely sensual performances. She’s a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility in burlesque spaces and has been named one of the top burlesque performers in the world by 21st Century Burlesque. Sweetpea has been a six-time competitor and multiple title-holder at the Burlesque Hall of Fame (BHoF), and she currently serves as the Head of Legends Matters at BHoF. She is also a professional dominatrix and can be seen headlining shows all over the world.

Minnie Tonka

Queer, Jewish, and utterly radiant, Minnie Tonka is a NYC-based performer who brings humor, heart, and heat to every act. She co-produces "The Schlep Sisters", one of the longest-running Jewish burlesque duos, and has been a trailblazer for queer inclusion in Jewish and ethnic burlesque storytelling.​

Chris Harder

A self-described “burlesque himbo,” Chris Harder is a gay male burlesque performer who brings cheeky masculinity and camp together in glitter-drenched harmony. He’s known for his energetic striptease routines that challenge and celebrate queer sexuality with a wink and a smirk.​

Lilly SnatchDragon

Lilly SnatchDragon is an award-winning drag queen, burlesque artist, and compère. She has been a prominent figure in the UK burlesque community, ranking among the Top 10 UK Burlesque Performers since 2015, including a No. 1 spot in 2017.

Her performances often subvert Western stereotypes of Southeast Asian women, using satire and comedy to highlight issues such as racism and cultural appropriation. Lilly's acts are deeply personal, reflecting her experiences and heritage, and she uses her platform to educate and challenge audiences.

In addition to her solo work, Lilly is a co-founder of the pan-Asian drag collective The Bitten Peach and the talent showcase LADS. These initiatives aim to provide a platform for performers of colour and to create more inclusive spaces within the burlesque community.

Lilly is also known for their collaborations with Mark Anthony, including their award-winning performance at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender 2024, where they won the "Best Small Group" award in Las Vegas.

💃 Burlesque Beyond the Binary

Today’s queer burlesque is gloriously gender-expansive. Trans and nonbinary performers are carving out space and taking center stage in shows around the world. Here are just a few of the many stars leading the charge:

Mx. Pucks A'Plenty

A Black, nonbinary, queer burlesque performer and producer based in the Pacific Northwest, Mx. Pucks is also the founder of The Noir Pageant, a platform for Black and Brown burlesque performers. Their acts often explore fat liberation, anti-racism, and gender fluidity, and they’re one of the most dynamic voices in the modern burlesque scene. Mx. Pucks has been named #16 on the 21st Century Burlesque Magazine’s Top 50 Most Influential Burlesque Industry Figures of 2022. 

Jake DuPree

Jake DuPree (they/them) is a nonbinary, gender-fluid burlesque performer, dancer, actor, and fitness personality who has taken the burlesque world by storm, literally high-kicking in heels and rhinestones. Based in Los Angeles, Jake is known for their dazzling blend of classic striptease, ballet, and high-glam drag-inspired showmanship.

Jake made history in 2023 by becoming the first nonbinary performer to win the "Most Dazzling" title at the Burlesque Hall of Fame's Miss Exotic World competition, earning accolades for a powerhouse performance in which they stripped down to a rhinestone-encrusted G-string while twirling on a spinning martini glass, a tribute to classic burlesque with a fierce gender-bending twist.

Their acts challenge binary expectations, redefining who gets to be "the bombshell" in burlesque. With a body of a ballet dancer and the confidence of a Vegas showgirl, Jake fuses humor, sensuality, and unapologetic queer energy into every moment on stage.

🗨️ “I’m here to be the burlesque performer I never saw growing up. Glitter, heels, muscles, and all the fabulousness that defies the binary.” — Jake DuPree

Lola Frost

A Canadian-based queer and gender-fluid performer, Lola Frost (she/they) brings an artistic edge to their acts, often weaving themes of self-empowerment, sensuality, and transformation. Lola has performed internationally and taught burlesque as a tool for healing and self-expression.​

Mark Anthony

Mark Anthony (they/he) is a London-based drag king and boylesque performer who has been active in the scene for several years. In 2019, he made history by becoming the first UK performer to win the title of Mr. Boylesque UK, a significant achievement that highlighted the growing visibility of drag kings in the UK .

As a transmasculine, non-binary performer, Mark uses his platform to represent bodies and identities often underrepresented in the burlesque world. His performances blend elements of stand-up comedy, burlesque, and lip-syncing.

Chris Oh!

Chris Oh! (he/she/they) is a New Zealand-born performer whose vibrant, gender-fluid performances have earned him global acclaim. Known for his theatricality, impeccable costuming, and androgynous glamour, Chris Oh! has taken the burlesque world by storm with acts that blend classic striptease, cabaret, and queer storytelling.

In 2014, he made history by winning the title of Mr. Exotic World / King of Boylesque at the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, solidifying his place among the top male and nonbinary performers in the world. His performances are a celebration of fluid masculinity, high fashion, and unapologetic queerness. Often blurring the lines between drag, dance, and burlesque, Chris Oh! uses his art to challenge gender norms and champion queer visibility in nightlife and on international stages.

He’s also been a leading force in the European queer cabaret scene, regularly appearing in shows across London, Berlin, Paris, and beyond.

🗨️ “My performance is about owning space—queer space, nonbinary space, joyful space. It's a protest wrapped in rhinestones.” — Chris Oh!

📚 Queer Burlesque is Political

Every glitter toss and hip shimmy is a refusal to conform. Queer burlesque is political: it celebrates bodies that are often excluded from the mainstream and makes joy an act of resistance. Whether it’s stripping down while reclaiming a slur, performing in protest of anti-LGBTQ+ laws, or simply being visibly queer and joyful on stage, LGBTQ+ burlesque performers challenge norms and reshape culture, one rhinestone at a time.