Today we’d like to introduce you to Chikavara (Soluna Wells).
Hi Chikavara (Soluna Wells), we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started drag in February 2021 after spending a lot of time reading about Queer and Trans history, and learning how drag was used as a vessel for activism. I started drag at SDSU while I was a student there, and once I became 21, I started to perform in nightlife as well. Once I got involved into nightlife, I started going to a lot of goth, industrial, and overall alternative spaces. While I was always an alternative drag artist, I molded my drag persona more and more to reflect my life and the experiences I have had, while still staying authentic to the political side of my drag.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Drag has had its highs and its lows. Being a transgender woman, doing drag for me in the beginning was a way for me to express my gender. However, the further along I’ve gotten in my transition (a little over 2 years now), the challenges I’ve had related to my gender have changed. As somebody who lives my everyday life as a woman, it can sometimes be alienating, as I find myself at the intersection of transphobia and misogyny. For the beginning of my drag career, I also had a strained relationship with my family due to keeping it a secret. However, we have healed from that time in all of our lives.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I have been doing drag for almost 5 years now, and it was one of the best decisions in my life. I perform all over Hillcrest and the general San Diego area. My tagline is “your favorite sexy Latin American communist drag militant,” and I would describe my drag as transgressive, goth, punk, transgender, and deranged, all while being glamorous. I am probably most proud of the recent October month, as I was performing every other day almost. It was really intense and stressful, but it was also the most grateful I’ve felt during my drag career. From producing my own shows across San Diego to performing at the House of Blues, what sets me apart from others is that I am just insane, weird, and stupid enough to go to places in my drag that nothing really stops me. The artists I look most up to are the ones who don’t take themselves seriously but take their art extremely seriously, and I try to do the same.
Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
It just so happens that I am a transsexual woman who also does drag during a time period where it is being attacked. At the end of the day, I will always love drag. I will perform until I can no longer do so. At the end of the day, I will always be transgender. No amount of legislation will change who I am. No amount of bullying, humiliation, and overall erasing of trans people will change who I am. At the end of the day, nothing any anti-trans politician or individual says to me will be worse than the things I’ve said to myself before I transitioned. Transitioning and doing drag saved my life, and I will never allow that to be ripped from me again. 🙂
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/lachikavara
Image Credits
Main image, any images with green bob at La Fayette (zebra print corset with pink accents) and B&W image are from @joeys.camera on Instagram
