Joey Jay Talks Politics, ‘Drag Race,’ and Staying Involved
She’s a gay-ass bitch; she’s Joey Jay—and she wants you to vote!
The RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 13 star will join a bevy of fierce drag talent who will be sprinting, skating, and sashaying for the gold in America Needs A Queen, a live-streamed fundraising event taking place February 3 at 8:00 p.m. EST on Zoom and Twitch.
Structured like an Olympics highlight show, this first-of-its-kind extravaganza will raise funds for Field Team 6, a partisan voter registration effort focused on registering Democratic and progressive voters in key battleground states. Despite having to pivot towards virtual organizing in 2020, the organization helped more than 3 million voters get registered.
“Our goal with this event is to raise $100,000, which would translate to roughly 200,000 new Democratic voters,” Field Team 6 organizer Cory Alpert says. “That could easily be enough to keep Democratic majorities in both the House and the Senate.”
Joey took some time to talk more about the upcoming event with OFM, as well as her experience on Drag Race, representing Phoenix, and her love of politics.
What are you looking forward to the most about participating in this event?
I always get excited whenever an election is coming around. I feel like I’m one of the young people that gets into it a little bit more than others, almost to a point where I sometimes have to turn the TV off and get on with my daily life, but I think this is so important. Biden won the last presidential election, but there is so much more work that needs to be done if we want to keep progressing. There are so many young people that aren’t educated enough, or they don’t quite realize how important it is to be aware of these political issues happening.
The fact that we are taking drag queens, which is pop culture now, it’s like the main event for some of these kids. We can entice these kids into these political topics, and I’m just so excited because the following of these queens is a lot younger compared to the normal following of a politician. I think this is going to be a great influence and not a ‘We’re going to fall asleep in social studies class’ way. It’s funny; it’s comical and very smart.
Have you always had an interest in politics and using your drag platform to get people involved?
I have! When I first started doing drag, I was just living my gay-boy fantasy. Like, I’m going to turn on my favorite music in the shower; I’m going to do a gig, and it was so fun. Then, pretty quickly, I realized the picture was a lot larger than that. I was like, wow, we are walking political statements. We are walking billboards. So, I try to take advantage of that, and any chance that I get, I will repost things by AOC—I’m using her as an example—that I think are interesting. A lot of politicians aren’t relatable, and we need people who we can relate to and can grab our attention and influence us. AOC is younger, I love how she speaks, and she’s not just another 65-year-old white man.
Why do you think politics and drag go hand in hand?
Drag has always been rebellious. It was underground, illegal, and the big LGBTQ movement started with Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman, and it was illegal to do what we do then. It has just gone hand in hand with human rights. I grew up during Prop 8 and hearing about Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. I’m only 31, and in my life already, I’ve seen the internet happen. I’ve seen gay marriage being given to us, then taken away, then given back.
I’m seeing this transition, and drag has always been a big influence of our culture. It’s so important, and right now, with this generation, not just millennials but Gen Z, especially with gender identification and pronouns, it’s not going away. It’s going to be more important and more crucial in our lives. Drag really goes hand-in-hand with politics, and we need to cross the hurdle and show that politics is not just for old, rich white men.
You will be squaring off against Salina EsTitties in badminton. Can you talk more about what viewers can expect and how America Needs A Queen will be structured like an Olympics highlight show?
(Laughs) we were having such a blast filming this. Neither of us could say badminton correctly, but we’re doing an Olympics-themed event, and this is just an example of two queens going at it and talking shit. We’re going to beat each other’s asses, and it’s just a fun way to have two drag queens compete against each other, and then we’re slipping the politics in there.
How did you initially get involved with Field Team 6?
I got a phone call from a good friend of mine, Luther—he’s a talent manager that I work with every now and then. I met him last year after my Instagram caught his attention because I was posting a lot about the Black Lives Matter movement. I was going to the marches; I was participating whenever I had a day off, and Luther really enjoyed that. He got in touch with me, and we just bonded. Since he knows that I like to stay active in politics whenever I can, he reached out when this event came around. He told me about it, and any chance to use my platform to help bring young people in to make these big decisions that will affect the rest of our lives, I’m totally down to do.
Have you been involved with any other political organizations or groups?
I personally haven’t been involved with any big political group. I’m a bystander, but I do what I can. I research what I can and voice whatever I think is a good educational opinion. I’m also one where if I don’t know much about the topic, I keep my mouth shut. I don’t want to say any information that’s incorrect, especially with this platform I have now. I can’t say anything that I don’t know about. I don’t want to open that can of worms. I really want to be educated on what I’m talking about, but this is my first time being a part of an organization to help save democracy.
Would you ever run for political office?
You know, I’ve thought about it! It’s so funny because I am not your typical politician. I didn’t finish college; I’m a drag queen; I’m a boy who is known for being gay as fuck—that’s the platform right now. Running for office doesn’t kind of fit that mold, but isn’t that what we’re trying to avoid? So, I’ve thought about it. I get so into politics, and maybe it’s time to have a little gay boy go up there.
However, I would need to have a great team behind me; I would need to have a great budget, and I would need to really take some time before running for anything to truly educate myself, know the ins and outs on everything that’s going on because I’ve only been paying a lot of attention to LGBTQ issue. If you’re asking me to solve world hunger or fix the economy, I would have to brush up on that.
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If anything, you can help persuade more LGBTQ and younger people to make their way to the polls. It is very disheartening that we are still seeing a low percentage of voters among those demographics, and many believe that their vote doesn’t matter. We need to change that perception.
That is so true. I live in Arizona, and the state flipped to purple about a year or two after I moved here. I thought it was so cool that so many young people came out and voted, and we need to keep that momentum going. I always get excited when another year happens because we have a whole fresh batch of 18-year-olds (laughs). We’re going to lure them in, get them to the drag shows, and anytime an election is coming up and I’m hosting, I’m always pushing people to register to vote. I’m even trying to propose something with the bars here. Like, maybe we can do a contest and whichever bar can get more people registered, we can have a prize package. Something like that. Anything to keep it going.
We were able to turn Arizona blue during the 2020 presidential election. Do you think we can keep it that way for the midterms?
I think we can, but it’s going to depend on these young people. I know just by standing from the outside, Biden has not done what a lot of people have been hoping, but it’s a big job and you’re picking it up from where it was left off. I’m like, do your thing. I understand that things take time, but humans are very impatient. So, I think we really need to pull these young people and be like, no, we need to rally behind this. Keep doing what we’re doing, and it’s going to get there, but it’s going to depend on getting these fresh voters to come in and make up for those potential votes that we might lose.
I would like to switch gears and ask you a couple questions about your time on RuPaul’s Drag Race. How has the show changed your life, and what more would you like to do with your platform?
When they tell you that it’s a life-changing experience, it definitely is. I worked at a software company Monday through Friday from 8-5, and I had to quit my job when we went to go film because I can’t just take a two-to-three month leave of absence. I wanted to go back because it was going to be around a five- or six-month period of time between shooting the show and the season’s announcement, so there’s that kind of purgatory drag limbo that you’re in, but I wasn’t able to go back to my job.
So, I was like, I’m going to pretend that I’m a trust fund baby. I’m loaded. I don’t need to work. I ate a ton of ramen and ended up picking up a cocktail job just so I could live off $100 a week. I spent all my money on the show because that’s how much this platform meant to me. I had to spend money to make money, and this was an investment. I had to live off of what 401k I had left, but then when the announcement happened, everything changed. Now, every weekend, I’m in at least one or two brand new cities that I’ve never been to. Sometimes three. In March, I’ll be going to the UK for a 50-day tour.
I cannot believe how life-changing this has been. I work for myself; I have my own LLC; thank God I don’t have to look at an Excel spreadsheet ever again if I don’t want to, and right now, it’s a game of what we want to do next. How do we want to keep this momentum going? There are so many avenues that you can take with Drag Race under your belt. I’ve seen queens produce music. Queens like Nina West touring in Hairspray. It is what you make it. There’s no rules or pamphlet saying here’s how you can live after Drag Race. It’s scary and exciting all at once. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Would you come back to All Stars if asked?
I feel like there’s a time and place for everything. I would like to say yes, but it all depends. We’re all working on our own things, but if everything were to line up nicely, I would totally do it again. It all just depends on what projects I’m doing.
Being the first contestant from Phoenix, how did it feel to represent your city?
Really good! Phoenix is such an under looked city, and I didn’t know anything about the Phoenix drag scene when I moved here. I was like, oh my gosh, this is the most diverse scene I have ever seen in my life. Drag queens are known to have big personalities and be catty, and that’s the kind of drag we see a lot on television. Drama makes good TV, that’s why we want to keep watching. We want to know what happens next, but in Phoenix the drag scene is so cool. It’s so chill. There are so many shows that I haven’t been able to see because our show is the same night, but they don’t compete with each other. All these shows are always sold out.
If you’re a pageant queen, there’s a show for you. If you love Kim Petras, Lady Gaga, and Top 40, come to our show. That show’s for you. If you want to see good, old fashioned, high drag, there’s a show for you. If you like Dragula and want to see some alternative drag that is spooky, ooky, kooky, there’s a show for you. There are so many different types of drag here including burlesque performers, drag kings, AFAB queens, and I’m learning so much. I am so happy that Phoenix finally has a spotlight, and I hope to see some of the queens get the same opportunities that we’ve gotten.
Was this your first time auditioning for Drag Race?
This was my third. I started painting my face about five years ago, and I knew I wanted to do Drag Race. I had been in the scene for a while; I was a backup dancer, and when I would watch the show, I saw myself doing that. I have to say, I auditioned very early my first time, and I knew I was a nasty booger. I knew I wasn’t going to get on, but I wanted to get the ball rolling and start the process of what it’s like to audition. That way, when I was able to kind of grow into my mentality, I would already know what I was doing, and I’d be able to slay it. It worked.
Your season will forever be legendary because it was filmed during the height of the pandemic. How challenging was that for you?
I am very much a glass-is-half-full type of person, so when people ask me, like, ‘Oh my God, did you have so much fun?’ No (laughs). It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but I learned so much about myself. Looking at the bigger picture, I feel like I competed on the most challenging season of All Stars. So, if I ever go back, I already accomplished the hard part. When we got there, we had to quarantine in our hotel room for 11 days. No internet access, they really close you off from the world. We’re just there sitting in our room getting our menu slid underneath the door, masks and shields everywhere.
Think about it, I didn’t get to have a hug for 12 days. We forget about that when we’re talking about isolation and quarantine. When we were filming this, we were one of the first shows to do something during the pandemic. We figured out a way to do it, and it was very difficult for me. I underestimated how important it is to have physical human touch and interaction. When I was isolating at home, I had my phone and internet. We could go live, FaceTime, have Netflix movie parties, but there, we had nothing. That kind of drove me crazy, but I’m happy that it happened.
Before we wrap up, are there any other upcoming projects or anything else you would like to mention or plug?
When I’m in Phoenix, I do a show here every Friday night at Kobalt at 10:00 p.m. called The 4Some Revue. It’s a lovely cast, and this show started out as four queens who were not a part of any cast, four baby queens, and it has elevated itself time and time again. If you find yourself in Phoenix on a Friday night, this is the show to be at. You will feel right at home and be entertained. We are bringing all the Ru Girls here, and it’s absolutely lovely. I love my 4Some Revue cast, and I’m so happy to continue to be a part of this show and its legacy after Drag Race.
Stay up-to-date and connect with Joey by following her on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @joeyjayisgay. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets for America Needs A Queen.
Photos Courtesy of Davide Laffe and Joey Jay
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