Page 20 - Adelante Magazine February 2025

Feature

he said, there it is: Lola is your name. I liked see her, glamorous.
the sound of Lola and since the song was about
a Cuban girl, and I’m Cuban, I decided to stay An example of glamor is Elizabeth Taylor, she
with Lola. I’ve always liked the name Veronica, had the jewels, the big hair. I’ve always be-
so I chose Lola Veronica. lieved that drag should be glamorous.

Adelante: You don’t really do characters or Adelante: Has drag changed?
impersonations? Lazaro: Yes and a lot of it has to do with this
Lazaro: I don’t. I do myself. If anything, per- new generation of drag shows. I’m not saying
formers do me as a character. it’s a bad drag. A lot of these new girls are very
talented, they can paint for the Gods. But some
Adelante: Where did the content of your are a little too big for their britches, they get a
performances come from? show here and there and they think they are all
Lazaro: I just talked about everything. When I that. That does not fit with me. You’ve been
did shows, I would do whoever I wanted be- doing drag three or four years and you call
cause I wasn’t trying to be anyone. I sang live. yourself iconic? No. You have to earn it.
I don’t lip sync.
Lola is a known entity. I’ve worked my ass off
Adelante: Who is Lola? to be who I am. I had to prove myself that I @ Long Beach Pride
Lazaro: She is glamor, someone’s mother, could do this myself and stand on my own.
father, teacher and counselor. I have always
been a person who could love someone uncon- Adelante: Did being harassed give you
ditionally, whether you’re handicapped, young more empathy for others?
or old. I accept everyone for who they are. Lazaro: Probably yes. When you spread kind-
ness, people sometimes don’t like it. They’re
When I’m Lola, I have to be this big person, like, what does she/he want from me. Probably
who has to be in the limelight. It’s like a demon because they’ve been burned by people.
takes over me. Once I have the mic and have There are those people that don’t like hearing
the wig on, even my friends would be like, “how the truth. If someone says to me, “why do you
do you do it, you go from off to on, where do always wear that big hair?” as if they don’t like
you get the energy?” “You work eight hours a it, and I say, because I like it, I don’t tell you how
day, you go do a drag show then you get up to dress, don’t tell me what to wear. At some
early and go to work in the morning.” point, I stopped accepting people’s bullshit.

Adelante: Is Lola different than today’s drag Adelante: How are Lola and Lazaro differ-
performers? ent?
Lazaro: Today a lot of the Reality-TV girls are Lazaro: Lola can get away with murder. La-
real caddy and bitchy. They don’t want to take zaro can’t. Lola is outgoing, very positive, in
pictures with you. Lola takes pictures with ev- your face, she can grab whatever guy she
Tony Iniguez & Lola
eryone. wants, and I’ve been doing that for years. But
Lazaro can’t do that. Not that I’m intimidated,
I used to get yelled at by managers to stop tak- but I just feel like I can’t do it. I’ve always said,
ing pictures with the crowd, but the crowd as a girl I could do whatever I want. But as a
wanted to take pictures with me. A lot were guy, if someone hits on me, I get shy. I start
young people and they would confide in me and thinking ‘what is he looking at me for?’ I still
ask if they could talk to me about problems they have it in my mind that I’m fat and ugly, no
were having with their families. It can be hard matter how much positivity I put in my mind and
for a Latino family to come out, because the how much I love myself, that always hits me.
father always wants their kids to be the most So, I question why he wants me. As Lola I
macho ones and not the gays. I’m so out there, could have a hundred men. Drag has brought
living to have fun. Many tell me it’s because of me happiness, when I sit down and do my
my example that they were able to come out to make up I just start feeling like a lady. I start
their family and started doing drag. transforming myself and I become Lola.

Adelante: Have your looks evolved over the Adelante: Do you consider drag an art form
years? How did you come up with the big or is it more of a fun thing or is it a lifestyle.
hair and everything else. Lazaro: My drag was for me. A way to express
Lazaro: Early on David did my makeup very myself. It was great to see how much joy and
campy, and I didn’t really like it. I actually saw happiness I brought to people’s life. Some-
myself as more glamorous and that’s the look I times when you live your life not so happy, but
wanted. So, I learned how to do my own you see the happiness in other people’s life, it
makeup and Lola became the way I wanted to feels good. I’m not saying I’ve lived an un- Tatiana, Lola, Paloma 1981
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