Jayla Rose Sullivan Is a Big Deal

She was a beloved fixture at Hamburger Mary’s and Sinferno before stealing the show as Lizzo’s only trans contestant.

Jayla Rose Sullivan (Jayla Rose Sullivan)
By Brianna Wheeler

What does Pride mean to you? That’s the big question of this week’s cover package. Of course, there’s not just one answer; after all, the LGBTQ+ experience isn’t monolithic. It’s diverse and complex and public and private and, well, everywhere, all the time, whether you live under the rainbow or in a state where the word “gay” is illegal.

Today’s guest on the Dive podcast, Jayla Rose Sullivan, has been a nightlife entertainer since the early 2010s. She was a beloved fixture at Hamburger Mary’s and Sinferno before stealing the show as Lizzo’s only trans contestant on her dance competition reality show Watch Out for the Big Grrls.

In that competition, she presented herself to the world as the dancing diva that she is. Legendary status, honestly: She’s now a trans icon nationwide, and we love to see it.

Jayla Rose and I will dish on trans representation, drag vs. burlesque, and the fabulosity of cabaret outreach.

Listen on Spotify.

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