Skip to main content
Visiting performers tell local drag artist Gary Barnes they’re often surprised by the sheer variety of drag performance styles in the Rose City. “I truly feel like there’s something for everybody in Portland,” Barnes says.
And out of the wide mixture of performance, Barnes found their niche playing Mona Chrome, embracing their love of fashion, Black femininity and alternative drag. Barnes’ motif is wearing their costumes while rapping or singing (their go-to song is “Nissan Altima” by Doechii or anything by Beyoncé.) As the “alien supermodel of Portland,” they curate an otherworldly aesthetic, performing at the queer bars Badlands and CC Slaughters, and brunches at Bar Cala on Northeast Alberta Street.
“What makes me a finest drag artist in Portland is that I’ve always stuck to myself,” they say. “Everybody has their different way of expressing themselves, but it’s still true to them.”
Formerly an illustrator and painter, Barnes has been a full-time drag artist for around two years. While stumbling upon the eighth-season finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race in 2016 as a Clackamas High School student, Barnes realized they wanted to become a drag performer. They first started in the scene in 2018 at 19 years old, when drag artist Miss Bee Haven reached out regarding an all-ages performance happening at Darcelle XV Showplace. Since then, they’ve worked on projects like Seattle’s traveling Dungeons and Drag Queens and Hot Chocolate PDX, a show about Portland’s Black drag history.
“I feel like [drag] tends to be pigeonholed into like one specific thing,” they say. “Highlighting Black voices, Black spaces doesn’t really happen that often in this city. There is a Black community here, and there’s been one here for a very long time.”
Barnes tells WW their favorite memories are of large LGBTQ+ Pride events, like Seattle’s and Boise’s festivals. They say they enjoy the vibes at these type of events, and the exposure of drag performance to big audiences, which aren’t always accessible due to factors like age limits and the late hours when drag shows are often held.
Barnes harnesses their illustration and painting skills for fine details in makeup and costumes. “I like to show off the costumes that I make and the hard work that I put into something that’s on my body,” they say. A corset hoodie paired with a matching miniskirt adorned with yellow safety pins, layered over a rhinestone cropped T-shirt and high-waisted underwear being a recent favorite costume of theirs.
“I always try to showcase me at the end of the day,” Barnes says. “I think that’s what most drag performers want to do. I always find a way to be myself no matter what the theme is. I’m always myself no matter what.”
