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“The majority of my drag success has all come accidental,” says Poison Waters (née Kevin Cook), arguably Portland’s most visible drag icon. “Accidental, but in a way that was all meant to be.”
To describe her career as accidental is a brazenly diplomatic (read: pageant) way to characterize an ascension earned through years of dedicated, enthusiastic and head-to-toe glamorous work. Cook’s ubiquity is not limited to Portland nightlife. Poison Waters has become a consistent presence throughout the city, with reverence shown to her in hallowed halls of education, community service and even government. She has even been the face of TriMet.
“When I think back to my early days, I just wanted to be pretty and have fun, and I wanted everybody to love me,” Waters says. “I used to say, ‘I’m only responsible for the eyelashes back.’ I didn’t care about anything else. Just me.”
“I still say that, but in a completely different way,” she explains. “This drama on the streets, in these clubs, on social media, these kids, I’m not involved. I’m responsible for the eyelashes back.”
Waters puts a different weight behind the statement now. It was a declaration then and remains one today, but decades later the phrase carries added nuance. Embracing her icon status, she has dug her high heels so deeply into Portland’s cultural foundations that her essence is inextricably tied to the city. Still, she only manages what’s behind her eyelashes.
“My presence is for the community, for the city, for the region, the whole Pacific Northwest. I want to represent all of us,” she continues. “There’s the drag, but then there’s the ripple effect of all that the drag means to us. That’s something I’m more aware of now than when I was younger. Back then, I was just aware of myself. But now, I’m the littlest part of this big thing. And that’s what keeps me focused.”
Waters knows her status in Portland is unshakable. When asked about the subtle differences between entertainers who settle into roles as local celebrities and those whose goals lie in L.A. or NYC, her answer spills forth like a love letter to the city that raised her.
“Why would I want to start anywhere else? I’ve made my way to the top and I’m not going to start all over just for the glamorous opportunity,” Waters says. “Coming out in the late ’80s and having literally the entire drag community decimated, then having to start from scratch and rebuild, we do these things because we have to. For those who weren’t able to.”
Waters believes in career longevity. She’s worked at Darcelle XV Showplace for 35 years, partnered with Cascade AIDS Project for 37 years, and Portland Monthly for over 20 years. “All the different groups I work with, the nonprofits, they hire me one time thinking, ‘Oh, it’s going to be fun to have a drag queen,’” Waters says. “Fifteen years later, I’m still emceeing all their events.”
“For me, drag is not just the nightclub scene,” she continues. “For me, my drag is the whole town, the whole city, all the arts groups, the health groups, the education groups, all the groups I work with.”
Waters runs in numerous influential circles. She often performs as Mother Ginger in Oregon Ballet Theatre’s annual Nutcracker production, and was among those mentioned in a proclamation before the Oregon Senate on Juneteenth dedicated to the cultural contributions of Black drag artists. “I’ve been doing it for so long, I don’t scheme to stay relevant.” she continues. “Whether I’m in drag or whether I’m out of drag, the goal is the same: entertain, educate and embrace.”
