Beyond Glamorous

Lyta Blunt (center) admires her flowers at the end of “We’re Right Here” at Spectrum Queer Bar in February 2024. (Photo by Gabrielle Lopez)

On a February night in 2022, drag queen Lyta Blunt strutted across the stage at the Big Dirty bar in Eugene, Oregon, and lip-synced to “Juice” by Lizzo. She was the final performer of the evening. Over the previous hour, customers had watched five other Black performers do drag and poetry. Now, it was time for Blunt to close the evening and her first self-produced drag show: We’re Right Here. 

As she mouthed the lyric “Don't say it ’cause I know I'm cute,” a fan threw a bundle of dollar bills that rained down on her. In a pink satin dress, Blunt swayed her hips and gesticulated to match the attitude of the lyrics. She grazed the edge of the stage to collect more dollar bills from enthusiastic customers. Her wide eyes and dark, dramatic lips drew everyone’s attention. She had every detail of her performance meticulously planned. She gestured toward her body as Lizzo sang “No, I’m not a snack at all; Look, baby, I’m the whole damn meal.”  

When it comes to “We’re Right Here,” Lyta Blunt is the whole damn reason. The drag show features performers of color. Blunt created the show to challenge a predominantly white entertainment industry. When the show launched for the first time – that night in February 2022 — he feared low attendance because, as Blunt said, “Eugene is such a white town.” She was also new to the drag scene at the time. To her surprise, she sold 160 tickets.    

“The audience didn’t know who I was, but they were still excited for what I did,” she said. 

Performing to “Juice” reflected Blunt’s pride and confidence as a fat queer performer. She said she prioritized performing to Black music to embrace her identity. She had spent weeks rehearsing on top of planning, choreographing and booking performers to create an all-Black lineup to celebrate Black History Month. To the audience, the show seemed like an ordinary drag show. To Blunt, it was her first step toward acceptance.  

Blunt, 25, is originally from Portland, Oregon, and moved to Eugene in her early childhood. She studied acting from 2017 to 2020 at Lane Community College where she appeared in local short films and advertisements and produced campus shows.  

She said her experience at LCC equipped her with the necessary skills to produce a drag show. She had begun performing in drag in 2019. She noticed that most of the performers and audience members were white. Blunt wanted to challenge the underrepresentation of people of color in the entertainment industry. 

On top of empowerment, Blunt’s passion for drag is fueled by the motivation to “engage without changing” herself to be more appealing. For instance, her stage name, “Lyta Blunt,” references how she overcomes her disability.  

“A big part of my journey as a stoner drag queen is that I use cannabis as a way to recover from my chronic pain,” she said, referring to flare-ups in her legs. “I also use it to help with other aspects of my disability, like insomnia.”

Blunt realized We’re Right Here was not just a passion project for uplifting marginalized performers but a career opportunity. She sought to hire 3-5 performers of color for a one-night-only show. To emphasize the importance of representation, Blunt named her self-produced show “We’re Right Here.” 

“I think it’s really important to have people of color in lineups,” Blunt said. “A lot of queer people of color avoid queer spaces because they don’t know if there are going to be other people of color there. It’s nice to see yourself represented on a larger platform.”   

Over the ensuing two years, Blunt started working at Spectrum Queer Bar in Eugene. She hosts weekly events at Spectrum, including lipsync, karaoke and drag brunch. Sunday drag brunch is one of Spectrum’s few shows available to customers of all ages. Blunt hosts brunch with drag queen Shirley Mental. 

Mental first performed in Blunt’s drag brunch in May 2022 and started co-hosting the weekly event with Blunt. Six months later, Blunt established the “Haus of Blunt” to start a drag family. In drag culture, drag families are groups of drag performers who share values of community and support. Blunt adopted Mental as her “drag daughter” and now teaches Mental performance skills: producing, emceeing and lip sync. 

“Lyta’s helped so much with figuring out my shit and that includes producing shows,” Mental said. Mental fills in as the emcee at brunch when Blunt is absent. Mental said part of having a drag family is knowing that when someone is down, “it’s your job and priority to make sure that person gets rest, and that includes stepping in when people need help.” 

Blunt’s role at Spectrum laid the foundation to work on her career goal: empower performers of color. In Nov. 2023, she staged another rendition of We’re Right Here. It is now a monthly event at Spectrum and features only performers of color, including Blunt’s best friend, Vada Shelby. 

Shelby met Blunt while visiting Eugene. Because they found a common interest in drag, Blunt invited Shelby to perform in We’re Right Here last November. Shelby, who is half Indigenous and half white, wanted to accept the offer but hesitated. While attending Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, Shelby struggled to express their Native roots in public.  

“I had a rough time receiving comments about people thinking I’m a fully white person pretending to be Native,” Shelby said. “[Blunt] and I talked about how [being Native] is a huge part of my identity and upbringing, but when there’s an event targeted toward the Indigenous community, I get nervous.” 

Blunt assured Shelby they belonged in her show. If anyone were to have an issue with their mixed identity, Blunt said it would be something to “take up with [me].”   

With newfound confidence, Shelby signed up to perform under the name “Marmalade.” The night of Shelby’s performance turned “strangely emotional” as Blunt introduced them as an Indigenous performer. “I remember being a little choked up,” Shelby said. “To be undoubtedly welcome not only felt special—but new to me.” 

Blunt introducing a performer at the second anniversary of We’re Right Here at Spectrum on February 2024. (Photo by Gabrielle Lopez)

Two years after We’re Right Here’s debut, its second anniversary filled Spectrum Queer Bar on February 2024. February shows continue to have an all-Black lineup to honor Black History Month.  

“Two-year edition, baby,” Blunt said. “We are celebrating!” 

Blunt has mastered producing and made countless connections with other drag performers in Oregon, four of whom Blunt booked for this month’s show. With each introduction, she gushed about the beauty of each queen. 

“I have such a special place in my heart for Black and trans drag performers who are unapologetically fat,” she said after a performance by Chakra Stone, a drag queen Blunt met in Portland. “That’s who I am.” 

As an homage to the first We’re Right Here, Blunt reworked one of her first performances. The crowd erupted in screams when the DJ queued “Kill Bill” by SZA, one of the many Black artists Blunt loves to perform to because of her “strength and self-assured personality.” 

After “Kill Bill,” Blunt had a few minutes to catch her breath as the performers huddled up on stage. Queen Bebe Boudoir stole the mic as Blunt’s partner, Kohl, surprised her with a box of flowers arranged to spell out “WRH.” 

“We’re all here because of Lyta,” Boudoir said as Spectrum employees presented a celebratory cake.  

Blunt’s bright smile glowed under the spotlight. Blunt knew she wanted to revolutionize the entertainment industry to benefit people of color. Through drag, she created a space that grants marginalized identities a chance to shine. The second anniversary had been a success, but after this night, Blunt will go back into planning for next month’s show. 

All photos taken and edited by Gabrielle Lopez
All names, besides Vada Shelby, are shortened or stage names as requested by subjects for privacy