This Miami drag queen is Black, proud and resilient — just don’t call her legendary

“Behind the Drag” aims to showcase the off-stage lives of some of America’s most talented drag queens. The intimate series gives us the opportunity to meet the people behind our favorite over-the-top drag queens.

Tiffany Fantasia doesn’t mince words. She’s proud to be a “greasy b***h.”

“Don’t be a dry h*e. Be a greasy b***h,” the Miami-based drag queen tells In The Know, quoting her catchphrase. “Be fun. Live your life.”

And Fantasia has certainly done just that in her 15-year career as a drag queen. Her story is one of resilience and self-realization, starting from childhood. As a child, Fantasia says she spent a lot of time in “hiding,” partly due to a verbally abusive father.

“He made me scared to express myself in certain ways,” she says. “When drag came around, it was like ‘Oh my goodness, I can express myself how I want to with no problem.’ I can be me with no restrictions.”

The South Florida queen always loved performing, having childhood dreams of being an R&B singer. “That did not happen,” Fantasia says with a laugh. “I just ended up lip-syncing my favorite singers’ songs.”

But it’s not actually as simple as faking vocals to a song — especially for a Black queen looking for her breakthrough. In fact, Fantasia says she seriously struggled to get started in the drag scene, mainly because she didn’t have the needed support from the inside.

“It took a while, but I did find that circle of people that I could trust and befriend and grow with,” she says.

But even with a supportive community of queens, Fantasia says she’s had to deal with “prejudices on both ends, being a Black male and a gay entertainer” from the outside world. And that’s certainly not easy — even for a fearless queen.

“It’s a lot of weight on your shoulders, and you’re having to be that representative for everyone and everything,” Fantasia says. “It can be tiresome.”

When out of drag, Fantasia is “a little shy and still a little introverted.” But in drag, she comes alive.

“I am very sassy, funny, sometimes bit**y,” Fantasia says. “But if I’m bit**y, you earned it.”

With her unapologetic attitude and long-standing presence in the Miami drag scene, Fantasia is a force to recognize. And she says she doesn’t take her popularity for granted one bit. Just, please, don’t call her “legendary” — yet.

“I don’t consider myself legendary,” she says. “A star? A staple? Yes. Legendary? Give me a couple more years. Iconic? Give me a few more years and then I can take those titles. Right now, just let me be me.”

If you enjoyed this story, check out Ellie Goldstein, a model with Down syndrome who is the face of Gucci.

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