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Philanthropy does drag
Royal generosity
story & photo Connor Jay
“We may be drag queens honey, but if you think about it, who better to put on a show and help raise money?” says Dan Cook, better known as Mother Cherreese. Cook belongs to the International Imperial Court System (IICS), a non-profit organization comprised of drag queens who employ their glamorous big wigs and gravity-defying stilettos to turn drag into an act of philanthropy.
The IICS is one of the largest gay organizations in the world. The Eugene chapter, the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Emerald Empire, performs every other week to support local charities. In 2007, the Court raised nearly $11,000.
“I’ve never seen an independent organization fundraise like them,” says Diane Lang, executive director of Lane County’s HIV Alliance. “The court has developed such a culture of giving, where they encourage others around them to give effortlessly. They really are amazing role models in that sense.”