From Athens and Mykonos’ cabarets, the Greek drag scene’s diva shares her story, from serving the navy to producing and presenting the very first Drag Beauty Pageant in Greece. Meet Doukissa, the 30-year-old duchess of drag from Crete.
“When I was a kid, I used to dress up as a woman for the Greek Carnival. My sister would do my make-up, and my mother would lend me her most extravagant dresses from the 80s. When I was 18, I moved from Chania, Crete to Athens to study Public Administration at Panteion University. From a young age, I was a huge fan of Takis Zacharatos, a Greek entertainer who impersonates different public personas. Once I moved to Athens, I went to see one of his shows. With every other drag show that I would attend, the more I fell in love with drag.
Becoming a queen myself was a decision I made when I finished my military service at 25. During my time as a soldier, I was oppressed, and when I left the navy, I told myself that I wouldn’t ever engage in anything that represses me again. I decided to study interior design and created my very own drag queen persona. In 2015, a friend who used to organise events came up to me one day and asked me to perform a drag show for one of her events at a gay club in Athens. A year later, in March 2016, I chose to pursue drag professionally as Doukissa. Five years have gone by, and I haven’t looked back once!
I adopted the name Doukissa due to its double functionality; it’s both a name and a title. In Greek, it means duchess. Doukissa is a comedy and pageant drag queen who loves to interact with the audience. I love performing Christina Aguilera and Greek songs, and pop-folk songs of Angela Dimitriou, known as the Lady of Greek folk music, a diva indeed. From make-up styling to the concepts and choreographies, it’s all part of my vision. Some of my drag clothes are actually made by tailors who draw inspiration from my sketches. I also have store-bought dresses, which I personalise to fit Doukissa’s style. For the most part, my drag persona is the same person as me, George. George is social and flirty, Doukissa is super social and extra flirty. Whatever I am, Doukissa is too. But to a superlative degree.
When I told my loved ones that I wanted to become a drag queen, they were surprised at first due to my stereotypical “straight” look. While they’d never expected me to want to do something this feminine, they are very supportive. My parents’ only concern was whether drag has a stable income and how long it can last. Other than that, they were excited about my drag journey. They came and watched one of my shows in Chania, Crete and my mother gave me all her fancy dresses that I used to wear as a kid. In my personal life, the reactions have varied. I’ve met people who have felt bothered that I’m a drag queen, and I’ve met people who were excited to find out what I do and asked insightful questions. I have a pretty big fan club, which encourages me to keep being the diva duchess I am. I’ve made sure that the people around me aren’t toxic, so I’ve never had anyone question or made me question my decisions.
Ever since we’ve been in lockdown, I’ve been practising drag on social media. I collaborate with other queens and interact virtually with my fans as much as possible. I’ve also been organising the very first beauty pageant for drag queens in Greece. “Miss Hellas Drag Pageant” will take place on the 11th of June 2021 and I will be the event’s host. One of the judges will be Lenn Ryberg, one of the first to bring the drag scene to Greece, doing shows in Mykonos back in 1982. I’m very excited and proud of this project. I am trying to promote drag as much as possible in my home country, one of my goals being to make the drag pageant an annual institution in Greece.
Drag is literally everything to me. It’s magic, it’s art, and it’s expression. I’m one of those people who live for drag. Although it takes me an hour to do my make-up, it really feels like five minutes. I enjoy it so much, and I honestly get lost in the process. I get nervous when waiting to perform because I only serve the best even though I’ve been doing this for years. But once I hear my song start, it all goes away, and there I am doing my thing! My favourite performance was probably during Thessaloniki Pride in 2019. I got on stage, and ten thousand people were singing along with me – the feeling I had is unforgettable.
One of the difficulties of this job is the lack of dressing rooms for drag queens at clubs. I’ve often had to get dressed at my house and ride my motorbike dressed up to get to the venue. Having my personal space is definitely a challenge for me. Some clubs don’t even have a stage, and you have no other choice than having to perform in between people or in a small area which limits you, especially in long-ass heels. But at most of the venues I’ve performed, I communicated with the owner and found solutions.
Like in many other jobs, when you first start, you are poorly paid. The money is little, to even non-existent sometimes. It takes time to build your personal brand and raise the standards. Having a fair salary is a problem that many artists face, as they are often neglected by the government.
During this pandemic, things have been even harder financially for creatives. Being an artist who cannot work because of Covid, I received a sum of money from the Greek government. But this rule only applies to those who have a contract, and freelancers, unfortunately, are on their own. Even though it’s going to be hard when things go back to normal, it’s crucial for all drag queens to keep the same fee and not lower it; otherwise, we all risk being exploited. The pandemic has already made the prices drop, to the point where they don’t even cover the basic expenses. Hospitality and Entertainment have been damaged the most by this pandemic, and consequently, so have drag queens.
Greece has improved in terms of LGTBQIA+ acceptance, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for progress. Thankfully I’ve never experienced any verbal or physical abuse for being a drag queen, and I walk around dressed in drag a lot. I don’t know if that is because I don’t take bullshit from anyone or if I’ve just been lucky. In terms of drag, people seem to enjoy the performances and acknowledge it for what it is, a form of art. More and more people have found the courage to pursue drag, and it’s a beautiful thing to see.”
