Drag Race Star to appear at Richmond Benefit

GayRVA Staff
January 10, 2013

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Sunday night at Babes of Carytown, Penny Tration, the fan-picked contestant from Rupaul’s Drag Race season 5 will be gracing Richmonders with her majestic presence, all in support of a good cause.

“If you’re not bothering to participate by giving back in your community, you’re a shmuck.”  Said Tony Cody, AKA Penny Tration. All the proceeds from this weekend’s event go to help local drag queen Sharon Husband’s partner Bryceson get  top surgery. Husbands and Tration had communicated for some time online – and when Husbands put out the call for help, the support was overwhelming. A few emails later, Tration agreed to come to Richmond and lend her talents.

“People who need help, need help. It doesn’t matter if it’s someone who needs their top surgery done, or if its people saving animals – we are truely all in this together, its a closed loop, yea know.” Said Tration from her home in Cincinnati OH. She was busy putting together her costume for this weekend’s show. She said it was her biggest concern, and something to keep our eyes out for. “A mutual friend, Chelsea Pearl, makes ridiculous costumes when she comes to Richmond, so I told her ‘I had to beat Chelsea at her own game.’”

Tration has been doing drag for 20 years, and her work had paid off when she got the chance to be on the Logo Network’s number 1 rated RuPaul’s Drag Race. She couldn’t give many specifics on her television debut – details can’t be released till after the show airs, but she did say the experience was hard. “It was like being in boot camp.”

Tration said she’s curious to see how the final edits turn out – she’s seen the series preview reel and wasn’t sure how she’d be presented, but either way she’s not too worried how she comes out appearing. “I think the challenge was getting on the show – after that, it doesn’t matter. My thought process was “getting on the show was the end of the journey” but then I realized that was just step one.”

Since filming ended, she’s been promoting and making sure people watch the show when it premieres Monday, January 28th.

Tration made it onto the show through a fan voting system – and she hasn’t forgotten that. Though she did her own promotion and networking online, it was the networks outside her reach that got the votes she needed. ”It wasn’t just me getting people to vote… It was amazing, i don’t know how it happened, but it was awesome… You can’t get gays excited about anything – Cher could come to their front door and a gay would say ‘oh hey, girl’… Its import I show up to drag race, do my job, and honor the people who did the voting. I didn’t make it through the casting, I made it through the fan vote, so I need to honor the fans dedication.”

Sunday’s show is sure to be a treat – a nationally recognized drag queen doing her best to help a friend realize their dreams. ”Its important that you take part in helping the world be as good a place as we can,” said Tration, “and along the way, to not be a dick all the time.”

Sunday, January 13, 2013 – Doors Open at 5, Silent Auction and 6, Showtime at 8PM.

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