Shi-Queeta-Lee

If He Has A Dick And An Ass, I’m Fine

ShI-quEEta-Lee is an amazingly funny drag queen/female impersonator out of Washington, DC. She’s the first queen to bring “drag” to the theater in DC since the 1960s, where she produces a Las Vegas-type show every other month. Being in the entertainment field practically her entire life, she has been on various tV shows such as “America’s Got Talent” as well as movies and local programs.
Looking like Tina Turner, she has won Miss Fire Island Entertainer of the Year as well as many other drag titles. I laughed throughout her entire interview and strongly suggest that if you’re ever around the DC area look her up!

I love Tina Turner!
Well, me too.

So tell me a little bit about what you do in DC.
OK, well, I just turned 50 years old.

Happy birthday!
Thank you. I’ve been in the entertainment business all my life. I started doing impersonations 18 years ago.How I started with that was, I use to play for a gay softball league over here in DC. At the end of the season they have a World Series game where all the teams compete, but one person from each team has to be a drag queen in their annual last day pageant. So I was new to the scene and everyone had done it, so they were like, “It’s your turn to do it.” It’s supposed to be like a camp drag pageant were the guys just put on a wig and lipstick and a dress, but I’m like, if I’m gonna do drag for the first time in front of all these people, I’m going all the way! I had a costume designer, makeup artist and all. You see I’m a singer, so I didn’t have to lip sync. And hell, 18 years later…

I started out competing in pageants ‘cause I used to work for the Miss USA Teen in Maryland, DC Circuit, and I used to stay backstage with the girls. I used to see all the girls do that and said, OK, well I can do that too. Drag pageants, there’s a lot of money involved. So I won some titles, and after that I started to perform in the different clubs here in DC. One thing led to another, and then I became a household name as far as the Washington, DC area. I’m at Nellie’s Sports Bar every Friday and Saturday here in DC. It’s a gay owned and operated restaurant. Then there’s a lot of people who like to come and see what we do, and I took drag a step further in DC as far as taking it to the “theater,” cause heterosexual people wanna come to our show and DC is a political government city. Whatever, they don’t want to come to the gay club scene to see what we do. So I went to various theaters to put my drag there. The Howard Theater gave me a chance to do that, so I’m there once every other month with a Las Vegas-type drag show production.

Wow, that’s something different. So when are you coming to New York? When are you going on tour?
If I could get the right financial backup, I would have gone on tour a long time ago.

Why aren’t you on “Drag Race”?
I don’t know. I asked myself that, and I also asked RuPaul that several times when I’ve been on several TV shows. I met him several times and I felt I would have a sure way in, but that didn’t work. It’s really for girls that need help. They looked at me and said, “What does she need to be here for? She already does this business.” I would have loved to have been on there, but I auditioned three times, and after that I was like, “Oh, well.”

So how about New York?
I come to New York once every other week. I shop there. I perform with Bianca Del Rio, Harmonica Sunbeam – all the time. I perform with a lot of the girls from Fire Island. I won Miss Fire Island two years ago.

OMG, I was probably there.
I won I think in 2011.

So then we know all the same people.
Yeah! Drag is a small community.

Do you know Jason Cozmo?
Yes, I beat Jason Cozmo in Miss Fire Island. I did my Tina Turner when he did his Dolly Parton.

OMG, I know who you are. You were amazing! I was there. Do you know Shequida Hall?
Yeah. Everyone gets us confused. She is Shequida, I am Shi-Queeta. We both were on “America’s Got Talent.”

You also were on “America’s Got Talent”?
Yeah, I was on “America’s Got Talent,” 2009. We were four drag queens from Washington DC. We did Rihanna. We got beat out by some little old lady.

What else have you done?
I was in the movie “XXX 3” with Vin Diesel and Ice Cube. I was on “The Wire,” a local show.

Are you single?
Yes.

Are you looking?
Of course, I’m always out looking. I still need a man.

What types of men do you like?
I like all types of men. I don’t have any hangups – black, white, Latino – any type of man. As long as he has a dick and an ass I’m fine. He can be a twink, he can be a bear, he can be a scrub, but he gotta have a point!

My type of woman. So what would you like me to know about you that no one else knows?
I’m really a man!

That is a magnificent answer! So what can I promote for you?
I host a show at the Historic Howard Theater. I’m the first drag queen since the 1960’s; I brought drag back. I host drag brunch at Nellie’s Sports Bar every Saturday and Sunday, and I’m a cast member at Town Dance Boutique in DC every Friday and Saturday night.