Queer representation in regional Victoria has not always been smooth sailing.
But this drag queen is stepping up, and is ready to strut down the seven seas of the RuPaul runway.
Melbourne-based drag queen Ashley Madison has joined the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under season three, but she didn’t start her drag journey as a city queen.
The first time she stepped into drag was in her high school years at Mooroopna High School, during a production, when her teacher suggested a drag queen would suit the performance, and there she was.
“I always wanted to be a pop star, but then I saw drag and just knew that that’s what I wanted to do,” Ashley said.
“It was weird, I just didn’t know what the reaction would be.”
She had humble beginnings as a Mooroopna stage star, and support from her surroundings wasn’t always evident.
“As a queer kid in Shepparton, I always wanted to leave, it was all I thought I could do,” she said.
“There was nothing to do with drag at all in regional Victoria.”
She spread her wings and moved to Melbourne at 18, where she began her professional drag journey, as many queens do.
The lack of representation has driven Ashley to become that for someone else, and now she feels she has an opportunity.
“If there’s one thing I want to do with this show, it is to emphasise that you can be queer and from a regional place and do great things,” Ashley said.
“I want to foster hope and support, and show that there are queer communities everywhere, not just in cities.”
The Goulburn Valley, although lacking in queer spaces, will always be close to her heart, and now Ashley represents it on an internationally beloved competition.
“I truly am excited for the Shepparton audience to see the show — I’m honoured to represent where I’m from,” she said.
“Shepparton is an integral part of my being, the community is the basis of who I am.”
The show will be streaming on Stan and the first episode will premiere on Friday, July 28.