06/22/2026
On a Tuesday evening in 2009, a 19-year-old Roxie C. Black sat down at the Sound Factory, a prominent LGBTQ+ friendly nightclub in Lafayette at the time, to watch the weekly ātalent nightā for amateur drag performers.
She wasnāt exactly eager to perform herself, but for months the show director, a local performer named Kira Foxx, had been encouraging her to get on stage. Black was hesitant, insisting she was not a performer.
Eventually, she gave in. If she hadnāt, she would never know the opportunities that would come her way. The New Iberia native knew she was different growing up, and so did her peers: She was a natural host and emcee for dances, pep-rallies and award ceremonies.
What started as a few hesitant steps onto the stage blossomed into a 17-year-long career, and Black became recognized as a pioneer for African American and trans advocacy and mentorship within her community.
On that first night performing in drag, she went up against 12 other queens and stood before the audience anticipating their decision. She won. Later, she beat out that monthās previous winners. Then, she competed in the Lafayette Entertainer of the Year Pageant, which would award the winning queen the opportunity to host their own drag show for one year, and won again.
Her overwhelming success led the barās owner to change the rules: no more competing to be host; Black had it all to herself. āNineteen years old at the time. Never had done anything like that and now Iām running a show every Tuesday night,ā she remembers.
Just as Black began performing, the world was experiencing a major shift in q***r visibility and representation, with shows like Rupaulās Drag Race gaining mainstream traction, and a new era of local queens opening doors, expanding the standards of drag and welcoming variety and diversity ā a show for all to see.
āThe standards of drag when I came out was glam and beauty,ā she recalls. āIf you didnāt have glam and beauty, then you were not doing drag.ā
Read more at thecurrentla.com/2026/roxie-c-black-is-a-living-legacy/
