APEX, N.C. — You might say Naomi Dix resembles a Hollywood diva.
“I’m a huge, huge, huge Betty Davis fan," Dix said.
What You Need To Know
June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate and honor LGBTQ+ people in our communities
The City of Apex will hold a Pride Festival Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., but there has been controversy surrounding this year's event
There was supposed to be a drag story hour, where drag queens educate kids about what they do, but it was canceled after board members of the Apex Festival Commission received negative feedback and hateful comments
Dix prefers to be called a queen. After eight years of doing drag, Dix has her routine down to a science.
“It normally takes about an hour and a half to do a full face and body makeup and corset and padding and wig," Dix said.
Naomi is the name of her drag character, a personality she chose that is shaped by her upbringing and values.
“I grew up very Christian ... wanting to explore my interests and trying to understand how to maneuver being a queer person or coming to the realization that I was a queer person," Dix said.
Dix says she found a sense of belonging and acceptance in the drag community.
“Finding people that were like me and had the same kind of feelings and journeys that I had," she said.
Today, Dix is a performer and artist. She's also an activist, who uses her platform to educate and inspire.
“The queer community has been at the butt of people’s fear because it is still uncertain to them as to what our community means and what our agenda is," Dix said.
Dix says she has no agenda, although the queer community does have a mission. And she says that mission is to make each other feel safe. Something many people didn’t feel when the Apex Pride Festival had to cancel its drag story hour event after board members of the Apex Festival Commission received negative feedback and hateful comments.
Dix says the story hour was about showing kids what drag is, but in an age-appropriate way through learning, illustrations and books.
“Educate children when it comes to every single community, because when they see there is a community out there, when they see there is a community out there when they start their journey … it is easier for them to understand they’re not alone," she said.
Dix's hope is people can grow to understand the value in facilitating safe spaces and the value in celebrating Pride Month as a whole.
“We’re human too, we’re no different than you," Dix said. "The only difference is that we might have different views and that’s OK."
Dix says Pride Month is not just about the queer community, but about providing a space for people to be able to express themselves freely through art and other avenues.