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Correction: In a previous version of this article, Hunter Kusak was wrongly identified in the dom photo. The Daily Orange regrets this error.

Hunter Kusak found themselves pushing off drag and taking on more behind the scene roles like photography and videography for other drag performers. Two years later, they’ve finally decided to throw their hat in the drag ring.

“I’ve been a stay behind the camera (person),” Kusak said. “And then I saw the drag performances, the preliminary and the final last year, and so I was like, ‘yeah, that’ll be my debut.’”

Kusak performed as their drag king persona Quirt Taylor at the 21st annual Pride Union Drag show on March 23 in the Underground in Schine Student Center. RuPaul’s Drag Race star The Vixen hosted the event, which welcomed all student drag performers of varying experience.

Kusak, a Syracuse native and public health senior at SU, beyond their performances, wants to teach sex education in schools. They have helped evidence-based sex education in Syracuse city high schools and were even able to get certified and trained while in school so that they could teach sex education to their peers. Through teaching, they met people who were interested in drag or had already been in the Syracuse drag scene.

Kusak felt that shows like RuPaul’s Drag Show only portrayed a certain form of drag. While most people associate drag with high-femme and pageantry, that wasn’t the avenue Kusak’s drag took on. They said because of this discrepancy, they were more drawn to shows like “The Boulet’s Brothers Dragula,” which depicts other more diverse types of drag.

“As somebody who is trans (and) grew up not always fitting into either box, I was really nervous when I first decided I wanted to do drag,” Kusak said.

Annabelle Fears, Kusak’s friend, described them as a strong activist who has grown into an incredibly socially-aware person. Fears has always seen how they have sought to not only be a part of their queer community, but to also actively be an asset and source of betterment for it.

“Hunter is very eclectic, very passionate about helping their community and helping others, and is absolutely hilarious,” Fears said. “I think that they are such an asset to Syracuse in general with what they’re able to bring to the table.”

Fears said that Kusak is involved in various initiatives for the queer community as well as helping queer homeless youth. Knowing that Kusak was a little shy, Fears said that she was a little surprised when she found out Kusak would be performing drag, but nonetheless, knew they were more than capable of putting on a show.

“Not too long ago, I watched them do an impromptu performance of some Prince songs, which blew me away, because I’ve never seen them ever perform like that or dance like that,” Fears said. “(They did the performance) just from listening to music in this youth group that they were volunteering at, and I was blown away at their ability to just pick that up.”

Kusak loves horror movies, more specifically slasher-esque films, and so they wanted to incorporate that love into their drag. With their love of drag and horror, they wanted the audience to feel a mixture of pleasure and horror while watching them. For the preliminary, they said they toned it down a bit, but they are looking forward to upping the ante in the final.

“My goal on stage is to make people go like, ‘what the f*ck did I just watch?’” Kusak said. “But then also be very confused on, ‘why am I really a little turned on right now?’”

Kusak got into the local drag scene by meeting some queens at downtown Syracuse bars like Trexx and Wunder Bar. They mainly take pictures for Black and Brown queens in the area, they said.

There are a lot of conversations not being had within queer communities in Syracuse and around the country about how cis- and white-centered these spaces can be, Kusak said.

“With a lot of the Black queer folks, they now have two things that people are seeking them to educate them on: Blackness and queerness,” Kusak said. “It’s not our job and it’s not their job to continue to have to advocate for why they are deserving of basic human needs.”

Queer conversations are currently dominated by cis white gay men, Kusak said, which means the violence and struggles of Black trans women often go unnoticed and undiscussed. All of those things considered, Kusak holds the relationships they have made in the queer and drag community close. They understand the importance of chosen family, especially for Black queer people, Kusak said.

Their activism doesn’t only support and protect marginalized communities, but has also had an influence on their friends and loved ones.

Eboni Britt is one of those loved ones. Britt, the Executive director of strategic communications and initiatives for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at SU, has known Kusak since they were three years old. Knowing Kusak has impacted her view on DEIA, she said.

“Having Hunter in my life has given me an education on activism that I could never learn within a classroom or normal environment,” Britt said. “Their advocacy for Black people, for queer people, for people who are Black and queer, is tireless. They are one of the most courageous people that I am honored to know.”

Both Britt and Fears said that Kusak is the type of person who radically impacts the people they meet. Their activism, care, sense of humor and intellect shines through in everything they do, Britt said.

“Being along with Hunter through their life journey thus far has fundamentally changed me in a variety of ways,” Britt said. “They have helped me to become a better diversity and inclusion advocate, a better parent and a better human – I love them.”

Kusak hopes they can be a representation of the true vastness and overall idea of drag. They feel like drag is just another extension of oneself, in a way that doesn’t have as many restrictions as a person’s everyday life might have.

“A lot of the times, (in) the persona that people portray when they get into drag, they’re able to basically be their authentic selves,” Kusak said.

Published on April 12, 2023 at 11:22 pm