Fearless, Bold, and Radiant: Reflections on Georgian Drag

by Sopho Kharazi

Note: This is a personal reflection. While I am aware of the many challenges faced by drag performers in Georgia, my focus here is not on hardship but on empowerment, admiration, and the transformative joy of witnessing their art.

Sexiness, comfort, safety, love, and warmth were the first sensations that flooded me as I stepped into the drag show at Success Bar one Saturday night in Tbilisi, Georgia. I went with a small group of friends, both Georgian and Western European. For some, it was their first time in Georgia and together we stepped into a space that felt instantly like home.

© Dato Koridze

It was only the second drag show I had ever attended, and like the first, it unfolded within the vivid, familiar walls of Success Bar. Perhaps that is why the bar has a special place in my heart. Although I enjoy going out in Tbilisi, Success Bar offers a different, almost rare sense of safety. The freedom I feel there comes from the very depths of being. It is the freedom to be bold, to revel in my own sensuality, and to exist without apology. It is a freedom both playful and profoundly liberating. The place itself radiates a kind of warmth I struggle to define. Maybe it is the hazy red glow, the leopard details in the interior, or the playlist overflowing with early-2000s and 2010s hits. It is the sort of music no one can truly dislike because it tugs at something nostalgic, even if voluntarily I do not listen to Katy Perry. “Oh my God, this song, this is my childhood,” laughed my Austrian friend when MIKA’s “Grace Kelly” filled the room. This music wraps you in memories, the nostalgia does half the emotional work for you. Of course, the sound system and the ventilation could have been better, as it was unbearably hot at times, but perhaps that heat came from the sheer number of stunning drag queens in the room. Who’s to say?

© Nini Giunashvili

The bar itself is small, almost cramped, but that night it pulsed with people, every corner alive. I was lucky enough to find a seat on a long, elegant bench above the floor, perfectly facing the stage. The stage, perched on a narrow balcony, offered little room to move, yet the queens transformed its limits into something electric. It was the House of Venus performing. Aphrodite opened the show with effortless radiance, followed by the fierce Miss Stella Pantera, the commanding Baroness, and the ever-captivating Shea. The crowd was a beautiful mixture of Millennials swaying beside Gen Z, Georgians shoulder-to-shoulder with foreigners. All were cheering wildly, every shout and clap amplifying the power each performer brought to the stage.

Throughout the performance, two thoughts kept circling in my mind. The first was a quiet, aching question: how can anyone choose hatred? Choose to make the lives of these performers heavier than the weight we all already carry? The second was a surge of admiration. I found myself deeply moved by the courage of these drag queens, by their insistence on creating beauty despite the political, social, and economic obstacles that so often try to silence them. Their bravery was resistance in motion, art that refused to be silenced, a declaration that beauty and truth could not be contained. Even now, as I write these lines, I feel a swell of emotion rising again. Something about it touches me in a place I rarely access. “So touching to see this in Georgia. Intensity of one’s inner world. Beautiful!”, my Austrian friend, who lives in Berlin, whispered to me during one of the performances. And in that moment, I knew exactly what she meant.

© Nini Giunashvili

By coincidence, the morning before I was having coffee with a friend who had recently come out as a lesbian, despite a Catholic upbringing, and our conversation naturally drifted toward my own experiences, particularly the brief relationship I once had with a woman. I admitted to her that, although I am drawn to both women and men, I have never felt brave enough to face the potential backlash from my family and surroundings if I were ever to bring a woman home. And so, knowing that I am also attracted to men, I learned to quiet my attraction toward women, to tuck it away somewhere invisible, somewhere safer. Perhaps that is why the performances that night struck me so profoundly. They illuminated a kind of courage I have not yet been able to claim. During the show, the same friend shared her feelings with me: “It’s so beautiful not only to see people feeling free to be themselves but also having a whole crowd cheering for them!!! Oh yes, they deserve it. Let’s be free with our sexuality, let’s be free with letting our sexiness out. Why not?? It’s beautiful and honest. Why not come out and be our extravagant selves?”

I have spoken often with friends about this recent period of my life in which I no longer feel as sexy or as adventurous as I once did. Sex, for me, has shifted from being a source of confidence and playfulness to something more solitary, more muted – an act of pleasure rather than empowerment. There was a time when slipping into beautiful lingerie just for myself, standing before the mirror and admiring my own reflection felt natural and even necessary. But over the past few years, that ritual quietly disappeared. Watching the drag performances that night, something in me stirred again. I felt a spark, an awakening, a reminder of the sensuality I thought I had misplaced. I felt the urge to reclaim that part of myself, and I felt profoundly grateful to every performer who helped ignite it. “I felt so sexy and confident!!!!!” texted me later that night another friend after the show.

© Dato Koridze

Still, I did not want this reflection to revolve solely around my own feelings or those of my friends. I wanted to weave in the perspective of someone who stands at the heart of it all. So, I reached out to one of the performers – Baroness from House of Venus. She open-heartedly agreed to answer some questions.

How would you describe your drag persona? Who is she, and how did she come to life?

My drag persona is a colorful, diverse, and impulsive queen who has energy that could fill up a sea. Baroness is a strong, independent woman who always focuses on the outcome. She has always existed in me, even though in the past, she was not seen by society and she had no name.

What inspired your drag name, and what does it mean to you?

I always associated the word “Baroness” with power. Only she can control the chaotic energy and power that exists inside me.

Where do you draw inspiration for your looks and performances? Are there particular artists, eras, or aesthetics that speak to you?

I always get inspired with life experiences, which I might struggle to express in day-to-day life. However, Baroness can always say what she has to say.

How important is storytelling in your drag? What do you hope your audience feels when they watch you perform?

In a country where doing drag is dangerous for a person, every performance obviously tells a story. We should never forget that drag in Georgia is political. My drag performances always imply different ideas and express different emotions. However, the main message is always the same – Repression will never silence art and self-expression.

How has the drag scene in Georgia influenced your art and approach to performance?

As I have mentioned, it is not easy to do drag in Georgia. We have to face a lot of problems. For me, Georgian drag queens will always be an example that nothing, neither political, social, nor financial difficulties will ever be able to prevent the will to do drag and to express oneself.

That night, I left the Success Bar not only entertained but awakened. I was reminded of the courage it takes to live authentically, and of the joy, sensuality, and power that art can inspire. Georgian drag queens are more than performers – they are beacons of resilience, creativity, and freedom. Their art reminds us that living boldly is always worth it.

We would like to thank Baroness for being open with us. You can follow her on Instagram: @__baronesss__

We would like to thank Dato Koridze for the beautiful photographs. Discover more of his works on Instagram: @photomaker_d.k

Thanks to Nini Giunashvili for the amazing illustrations she did for this article. Follow her art on Instagram: @giunas_sketching

I want to personally thank every drag queen in this country for inspiring fearless, bold, and radiant self-expression – simply by being unapologetically their true, extravagant selves. I also want to express my gratitude to everyone behind Success Bar (@success_bar), who have nurtured and sustained a safe, welcoming space for countless people over so many years.