Grande Dame

The Fabulous Juanita More!!!!!

Drag queens - is there nothing they can't make a little brighter with their glittering presence? Squeeze a piece of coal hard enough between a perma-smiley tranny's clenched cheeks and out pops cubic zirconium, dripping with sparkling bon mots. Yet not all gender illusionists go straight for ditsy comic gold or its silver-tongued twin, cattiness. Some "perform." Others perform. And here we must pause to tip our feathery fedora to she who reps the platinum standard of awe-inspiring cross-dressing performance: San Francisco's, Miss Juanita More. class-act Juanita dusts off overlooked musical nuggets of the past and gives them their shiny due. Despite punk-rock tribute trends and goth night explosions, Juanita's focus stays primarily, perfectly, on that sublime subcultural slice of sonic history known formerly as "race music" and currently as R&B. Her dazzling production numbers utilize large casts of extras, several acts, and impeccable costumery that pays tribute to everything from Scott Joplin's ragtime to Motown's sizzle. And Juanita is no back burner queen, she has done so much -Miss MORE and her entourage came across a group of elders sitting under umbrellas hiding from the hot June sun. They were drawn to their booth and their stories. In June of 2008 she helped to raise $13,000 benefiting New Leaf’s Outreach to Elders Program. 2007 Juanita MORE! helped to organize a fundraising event that would support the unveiling of the Harvey Milk Sculpture at City Hall. Hundreds of people came to celebrate the sculpture’s unveiling. Juanita worked with the Equality campaign in various capacities including fundraiser and performer in 2004. Working not only on the Board of Directors, but also as the primary fund-raiser, Juanita More has helped to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for TARC through her annual fundraisers, held through out the year. Juanita has been able to do this in part because of her vast contacts and connection in the philanthropic community. The most recent fundraising season benefited greatly from Juanita’s friendship with internationally known designer Marc Jacobs. And she can always be counted on for any charity show to benefit raising money for Aids! Juanita can be seen on Bootycall Wednesday's at the Bar on Castro.