AIDS Resource Center Ohio
Provides HIV and AIDS prevention and education programs in addition to testing, counseling, support services and linkage to care throughout 35 Ohio counties.
For more information in the Miami Valley, call (937) 461-2437 or visit www.arcohio.org.
DAYTON — Wig upon wig and sequin dress upon sequin dress fill the Front Street loft that Dayton’s Rubi Girls have called practice space and clubhouse since April.
Posters promoting performances cover the wall as do photos of grinning men in makeup with double entendre stage names wearing cropped tops, stacked shoes and/or evening gowns.
Before the move in, the drag troupe’s expansive collection of clothes and mementos were spread all around the Miami Valley stored in basements, garages and closets, explained Brent Johnson who performs as India Summer.
It’s nice to have everything in one location, said Johnson, a firecracker when he’s playing Summer.
“You never know when you are going to need a Campfire Girl costume,” the salon owner said. “It was hard to drag that stuff up and down the stairs.”
Johnson joined the troupe 20 years ago, a year after he began dating partner Josh Stuckey.
Stuckey (Dana Sintell) and Tim Farquhar (Fonda Peters) are the only current members remaining from the original group that started in the late ’80s entertaining friends on a stage in an attic on Rubicon Street.
Stuckey said it all began after a friend went to the Oregon District Halloween bash dressed as a character he named “Jolene the Cowgirl.”
The friend returned to Rubicon and put on an impromptu drag performance.
“Then two of us went and got blankets (and started performing,” Stuckey said. “Next thing, people said we should do this.”
The pals started putting on campy in-house pageants themed for things like the circus and nursery rhythms.
“The audience picked the favorites,” recalled Stuckey, who loves to bring down the house as rocker Stevie Nicks.
Since there first fundraiser in 1994 for an area gay bowling league, the Rubi Girls, the subject of a 2003 documentary by member Jonathan McNeal (Ileasa Ply- mouth), have opened for acts ranging from Sister Sledge to Martha Wash of the Weather Girls.
Along the way, they’ve raised more than $300,000, mostly for AIDS-related causes including AIDS Resource Center Ohio. The troupe performs about a half dozen times a year, collecting money at the door as well as donations during performances, for charity.
Stuckey said Rubi Girls fans feel part of a larger family.
“We are doing it for the right reason. We are doing it to help people,” he said. “A lot of people want to help, but they don’t have the time or energy. We have the time and energy, and they give us the money.”
Mark Brewer (Annie Biotix), a Rubi Girl for 18 years, said raising awareness of AIDS is key to what the group does.
“It’s important for the community to remember that AIDS and HIV is still a problem,” he said. “It’s a topic that affects not only the gay community, but everyone at large.”
About a million people are living with AIDS or HIV in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Those infected with AIDS through heterosexual contact account for 31 percent of annual new HIV infections. Those infected through IV drug use account for 12 percent of new HIV infections and are 19 percent of those living with HIV.
More than 18,000 people die of AIDS each year, the CDC estimates.
At its heart, Scott Winters of Miamisburg (Tara Misu) said the Rubi Girls — a group of 12 or so — are about fun.
Members who range in age from 36 to 50 are known for their parodies of “Price Is Right” games like Plinko, over-the-top outfits and the occasional five o’clock shadows.
“It’s just a group of friends who have an absolute blast,” Winters said, noting that he joined the group four years ago after knowing members for years.
“We don’t take it quite as seriously (as other drag performers) and we like to laugh at each other.”
McNeal’s award-winning film granted The Rubi Girls national attention including being named Best Duo/Group at the 2003 Miss Fire Island Contest in New York.
Johnson said that some at the contest initially underestimated the Rubi Girls as being simply from small town Ohio. The crowd was won over and the troupe was asked to host the competition the following year, its Ruby anniversary.
The Rubi Girls are much more than about playing dress up, Johnson said.
“It’s a good part of who we are in the community and what guides our life’s purpose,” he said.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2384 or arobinson@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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