Profile: Eric Buckmaster/Lady Christian

Profile: Eric Buckmaster/Lady Christian

Eric Buckmaster and his alter ego, Lady Christian, share a mission to serve the community.

By Glenn Gullickson

Lady Christian

Man behind the drag queen works for dual communities

There's a common theme in his work as drag queen Lady Christian and as a member of a local school board, according to Eric Buckmaster.

"Lady and Eric both have full time jobs supporting the community," Buckmaster said. "Both of them are very unselfish."

Buckmaster had a following in the LGBT community for his drag act before he won election in 2010 to a seat on the Murphy Elementary School Board. The K-8 district serves the diverse working class central southwest Phoenix neighborhood where Buckmaster was born and raised.

"I like to remind people to never say we can't have an LGBT student in our district," Buckmaster said. "I'm a product of the district and I'm one of them."

Like most schools, Buckmaster said his district has had bullying problems. "The great thing about it is our tolerance is zero," he said.

That's important because even an issue like name-calling on campus can flare into a bigger issue when it gets out into the larger community, Buckmaster said.

Buckmaster said that last year the board approved its first anti-bullying policy that covers gay and lesbian students. He said he can provide resources and insight about the issue and he hopes the board will continue to work on non-discrimination policies this year.

Eric Buckmaster

School district challenges

Buckmaster said his challenge has been to work to keep stability in the district in the face of severe budget issues. "It's probably the hardest thing I've ever done," he said. "It's been the biggest challenge I've ever met."

The four school K-8 district with 1,900 students also faces issues like improving test scores, working with English as a second language and special needs students and searching for a new superintendent, Buckmaster said. He expects to be named president when the five-member board reorganizes this month.

"Education has always been very important to me and our family," Buckmaster said. "It was instilled in us by our mother." It's a level of parental involvement that Buckmaster said is no longer typical.

Buckmaster's mother served on the Murphy Elementary School Board for 12 years before she died in 2009. When her school board seat came up for election, Buckmaster ran for it unopposed.

His sexuality was not a campaign issue, but Buckmaster acknowledged, "I was always worried, I was always afraid that something would come out." But since his family has been in the community since the 1960s, Buckmaster said he was a known commodity to the voters.

"They've known me since I was a kid. The issue of being gay was something I never hid," he said. "I've strived to focus on the kids. They are the most important things."

A unique drag act

Buckmaster said he started his drag routine about five years ago as a hobby. "The next thing you know, it's every weekend," he said.

Before developing his act, Buckmaster said he studied the Phoenix drag stars as they performed at clubs like Charlie's.

While he was impressed with the queens, Buckmaster said he sought to bring something unique to his act. "I didn't want to become anything they were," he said. "I wanted to be something different. I wanted to reach out to a sector of the community that drag was not a part of."

He said he did that by enlisting the bear and leather communities as a fan base.

"I have a packed house almost every show," Buckmaster said of his "Trailer Trash Review" at the Rock, where he also works as a bartender. "This is not a crowd you'll see at any other bar. They're a different breed. It's due to the relationships I've built in the community."

Last year, Lady Christian was the first drag queen to host the local LeatherSIR, Leatherboy competition, Buckmaster said. He also hosts the pool party for the Bears of the West Phurfest, but not in drag. In 2011, Lady Christian was named Empress VI of the Imperial Court of Arizona.

Buckmaster said that his Lady Christian character has evolved. "When I fist started with Lady, I was a hot mess," he said. "Some of that hot mess still sticks around today."

Lady Christian had a comedy phase, but Buckmaster is probably best known as one of the few local drag queens who sings live, rather than lip syncs. He attributed the singing skill to his family, who were fans of gospel, and his time singing in a gospel quartet.

Retiring the Lady

While Buckmaster said that Lady Christian has supported the community — and sometimes him — the drag act is coming to an end later this year. "It's time for me to grow up," he said.

Buckmaster said that me made a deal with himself that he would do drag until he was 30 years old and if he hadn't finished his college degree by that time "then everything would stop until that was accomplished."

His 30th birthday is in August, and while he's been doing classes at Rio Salado Community College, graduation is a ways off.

In November, "I'm going to put Lady Christian in a box for awhile and finish my degree," Buckmaster said.

He is studying education and hopes to teach high school math or history.

Buckmaster said he's undecided about another campaign, but acknowledged that politics is in his blood. "I enjoy politics. I'm a little political nut," he said. "I enjoy being involved in the reward of making a difference and to see change." -E

Lady Christian's "Trailer Trash Review" is on stage on the last Friday of the month at the Rock, 4129 N. Seventh Ave., Phoenix.

More about Lady Christian

The name: Buckmaster remembered that when he had his first job at a gay bar at Roscoes, the boys there would accuse him of misbehaving. "I used to tell them, No. 1, I'm a lady, and No. 2, I'm a Christian," he said. The name stuck.

The wardrobe: Lady Christian keeps it comfortable. "You're not going to see me in corsets and I stopped wearing pantyhose," Buckmaster said.

The secret to success: Buckmaster said the ability to talk and mastering the microphone is Lady Christian's strength. "The drag part is secondary," he said.

The charities: Lady Christian has raised funds for numerous local organizations, but Buckmaster said that recently he's become familiar with the transgender community, which he said is often overlooked. "It's the one everyone leaves out," he said. The H.O.P.E. House, operated by TransMentors International for transgender men and women, has been a recent beneficiary of show proceeds.