For the second year in a row, Oklahomans for Equality has scheduled Tulsa’s official Pride parade for October. The decision is a practical one; the June heat in Oklahoma had become a safety issue. While Tulsa waits for our officially sanctioned Pride, other cities continue as normal. Oklahoma City Pride took place just last weekend. Earlier in June, Claremore held their very first Pride celebration. All around the world, queer communities have been celebrating Pride Month. Not to be outdone, Tulsa’s queer community was determined to do the same, with or without OKEQ.
I’ve spent many a Pride season in Tulsa, but there was something different about this year. Over the past month, I attended as many local Pride events as possible—there were a lot, so this is by no means a comprehensive review of them—and I was reminded of Tulsa’s resilience, its DIY spirit. We’re a city full of punks, queers, and people who make do.
Ghoul Friends Queer Cabaret: Enchanted Slumber Party Extravaganza!
Starlite Bar
June 20
I’d been meaning to attend a Ghoul Friends event for a while, so I was excited to get tickets to their sleepover-themed cabaret at the Starlite Bar. Hosted by the hilariously bitchy Tabitha Litch the Dumpster Witch—a trashy Muppet—and Rita D’LaVane, this event was a total blast.
Starlite is my favorite bar in town, so I knew I was in for a good time, but I was blown away by the star power of the performers. Some, like the incredibly polished and beautiful Raven Rose with her Selena tribute, were true burlesque stars. Others were drag performers, like headliner King Perka Sexxx, who just finished a stint on the Drag Race-inspired King of Drag. My favorite performance of the night was from Mx Virtue Ali, Oklahoma’s reigning Bold & Beautiful 2025. They performed a devastating yet completely sexy lip sync of Tina Turner’s “Private Dancer” that had me near tears.
It’s important to me that Oklahoma’s queer community stays weird. It’s important to me that we attend puppet-run cabarets at the local goth bar. Who needs Drag Race when we’ve got this in our very own backyard?