Laganja Estranja is a triple threat, just not in the traditional sense—then again, there’s not very much that’s traditional about her—working as a choreographer/cannabis activist/drag queen. She’s currently breaking boundaries as the first professional drag queen on So You Think You Can Dance and, in doing so, is barreling into the mainstream with a hefty load of taboo on her shoulders. Yet she’s still able to handle it with grace, intelligence, and strength. living by the credo that “drag chose me, I did not choose drag.” We chatted about weed, drag, dance, and being your true self.
First off, Happy Pride.
Thank you!
What’s your origin story? How did Laganja Estranja come to be?
I definitely knew that I wanted my name to rhyme, and I knew I wanted to involve marijuana ‘cause marijuana was such a huge part of my college upbringing when I created the character first. I grew up in Texas where it was very illegal and very hush-hush, so it wasn’t until I moved to California—and, unfortunately, hurt my back—that I got fully exposed to marijuana and it changed my life. So I wanted it to be what I would have behind me as a drag queen because I believe every good drag queen should have a platform in which they represent and stand upon.
It’s not just about representing the LGBT community, it’s about bringing an important issue to the forefront and I think specifically here in California with the Compassionate [Use] Act, people often forget about the LGBT people that fought for Prop 215. So it’s been really cool to come full circle with that and bring some recognition to what I believe is the original community of at least why California has marijuana.
We met