Meet Minerva | Drag Queen

We had the good fortune of connecting with Minerva and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Minerva, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk taking is a ginormous aspect of this entire career path. The thing is, after the most recent climate around the drag entertainment industry from the Republican Party, everything is a risk. We are literally risking safety, livelihood, sanity, and so much more, just for our art. Just for our existence. Just to do what we love. Just to do our jobs

Risk taking can be deep. Or it can be as simple as changing a style of performance. I’m a risk taker in the drag world because I do something different with my performances and my style. There’s no one out there like me. Some people don’t know how to react, but some people eat it up 24:7.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Minerva is a unique artist. No one really does what I do. Yes I have punk element in everything I do. A mullet here, a leather jacket and some safety pins there. But I’m often regarded as an extremely professional and extremely versatile queen. Dancing around a box without putting myself inside of it is what I do best. I can dabble in everything and anything. Sure sometimes things might go sideways but it somehow always just… works.

I take a lot of pride in my professional practices, and how much I work for what I have. I’ve never been one to expect anything. I always say “the universe owes me absolutely nothing. So she will give me nothing.” Because it’s true. I have to work for everything I have. Everything.

Every lesson learned has a different story. Like being raised on the Mississippi River in, as far west as you can get, Tennessee was… not great haha. Especially when I started to figure out I was queer. It changed the trajectory of my whole life, for the better.

But without every challenge, every lesson, and without having to work for the smallest to the biggest things I have, Minerva wouldn’t be the artist she is today. I wouldn’t have the drive and experiences I need to succeed.

I would change nothing about my past.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Oh gosh ok, let’s write this a list. Monday – the weed shops

Tuesday – hamburger Mary’s

Wednesday – Tracks Denver for Another Night

Thursday – Tracks Denver for Drag-O-Lympics

Friday – X Bar

Saturday – Charlie’s

Sunday – a day of rest from all the partying.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
That’s a big one haha. There’s a lot of people behind me with every performance. The denver queer community helped raise me. I came into the scene when I was 15 and barely knew what car insurance was haha! So if I genuinely listed every person I would need from front page to back page of this magazine.

But each person means so much to me. I genuinely consider them family. Aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, and even parental figures. So many people in the Denver community have helped me at times I didn’t see a way out. I love each person.

Website: minervaqueen.com

Instagram: @theminervaofficial

Twitter: @itsjustminerva

Facebook: Minerva TheQueen

Image Credits
@taytheham @wyattsmedia @briandegenfelder @theminervaofficial