Meet Bryant Mehay | August Celestial & Coordinator of Elder and Disability Services

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

Hi Bryant, can you talk to us a bit about the social impact of your business?
I started working for The Center on Colfax back in March, since then I have had the immense pleasure of getting to partake in large-scale community events like Denver PrideFest and the
parade, organizing and hosting the Tea Dance for our LGBTQ+ Elders, opening up an exhibit in
the Denver Art Museum that features the beautiful and powerful work from our LGBTQ+ Elders, and just two weeks ago started a Peer Support Group for LGBTQ+ people with disabilities. From the weekly activities The Center hosts for the trans & nonbinary community, LGBTQ+ Elders, Queer Youth, and more, to putting on Denver Pride, the positive impact The Center has on The LGBTQ+ community of Denver and beyond is profound. I am very honored to be working for an organization that is able to provide direct support to our community here by housing a Monkeypox vaccine clinic, a general vaccine bus, and house organizations and events that provide services to Denver’s unhoused community.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
One of the reasons I feel so fortunate to have found my way to The Center is that I have been able to showcase my drag and the talent of others in a professional setting. The Tea Dance was an event that was catered to 50+ LGBTQ+ people to celebrate Pride. I was able to bring in local talents like StarChild, Ximena Latix-Couture, and King Vaughnz Spanic and introduce Denver to the wondrous Ty Woo. That show will forever be special to me as I was told by the CEO, the community members, and staff that it was the best entertainment The Center has seen for an event ever. As August Celestial, I have been able to perform at The Clocktower Cabaret, I was a Lipsync All-Star for XBar’s Lipsync Thursdays, and I was able to show up for the closing of Lucid and perform one last time at the space where I started my drag journey in Denver. I am in a time of transition in my life where I am going to be able to turn real attention to my craft in a way that I haven’t had in my first year here in Denver. I have been able to do some amazing things through drag and will continue onward, trying my best to defy expectations and shake my ass onstage.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have recommended to everyone to go check out the Queer Creativity Through the Ages exhibit in the Denver Art Museum’s community spotlight area. But also the museum as a whole is incredible. I am someone who really enjoys being outdoors, so I would, of course, take friends to the various parks like Cheeseman, CIty Park, Confluence, etc. But also show them around the Civic Center Park architecture. I feel like my answer to this question is going to sound very basic but to be honest, I have only been in the City for just over a year and am still learning about new places to go and people to see. I’m accepting suggestions if anyone has any.

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?
There are many people and things that have helped me find my way here in Denver. Something that I have held very precious throughout my time in Denver and before in Kansas is my Gratitude Journal. It is a journal developed by the organization Kurzgesagt that teaches how to develop and foster gratitude in your daily life. It is a fascinating journal to have because I got it a few months into the start of the pandemic and now have an account of the
last two and a half years of all that I was grateful for. It helped me prioritize gratitude
in my own life, and it has given me something positive and uplifting to remember that time of isolation.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/august.celestial/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bryant-mehay-ctrs-a1856421a/

Image Credits
Raleigh Cooper