Sandie La Gore Remembered As A Giant Of The Showgirl Scene

Former Le Girls performer Sandie La Gore is being remembered as a trailblazer and icon of the Australian showgirl scene, after passing away at the age of 82 on Wednesday.

“Today our beloved Sandie La Gore passed away,” LGBTQ community organisation, TasPride wrote on Facebook. “Her loss leaves our LGBTIQA+ community broken hearted but grateful for all her achievements, her pioneering courageous spirit, her warm caring heart and her sassy sense of humour.”

Born and raised in Tasmania, La Gore knew she was destined to be a glamorous woman even as a child, dressing up in her mother’s clothes and perfecting the art of putting on lipstick at the age of four.

Described by a former Star Observer writer as “one of those rare creatures of the night you imagine locals will be talking about for decades to come”, La Gore was a pioneering figure in the drag scene and queer community, working with some of Australia’s most famous drag queens and show girls for nearly 60 years.

During her time in Sydney, La Gore recalled a performance where she impersonated singer Shirley Bassey, only to have Bassey herself reveal herself in the audience.

“Everybody stood up, screamed their tits off,” La Gore said of the occasion on an episode of Tasmanian Drag Stories in 2024. “If I had known she was in the audience, I wouldn’t have gone up!”

 

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A beloved mentor and community member

At the age of 24, La Gore travelled to Cairo with a group of her friends for gender confirmation surgery at a time where the procedure was still being developed, years before it was legal.

La Gore was employed as a nurse in Melbourne for 15 years, with colleagues unaware of her life on the stage for the first 12 years of her career, until three nurses stumbled into a hotel where she was performing. Although the news quickly spread around the hospital, La Gore continued to be treasured by the staff, and made special note of her fondness for the nuns.

She moved back to Hobart in the early 2000’s for her health, and went on to establish Tasmania’s first drag bars, Les Girls, in Hobart in 2008.

“I started so many of the young Tasmanian queens,” she said of her time managing the venue. “I loved that place, I really did.”

La Gore will also be remembered for the work she did in the queer and trans communities, frequently offering her time and expertise to those who needed it. She was a mentor to dozens of young performers, including drag kings, was was unapologetically true to herself.

A community fundraiser launched last week has raised nearly $11,000 for a memorial service and private cremation, with La Gore’s ashes to be placed in the care of her loved ones, as per her wishes.

She touched the lives of many and will remain a vital part of Australian queer history, especially in Tasmania.