Tomi The Drag Queen To Live Stream The DIVA Awards For Star Observer
After a brief hiatus on account of COVID-19, the Drag Industry Variety Awards (DIVA) are back, this Monday, August 21.
Starting at 7pm, the one and only Tomi The Drag Queen, AKA Tomi Grainger, will be live streaming from the DIVA’s red carpet, for Star Observer.
A Time To Celebrate Together
Talking to Star Observer, Tomi shared why this event is so important.
“Drag queens work so hard throughout the year, and this is the moment to recognise their contributions,” they said.
The DIVA Awards are “a moment to step back and appreciate the incredible amount of work that drag queens put in, each and every day they step out of the house. Whether that’s hosting a regular bingo, or putting together a whole production show, the amount of time, effort, and money that goes into that – I don’t know many other jobs that actually require that amount of commitment on a daily basis.”
Tomi also stressed that the awards are a moment to recognise all drag queens, young, old, new, or seasoned.
It is a time to “celebrate together, and to come together, because the drag community is always working. They’re never able to be together in one room. So I think this is not only a fantastic opportunity. It’s something that we must do every year…The Divas is the biggest, it’s the best, and we’re very lucky to have this in Australia.”
Tomi’s DIVA Moment
Tomi is also in the running for a few DIVA Moments Of The Year.
One of these Diva Moments happened a couple of months ago in Los Angeles, California, when they attended a private party for Paris Hilton’s first-ever live concert, dressed as Lady Gaga.
“I was stopped by the paparazzi and they thought I was Lady Gaga. So I was ushered in as a VIP, I had photos with Catherine Hilton, I met Paris Hilton, Kim Petrus–- They all thought I was Lady Gaga because I just happened to dress a bit like her that night. I thought that was a really big diva moment.”
‘Raw And Authentic’
Tomi’s red carpet live stream strategy is pretty simple: to have fun.
“My strategy is to have fun. I know all the queens really well, I think it’s to let them have a chance to share their insights, to talk about their journey over the last couple of years – it’s been a rough couple of years for the drag industry, obviously, with lockdowns and everything and we’re kind of emerging out of that.”
“It’s about being a soundboard for those queens and being really raw and authentic with them.”
30th Anniversary Of DIVA
First held in 1991 at DCM nightclub, DIVA Awards were created as a way to showcase and celebrate Sydney’s amazing drag queens, and their work, as well as celebrate the amazing people that make up the drag entertainment industry.
This year marks its 30th anniversary.
The DIVA Anniversary, hosted by Carmen Geddit, will be held at the Paddo RSL showroom on Monday, August 21, 2023.
