Houston will host an internationally acclaimed drag queen at a pair of cultural events this week.
Nymphia Wind is a Taiwanese-American performer and dressmaker based in New York. In 2024, she became the first East Asian winner of RuPaul's Drag Race during Season 16 of the show.
Wind will be speaking at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH) on Thursday, Sept. 24, as part of a lecture about crafting a public persona. Then on Friday, Sept. 25, she will perform at the River Oaks Theatre ahead of a screening of the 1994 Taiwanese film, "Eat Drink Man Woman." Both events are presented by the Taiwan Academy in Houston, a group that promotes Taiwan's culture through the creative sector.
While Wind may be best known for her bright yellow outfits and banana-centric branding, her artistry extends far beyond the TV competition. Ahead of her Houston visit, she told Houston Public Media that she's excited for audiences to see her in a new light.
"Being a Drag Race girl, your usual crowd, you only see them in the clubs and whatnot," Wind said. "So I'm very interested to see the crowd that comes to these sort of spaces and to interact with a different sort of crowd."
She said she hopes her MFAH lecture will leave audiences feeling empowered to explore who they are and to advocate for themselves.
"What I want people to take away from this is that your identity doesn't need to be fixed, and it's absolutely something that you could play with; you could create your own fantasy," Wind said. "You can be your own cheerleader and believe that you are beautiful and your individuality is worth celebrating."
Texas has a history of drag bans, and political candidates in the state frequently campaign on anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric. On Tuesday, Attorney General Ken Paxton launched an ad for his U.S. Senate campaign that calls Texas drag queen and fellow Drag Race contestant Alyssa Edwards "sick and twisted." Edwards responded to the ad with an open letter to Paxton, saying, "Texas is big enough for all of us."
Wind offered words of support for the Texas drag community.
"Stay strong and remember to find your community and hold on to that joy," she said. "These drag bans are an attack on our individuality and our celebration of ourselves. When people are truly themselves and each one is their own individual, it's hard to control. We know who we are, so why would we lower ourselves to be controlled by you?"
Wind's lecture at MFAH is on Thursday, Sept. 24 at 6:30 p.m. While the event is at capacity, any unclaimed seats will be released to a standby line five minutes before the presentation begins. Admission is free.
The River Oaks Theatre screening is on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for children, students, seniors and military.