By Kevin Ferrisi –

For Auntie Lu, the journey into drag began long before she officially became the character she is today. She first tried drag for Halloween in 2017 after her now-husband introduced her to RuPaul’s Drag Race, putting together a look for a weekend in Vermont that she jokingly admits was far from polished. It wasn’t until June 19, 2023, however, that she officially became Auntie Lu and began taking drag seriously. Nearly ten years later, she has gone from buying her first pair of impractical heels and piecing together an outfit to making her own costumes and wigs, and even creating pieces for others.

Auntie Lu’s first official performance came in June 2023, when her drag sister, Lexxi Pro, invited her to join a trivia drag night at Yellow King Brews in Wallingford. By then, she had already experimented with drag during Pride parties, including two backyard celebrations she hosted during the COVID era, when she, Lexxi and her husband would get together, put on wigs and makeup, and have fun with drag. Still, stepping onto a stage was a different experience. After her first performance, Auntie Lu remembers feeling like she had blacked out and barely remembered what she had done, but the experience marked the beginning of her evolution from casually dressing in drag to becoming a performer.

For Auntie Lu, drag became a natural extension of her longtime love of performance and art. She studied art her freshman year in college and spent her undergraduate years working in the theater department at Western Connecticut State University, where she also met her drag sister, Lexxi Pro. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she returned to the wigs and makeup she had experimented with years earlier and began exploring drag more seriously. With a background in art and makeup, she found a new way to express herself, comparing the process to painting a canvas, only this time, her face became the canvas.

The name Auntie Lu has roots that go back to Auntie Lu’s college days at Western Connecticut State University. While working as a resident assistant, a fellow RA began calling her “Auntie,” saying her personality reminded her of a fun, outgoing aunt. The nickname also worked as a playful nod to her out-of-drag name, Anthony. When she began drag, she kept that connection and added “Lu,” a shortened version of her last name, Luis. The result was a drag name that felt personal, playful and connected to the person she had always been. In many ways, the transformation from Anthony Luis to Auntie Lu was less about becoming someone new and more about bringing another side of herself to life.

Auntie Lu’s name has also helped shape the character she brings to the stage. After a recent performance at the Kitty Kat Ball at the Webster Theater in Hartford, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Angeria Paris VanMichaels approached her and admitted she expected Auntie Lu to be much older. Instead, she found a performer who was young, energetic and far from the traditional image of an “auntie.” Auntie Lu embraces that contrast, portraying the fun, slightly younger aunt who is always ready to go out, have a good time and maybe get you into a little trouble.

She describes her drag style as difficult to pin down because she sees herself as a chameleon, always willing to adapt to the theme, crowd and setting. Whether Auntie Lu is channeling Miami beach vibes for a spring break show or embracing the latest trends, she approaches each look with the same goal: making sure it is polished. At the heart of it all is the “cool, fun aunt” persona, a character who stays current, tries new things and somehow remains convinced she is 30, even when she is pushing 50. “She always is trending,” says Auntie Lu.

For Auntie Lu, drag has been about more than performing. It has taught her to stop hiding parts of herself and embrace who she is. After growing up afraid to fully express herself and experiencing a difficult reaction when she first came out to her family, she spent years trying to present a more “straight” version of herself. Drag changed that. The encouragement and acceptance she received from audiences and fellow performers gave her the confidence to live more openly, reminding her that she does not have to diminish herself to be accepted. Today, she is grateful for how far she has come, including being able to celebrate her marriage with her family by her side.

Auntie Lu’s drag journey has not been something she has shared with everyone in her family. While her brothers know about her drag, her parents do not, a decision she continues to wrestle with. After a difficult journey toward acceptance when she first came out, she worries that revealing her drag could reopen old wounds or change how her parents see her. For now, she has chosen to protect the relationship they have built while surrounding herself with people who embrace her fully. Whether she will eventually tell her parents is something she is still considering.

While Auntie Lu’s parents remain unaware of her drag career, much of her extended family knows and embraces it. Her in-laws, in particular, have become some of her biggest supporters, attending nearly all of her shows and often bringing friends along. She credits them, along with her husband, with showing her the kind of unconditional family support she had hoped for. For Auntie Lu, that support has meant more than simply showing up to a performance. It has given her a sense of acceptance and family connection that she deeply values.

Among Auntie Lu’s proudest accomplishments is creating her own home for drag with her Ladies Who Lunch shows in West Hartford. With two shows already under her belt, she has enjoyed bringing drag to her hometown and producing themed shows with rotating casts. She also looks back on performing at the Kitty Kat Ball, during its Hartford stop, alongside the season 18 winners of RuPaul’s Drag Race as a major career highlight, giving her the opportunity to perform for a large audience on a major stage. Dressed in a leopard-print look, she brought her energetic performance style to the second act, marking a memorable opportunity to share the stage with the tour’s featured performers and other Connecticut talent.

Beyond performing, Auntie Lu has expanded her artistry through Auntie Lu’s Closet, her Etsy shop where she creates and sells wigs for performers. One of Auntie Lu’s favorite memories was traveling to New York with her best friend, Lexxi Pro, where they saw their favorite artist, Lady Gaga, and spent the following two days learning wig styling at a workshop with renowned wig stylist Show Girl Vanity Wigs. Since launching the shop last year, she has sold more than 50 wigs, giving her another way to share her creativity with the drag community.

Auntie Lu is quick to credit the people around her for helping shape her drag journey, especially her husband, Andrew, whose constant support and presence at her shows has meant so much to her. She also points to her drag family, including Lexxi Pro, Sauvignon Blanc, Ambrosia Black and the House of Pro community, as people who inspire and challenge her to keep growing as an artist. She also gives a special shoutout to her close friend Nik, who she calls her “backstage warrior and hype man.” For Auntie Lu, surrounding herself with people who support her while pushing her creatively is an important part of staying inspired and continuing to bring something new to her work.

She has no shortage of plans for the future. Auntie Lu is working on new show productions with an upcoming venue partnership that she is keeping under wraps for now, while also looking to expand Auntie Lu’s Closet beyond wigs and into custom costumes. She also has her sights set on music, having already begun working with a collaborator and developing early samples for original material. While she wants to take her time and make sure the music reflects exactly what she wants to create, she sees it as another goal she hopes to bring to life.