CAM Presents: The Art of Drag, a Panel Discussion

Sunday, September 20, 2026 from 2–4 p.m.

Free. Registration required.
Registration open up one month prior to the event.

Join the Cincinnati Art Museum (CAM) for The Art of Drag, a lively public panel exploring drag as a powerful cultural and artistic force. Moderated by local LGBTQ+ independent journalist Missy Spears of Queer Kentucky, the conversation will bring together local queer professionals to reflect on drag’s history, its role in world culture, and its evolving future. Panelists will also discuss how drag intersects with performance, fashion, storytelling, visual art, and community expression. The program concludes with a Q&A with panelists. ASL interpreted.

Moderator

Missy Spears, Executive Director of Queer Kentucky

Missy Spears (she/they) is the Executive Director of Queer Kentucky, Kentucky's only LGBTQ+ newsroom, which she has helped grow into a nationally recognized outlet reaching more than 8 million readers annually. Under her leadership since 2023, Queer Kentucky has earned multiple GLAAD nominations, and in 2025 Missy received the Jeanne Córdova Award from NLGJA, one of the most prestigious honors in LGBTQ+ media. She also serves on the Cincinnati Art Museum's Community Advisory Committee.

Panelists

Jake Hogue (Queen City Queer History), Freelancer

Jacob Hogue (he/him) is a public historian with a master’s degree from Northern Kentucky University. He is the author of Cincinnati Before Stonewall: The Untold Queer History of the Queen City. He also serves as the History and Legacies Chair for Cincinnati Pride and is the creator of Queen City Queer History Tours, the region's only LGBTQ+ walking tour company. Jacob lectures at universities and businesses across Ohio and Kentucky, and his work has been published in Ohio Valley History Magazine, Queer KY Magazine, and the NKY Tribune.

Ryan Thoreson (University of Cincinnati), Professor of Law

Ryan Thoreson (he/him) is the Associate Dean of Faculty and Research and an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Cincinnati's Donald P. Klekamp College of Law, where he teaches and writes about gender and sexuality, constitutional law, and international human rights law. In addition to numerous journal articles and book chapters, Thoreson is a co-editor of The SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities (2020) and the author of Transnational LGBT Activism: Working for Sexual Rights Worldwide (2014).

Prior to entering academia, Thoreson was a researcher in the LGBT Rights Program at Human Rights Watch and clerked for Judge Scott M. Matheson, Jr. on the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals. Thoreson received his J.D. from Yale, where he was an Executive Editor of the Yale Law Journal and Managing Editor of the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism. A Rhodes Scholar, he also holds a D.Phil. in Anthropology from Oxford and an A.B. magna cum laude in Government and Studies of Women, Gender, and Sexuality from Harvard University.

The Lady Phaedra, Cincinnati-based drag queen

Cincinnati’s “Statuesque Moose”, as she is known, is no stranger to any stage. She has a performance resume as long as her legs, and a heart as big as her brassiere! Her easy-going charms, sharp wit, and bawdy humor have made her one of Cincinnati’s most sought-after entertainers, and she has no interest in slowing down! 

Her willingness to support important causes has earned her several distinctions, including The Lydia Grant Humanitarian Award, 2021 Entertainer of the Year by the ISQCCBE, as well as serving on their 2022 Royal Family as Imperial Crown Princess Royale. In 2022, she was honored by The Cincinnati Sisters for her community efforts, and given the title of “Saint Phaedra the Defender”, their highest honor, and a rank achieved by only seven Cincinnatians, to date. She also holds a seat on the Board of Directors for Queen City Charities. 

Fun fact: She was once purred at by Eartha Kitt!

This event is generously supported by Mark Allen and Joe Uhrig.

image credit: Alfred Eisenstaedt (American, 1898–1995), Marlene Dietrich, 1929, gelatin silver print, Israel and Caroline Wilson Fund, 1985.25

If you need accessibility accommodations, please contact us in advance at [email protected] or fill out the accessibility request form.