29 Jun Crowned in Courage: Militia Scunt on Pride, Power and Performance

“My biggest support, outside of the queer community, is now the same conservative household I used drag to escape from,” says drag queen Militia Scunt.

Interview, Arionna White

The beauty of individuality is often the very thing that brings people together across all walks of life. In the world of creativity, the LGBTQ+ community has always led with style, expression and authenticity. 

In celebration of Pride Month, I had the privilege of interviewing not only someone I admire but a dear friend I have been able to witness grow as a performer and shine on any stage imaginable.  Militia Scunt, a Queen to honor, has embraced her individuality and showcases it with undeniable talent. 

Militia has performed all around California and even on TV in drag competitions and most notably RuPaul’s “Queen of the Universe.” A few weeks ago, while visiting the “Lookout” in San Francisco, I saw a performance that I will remember for the rest of the year. Our conversation below has been lightly edited.

Arionna White: What inspired you to start your drag journey?

Militia Scunt: I started drag basically for college credit. I’d secretly dabbled in makeup before but was randomly asked one day to audition for a musical, because I was a vocalist and the theatre department needed singers. So I walked in and did a couple gospel and jazz tunes and bam, just like that, I was cast as Angel in the musical “Rent.” I watched “RuPaul’s Drag Race” season 6 with Adore Delano, Bianca Del Rio, Laganja Estranja, and other Queens for character development and immediately thought: I could do that. So before the showing of “Rent” was even done, I’d begun researching and emailing clubs to book shows in SF, and I never looked back.

AW: What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?

MS: First, hustling with no connections to find work an hour away in the big city, proving myself, and stashing every penny to move myself out of the conservative home I was living in within a year and a half of starting this line of work.

Second, through all that struggle — because it wasn’t easy at all — I never gave up for an easier route. I worked until I became an international pageant winner, participated in multiple seasons of TV drag competitions (winning one), became not just co-workers but friends with the girls I watched on “Drag Race” for character work, and became a Rugirl myself.

Looking back at where I started feels wild.

AW: Who is your biggest supporter and what does your support system look like now?

MS: My biggest support, outside of the queer community, is now the same conservative household I used drag to escape from. My parents have come a very long way. I think after a while, they began realizing I wasn’t going to stop and seeing me become well-known and winning pageants on TV helped ease them into it. It became a more valid career to them. They still don’t want to come to shows, but it’s not the same weird taboo subject it was anymore. And I know I can rely on them whenever I need anything. 

AW: What adversities have you faced, and how have you overcome them?

MS: The biggest adversity I have faced in my profession is simply inclusion. In many minority groups, there’s sometimes a misinformed understanding that they can never be oppressive to other minority groups because they know what it’s like. However, that’s not the case. The gay scene was and is very white male-focused, so coming in as an Afro-Latino, trans-nonbinary performer, I noticed quickly being overlooked or mistreated in comparison to others who — no shade — couldn’t do half of what I could. So in 2020, some friends and I created the Bay Area Queer Nightlife Coalition, which focused on getting queer venues to pledge to more equitable casting with a focus on the intersectionality of the queer community. I worked with them until I moved to L.A. in 2021 and am very proud of how drastically it affected so many queer establishments.

AW: What advice would you give to someone who looks up to you and wants to follow in your footsteps?

MS: The only advice I have for people who want to follow a career path like mine is get out there and do it. If you can start working on a look now safely, do it. It doesn’t take money; it doesn’t take all the skills most people think of in the early stages. Just create something. Put something on. Work on a talent or a skill, and then go outside and say hi. Network. Talk about your goals. Get to know people who have similar goals or know things you want to learn. Drag, at its heart, is about community, so come join us, learn your craft, find your niche, and fill it.

That’s all it takes

AW: Thank you so much!

To find the next performance by Militia, check out her Instagram, @militiasf, for brunch and evening showcases in the Bay Area.