Sunday nights in downtown Bellingham are usually quiet. After the Friday and Saturday night buzz is over, the streets are still. However, this could not be further from the truth at Rumors Cabaret.
Every Sunday at 9:30 p.m., Rumors Cabaret hosts Drag Me 2 Church, a community drag show fundraising for Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood and Lifelong. Drag Me 2 Church features performances from local drag artists of all experience levels.
“I think it’s just important to give back to the community and the resources that Planned Parenthood and Lifelong provide are very important for everyone, but also the queer community,” says Rikki Sinsation, entertainment manager at Rumors. “I’ve been to Lifelong before and I was scared about getting tested… And if we didn’t have that resource, I didn’t know who I would have talked to.”
Sunday night shows in the past have partnered with Lifelong and Whatcom County Health and Community Services to provide free HIV testing at shows. Sinsation says it’s important to raise awareness about organizations like Planned Parenthood and Lifelong because of the resources they offer.
Photo courtesy of Briana Tuvey
“Sometimes people don’t have resources to go get tested or don’t have insurance to pay for that, so offering free testing is important,” she says.
In 2023, Drag Me 2 Church was able to raise $1745.50 for local efforts working to improve sexual and reproductive health, according to Rumors Owners Rian Greer and Andrew Keith. While the Sunday night show at Rumors—previously called Pantyhoes and Scandalous Sundays—has gone through multiple rebrands over the years, it has remained a charity show.
Another long-standing aspect of the Sunday night show has been its open sign-up format. Every week, local drag artists can sign up to perform. Many of the performers started drag at the Sunday night show, including Felix Nebula.
Nebula describes themself as the “bendiest person in Bellingham” who puts “everything that they have into every single performance.”
Their first time coming to a drag show was at Drag Me 2 Church in November 2022. At the show, the hosts at the time told the audience the show was open sign up. After hearing that, Nebula quickly talked to one of the hosts.
“I messaged somebody and then just showed up to Rumors with a bunch of makeup on and danced and…something clicked in me,” Nebula says. “It felt so right—nothing had felt that right in a very long time.”
Now, they say, they try to perform every week.
“This Bellingham community has helped me out in so many different ways and so I just want to be able to provide that as well,” Nebula says. “Even through doing Drag Me 2 Church, the community has helped me… It’s helped my mental health even, in that it’s giving me such a boost of confidence in myself.”
Photo courtesy of Briana Tuvey
Jizzy Pop, one of the rotating hosts of the show, has had a similar journey to Nebula. Pop’s first time performing in drag was at Drag Me 2 Church in March 2023.
“I keep coming back because I can’t wait to see what my drag community has in store,” she says.
At the end of the day, Drag Me 2 Church is a community show, specifically for the LGBTQ+ and drag communities.
“By putting yourself out there, you are then rewarded with community and with drag community and an audience that’s just for you and I think that’s the coolest thing ever,” Pop says. “I love rewarding people for being brave.”
Drag Me 2 Church runs every Sunday at 9:30 p.m. at Rumors Cabaret. The show is free and 21+.
