Felicia Oh
NYC-based drag artist and performer, Felicia, curated the celebration’s lineup. “I’m here to celebrate trans excellence,” she says.
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OutBox Gym Founders
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Co-Founders and coaches Colline and Max pose in a fighting stance ahead of the event. Max invited Dawn to join Outbox when he saw her social media posts about being discriminated against. “We’ve been throwing parties more and more and people keep saying the same thing, they can just be themselves here,” he says of the queer-friendly space.
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Mahogany
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Drag queen Mahogany vogues during her performance in the ring.
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DiDi Opulence
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone “Even though we’re so outcasted and put down, we’re still celebrating,” DiDi Opulence explains. The drag queen drops into a split while performing to Britney Spear’s 2008 hit, “If You Seek Amy.”
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Whorechata Members
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone The eclectic crowd of LGBTQ community members raise their hands and dance to an invigorating set by local artist, DJ Meduusa.
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Performers and Organizers
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Behind-the-scenes at “K.O.” performers and organizers gather for a portrait.
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Ian and Dawn
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Whorechata founder, Ian Kumamoto, and Dawn gleefully spar ringside with giant boxing gloves. Kumamoto started Whorechata as a collective “dedicated to celebrating queer and trans people of color.”
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Nani Tsunami
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Artist and drag queen Nani Tsunami kicked off the night with an electrifying performance.
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Champ
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Drag king Cunning Stunt raises his arm in triumph after winning his drag battle. As the only drag king at the party, Stunt took note of the “healthy balance of all of the representation in the community” that took place.
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Daniella Darling
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Drag queen Daniella Darling collects a dollar bill during her performance. Speaking on the rampant discrimination that happens to queer people when it comes to fitness and sports, Darling treasures the positivity at “K.O.”: “It was really cool to take everyone out of that box and say ‘fuck it’ and slay and dance and have fun.”
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Whorechata Portrait
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Whorechata members, Demetrius (left) and Croix (right), pose alongside Whorechata founder Kumamoto (bottom left).
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DJ Meduusa
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone DJ Meduusa smiles for the camera, wearing a Telfar tracksuit that was generously donated to the talent of the night by the brand.
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Cunning Stunt vs Aoi
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone The drag battles channeled full WWE energy in the boxing ring. Here, Cunning Stunt slams Aoi with his knee right before his win.
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Qween Jean
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Trans costume designer and LGBTQ activist Qween Jean stands ready to take on her role as battle referee before the main event takes off.
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BTS
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Backstage, performers break a huddle as they prepare to dazzle audience members with their performances.
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Jerian Royal
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Community organizer Jerian Royal poses alongside OutBox’s iridescent walls. After the event, Royal told Rolling Stone they consider it a success. “The outpouring of love, support donations, and amplification of our cause made it truly special,” they explained. “[It] was a beautiful culmination of this collective effort.”
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Alex Consani and Nije Taylor
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Trans model and influencer Alex Consani (left) brought along her friend Nije Taylor (right) to join in on the night’s festivities.
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Pole Dancing
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone As the party bleeds into the early morning, audience members take turns on a portable dance pole brought by a performer. One brave participant dares to climb the pole with roller blades on.
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DJ Memphy
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Memphy’s playlist full of 2000s throwbacks selects and Beyoncé remixes were a crowd favorite. Audience members continued to hype her up as they danced all night long.
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Qween Jean
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone Qween Jean honors Dawn’s fight with an inspiring speech that transformed into a call and response chant: As Jean yelled out “trans,” the audience responded with “power” for a meaningful moment.
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Daniella Darling vs DiDi Opulence
Image Credit: Maria-Juliana Rojas for Rolling Stone The night ended on a high note with Didi and Daniella’s cinematic last battle. As Didi pinned Daniella down, she sealed her win with a kiss. The two performers go way back. “Our brains sync up and we just trust each other and can follow each other,” Didi says of her bond with Daniella.