Wearing a rainbow leotard, fishnets, and an orange circus clown wig, Kai Lee Mykels made her debut. Like a beauty competitor created by an imperfect early form of artificial intelligence, she looked amazing in a ridiculous way. To the thud of the music, she paced the room, stealing dollars from screaming fans who clutched them like cigarettes.
Who is straight, who is gay, and who is bisexual? She asked for hand signals. She acknowledged that she didn’t receive the Lez-bins, but she said, “I came crying out of the vagina for a reason.” She turned to face a man in the crowd and said, “He’s straight, but I really want to have his baby.”
Icons, a gay pub in Colorado Springs with singing bartenders and restrooms honoring Beyonc, Elton John, and Judy Garland, was the scene on a Wednesday night. However, Kai Lee was the important diva for the time being. After months of anticipation, her show sold out. Gifts from friends included flowers, pictures, and butterflies that were preserved in glass for all time.
She worked the room, stroking a guy with her purple lips and telling him that beauty was just a light switch away if he didn’t think she was pretty.
The crowd cheered, as Kai Lee’s followers had done several times over the fifteen years she had disseminated her philosophy of strength with unwavering determination. Nevertheless, the hairspray and a hint of melancholy permeated the air. Beneath that leotard, hidden beneath the Maybelline, MAC, and Morphe, was Kai Brown, the inventor of Kai Lee Mykels, who was bound to cry before the night was done.
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