Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to King Perka $exxx. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
King Perka , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
A lot of my resilinc comes from having to navigate the world as a Black trans man. Growing up it was instilled in me to make it in this world I had to be able to be twice as good and get a fourth of the credit everyone else gets. In high school there would be times where in my honors and AP classes I would be either the only Black student or one of 3 Black kids in the class. It definitely wasn’t easy and it made me feel like I had a lot to prove. I had to keep on being there and exist in those spaces and prove that Black people can be in these classes too.
Then years later when I came out as a trans man and doing drag there would be times where I would find myself as the only Black trans man in the show. In fact I only ever saw trans man on TV once in an episode of Law and Order. There has been several times where I’ve been the only drag king in shows or even the first drag king a person has seen. I’ve been a unicorn most of my life and it gets lonely at times but it gives me hope and gives me something to keep fighting for. If I’m going to be the only drag king someone sees I’m going to make sure I’m one of the best drag perfomers they see. If I’m the only Black trans man they meet I’m going to make sure I’m the best kind of man they’re going to meet.
I can’t give up on my goals, because I have to keep fighting to make sure there’s some after me that can carry the torch.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I’ve been a drag king since March 2018 and it’s been the wildest rollercoaster of my life. My first drag show was at my college charity drag show, after I did the school show I didn’t wanna wait a whole year to perform so I went to the city and did whatever tip spot and talent night I could find.
When the pandemic came in 2020 I didn’t let that stop me, and I did digital drag. Digital drag is what really got my name out there. I went from doing drag only in Atlanta to having my art seen by people out in Europe. After the vaccine came out I wanted to meet the digital friends I made in person so I started to travel. Now I have performed in over 10 states and my goal is to perform in every mainland state in America.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1.Knowing when to not give up. This helped when I would feel discouraged and felt like I was never going to meet my goals.
2. Know when to change. This helped me know when to try new things whenever my original plan wouldn’t work.
3. When to walk away and ask for help. I can’t do everything, and it’s moment where I’m stuck in happy I have friends I can reach out to for help.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I relax by watching Bluey and playing Pokemon or another video game. My Mario number I came up with after my girlfriend and I were playing Mario games for a week. Video games also help me look at problems in a different light.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kingperka.com
- Instagram: Thekingperkasex
- Twitter: Kingperksex
Image Credits
Bobby Kerns
