A drag queen’s first-ever performance was made complete when an unexpected guest turned up.
Rosebud, who lives in Wavertree, was preparing for her opening number when, much to her delight, her dad, Simon, knocked on her door in Ormskirk. The 20-year-old’s dad had travelled just under 300 miles from Portadown, Northern Ireland, to be the loudest supporter at her first-ever drag show.
Rosebud, whose real name is Alex Truesdale, told the ECHO: “He arrived at my door at 10 am, I couldn’t believe it. I was like ‘Why are you here?’. It was such a wholesome moment my dad being there cheering me on like he always has since day one. My dad is my hero. He’s annoying and frustrates me sometimes but we always build a bridge, dry the tears and move on. I can tell him anything, especially since I flew the nest.”
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The make-up artistry graduate had lived at home for the first 12 years of her life before her relationship with her mum broke down and she went to live with her dad.
As a result of the relationship breakdown, Rosebud started experiencing “trauma flashbacks and nightmares for six months”. She explained how she was constantly woken out of her sleep by her own screams and despite seeking help from counsellors, her trauma only got worse. Rosebud developed anorexia and bulimia - eating disorders she still struggles with to this day.
Rosebud fell in love with drag when she was four-years-old after watching a dame perform in a pantomime back home in Belfast. She said it was during this performance when her “mind was blown” and her “eyes lit up”. However, it wouldn’t be until she was in her teens that she would actually begin turning her obsession into a job.
The former UCEN Manchester student added: “I was in an extremely lonely place at the age of 11 and in that place of feeling isolated, I felt like I couldn’t turn to anyone. I began watching RuPaul’s Drag Race and I started using makeup as a way to project my emotions. When I turned 16, I finally came out and it gave me that boost of confidence I needed to try drag for the first time after religiously being captivated by RuPaul.”
Trying to become a successful drag queen wouldn’t come without its challenges for Rosebud. Having grown up in an “unaccepting” environment in Northern Ireland, Rosebud was subjected to homophobic slurs and abuse for being “different”.
She said: “Coming out is a progressive series of feelings, emotions and acceptance within yourself. I feel like it was people's perceptions of me that made me feel suffocated to tell anyone. I couldn’t even be myself without kids younger than me and adults being homophobic. I used to get bullied daily in school up until the moment I came out. I finally came to the realisation that what everyone was saying was facts. I am gay and I am proud.
“But being openly gay and happy was something a lot of people didn’t agree with that. There were plenty of moments when I wanted to just give up. But I didn’t because I reminded myself of four-year-old me who fell in love with that pantomime dame."
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With Rosebud on every step of the way - as her normal self and as her alter ego - was her dad, Simon. She said it was her dad’s encouragement and support that allowed her to get to the place where she is today - a Liverpool-based performer, miles away from the homophobic attitudes she grew up with.
She said: “Drag is a mask, a disguise and it’s an escape from reality. Drag helps me express how I feel in so many amazing ways. I would be lost without it. It’s my hobby, my passion and something that separates my boy job as a makeup artist from the crazy drag life as Rosebud. People think it’s the same person, but to me, it’s my safety blanket. Once I cake my face in makeup, chuck those heels on and throw a wig on I feel invincible, more so than I would as Alex."
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