By Hollis Taylor

I chose to do Everlast at the Show for Hope way before my show in Lebanon. At the show in Lebanon I met a young Drag King. We talked a bit and I could see that although he had dabbled a little bit in the past he had never had a chance to really dig his teeth into being a Drag King. It was a journey he wanted to take and I wanted to support him. As we talked he expressed his desire to do it and in support I offered to do a duet with him. To introduce his Drag King, Ryder Nightly. I wanted to introduce my Elton John and he wanted to revive a Drag King that never took off. The song “Don’t Let the Sun Go down on me.” as a duet with the fabulous George Michael and Elton John was perfect. I want to see Ryder Nightly rise into a tough gentlemen that he is – blossom into the Drag King he can see himself as.

For me it was finally someone I want to impersonate both inside and out. He carries so much history and has lead the way for many gay males. He really changed the world, simply by being himself. Elton John is fabulous, no matter how you see it. He is most certainly a talented artist. He is a steward of peace. He uses his stardom not to just make his world more heavenly but also to spread peace and love in this world. His journey has brought him to a place where he exudes peace, love, and compassion. He has evolved in his journey. He is a hero to me, someone that tries to do the right thing. I noticed that even the Queen of England noticed, that’s a noble fabulous man….

Ryder and I shared some of our story and now we honor each other’s journey. We are in support of each other’s journey. So we talked about our emotional experiences related to the song and we brought that to the stage here, at the Foundation for Hope fundraiser show.