Border native Daniel Casillas' alterego/creation La Coloreteada is Tijuana's only true drag queen.

Though the city has a crazy red light district, where street walking queens can be seen working the corners of Calle Primera, transexual prostitutes that work around the cheap motels of the infamous downtown streets are not drag queens, in the sense that La Coloreteada is.

The Downtown area also has late night bars filled with imitators played mostly by gay men singing in costume. Sorta like drag queens, these are performers, entertainers and imitators that lack any true originality. The performers are entertaining and I have indulged in a drunken night or two where it's 4am and I'm watching an overweight man dressed as Lady Gaga lip sync BORN THIS WAY to a basement bar on Calle Sexta, filled with inebriated twenty somethings. Fun indeed, but lacking the creativity of what a true Drag Queen is.

Now in his thirties, Casillas grew up pretty "normal" on the Tijuana/San Diego border, not discovering that his true vocation was to be in drag until about 2005, and recently, we spoke and he told me that he did start to party young, being the ripe age of sixteen and discovering what he called ''My Kingdom" in Tijuana's very ID relaxed bars and clubs. He had found sanctuary in Tijuana's clubs, and in a visit up interstate five to LA where he discovered creatures of the night, fully extravagant drag queens, and so marvelous that they immediately grabbed his attention. Inspired by these events, Daniel's love for John Waters' notorious character Divine and French artist's Miss Van's paintings, Daniel knew what he would have to do. Daniel, who worked at a jewelry store in downtown San Diego, would become "La Coloreteada", Tijuana Drag Queen party promoter extraordinare.

For Daniel, turning into La Coloreteada is no easy task. The transformation from Daniel to La Coloreteada takes at least two or three hours of makeup and hair by some of Tijuana's best. Once converted, La Coloreteada towers at well over six feet in height and illuminates in amazing makeup. La Coloreteada is a Mexican saying that refers to a girl who wear too much blush and makeup, making her cheeks rosy red. Daniel says that when he first started to wear makeup, some "assholes with nothing to do" on the street would call him that and taunt him.

A funny thing about Mexican nicknames, is that they stick.

His main makeup stylist, Santiago Reyes, transforms Daniel into a wide range of things, La Coloreteada hosts parties at the Tijuana and world wide famous bar, La Mezcalera, which is curiously not a gay bar. These events are quite often themed, inviting all patrons to dress up as their favorite John Waters character or favorite Tarantino flick character. Casillas says he hosts the parties at La Mezcalera because they give him the liberty to be creative, and besides, he is not really into gay bars. The Sexta street bar that is infamous for hosting such celebrities as Anthony Bourdain and was the spark plug that flamed the so called Tijuana revival is not a gay bar, however, it's most packed and entertaining nights are when La Coloreteada hosts these backroom balls and perverted patio sessions with some of the borderland nightlife elite, power gays, hipsters and the occasional shocked homophobe. It makes for quite the night.

Notoriety has come with being Tijuana's most popular and unique drag queen. Daniel says he has been invited to events, serious events that don't involve clubs. He has been a host and speaker at various LGBT events, host/MC at anti-homophobia events and fundraisers. His dream? To make it on Rupaul's Drag race or it's equivalent, if there is one. La Coloreteada is Tijuana's most unique (and probably only) true and original drag queen, a most honorable thing to be! And may this reign continue, for the good of border nightlife. A true original.

If you'd like to know about La Coloreteada's events, follow her FB fanpage.

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Tonytee@algobien.com