Miss Boston Pride mourning friends lost in the Orlando shooting
William Brown performs as Kamden T. Rage and is the reigning Miss Boston Pride. He lost seven friends in the massacre at Pulse nightclub in Orlando.
William Brown went to sleep exhausted but exhilarated early Sunday morning. The drag queen, who performs as Kamden T. Rage, is the reigning Miss Boston Pride and spent the day marching in the city’s pride parade, then continuing the celebration into the night.
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But when he awoke hours later Sunday morning, his phone was filled with questions: How was he doing? Was he OK? Did he hear the news?
Dozens were dead at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, where Brown performed and partied for years before moving up to Boston. The suspect, Omar Mateen, was killed after a three-hour standoff inside the club that left 49 people dead.
Throughout the day Sunday and into Monday, the number of Brown’s friends who were killed ticked up. First it was four friends lost, then seven, with three more critically injured.
The list “grew and grew,” he said.
Going to Pulse, being around creative people like the dancers, Disney and Universal Studios performers who frequented the bar, was comforting, Brown said.
“You just feel warm and welcome,” he said. “You can be any walk of life, any color of the rainbow and walk in there and feel comfortable and at ease. To have this senseless act of violence, it’s hard.”
After learning the news Sunday, Brown was still scheduled to perform that day. He transformed into Kamden T. Rage, the flashy showgirl. It was a struggle, he said, to hold it together and keep people smiling as the news of more and more deaths kept trickling out.
When Brown arrived at the candlelight vigil at Copley Square, he broke down and cried.
“I know I have to be the one who’s uplifting for everybody,” he said. “I told [the crowd], ‘This really hit home. These are my friends. This is my family.'”
Next week, Brown will take part in two different charity nights to benefit the Orlando victims. On Monday June 20, he will be at Jacque’s Cabaret near the Theater District for two benefit shows at 7 p.m. and 10 p.m. And on Wednesday night, June 22, the party will be at Machine in the Fenway.
“I tell everybody, in this time we need to be coming together,” he said. “Don’t preach the hatred. Don’t fall for it. Start preaching love and life and brightness. Show them that we are strong and it’s just one incident and it won’t change us.”
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