By Samantha Hayes
Well-known Maori drag queen, Carmen Rupe, has been laid to rest in Sydney - farewelled by some of the best dressed drag queens from both sides of the Tasman.
At her funeral, she was remembered as the queen of queens - an icon - who paved the way for social reform.
Carmen's life was theatre in action, so her tangi was always going to be a colourful event.
“I think she led the parade…she added colour and every day of her life she was dressed up,” says friend, Ribena.
Another one of her friends, known as Miss K, described Carmen as a “humble women” and someone New Zealanders can be “proud of”.
Carmen died in a Sydney hospital last week aged 75. The famous drag queen had lived in the city for more than three decades and chose it as her final resting place.
“It is a very sad day because who else do we know that was able to do things that Carmen did? Who was bold enough who was strong enough?” says friend, Koko D'Vyne.
In the 1950s she joined Les Girls as a performer, paving the way for others to follow.
“I used to say ‘you’re to blame for all this influx of drag queens from New Zealand’,” says Les Girls performer, Monique Kelly.
“[She would reply] ‘oh yes, I showed them all how to do it.”
And she did. Carmen was a trailblazer for gay and indigenous rights, prostitution and abortion.
“All the things that she stood for back then, bars staying open past midnight, all those sort of things she's achieved,” says friend, Jevan Goulter.
“At the other end of her life she's able to sit back and see that the ball she started rolling finally got there.”
Jevan says many would not have known Carmen was a devout Christian who went to church every Friday night before she hit the clubs - even in her 70s - but she never touched a drink.
She had many friends, and it was at the Stonewall Hotel where she first met Frank Sinatra's daughter Deana.
“She exuded Carmen, she just exuded wonderful energy. She was great,” says Deana.
King’s Cross was where Carmen thrived. In her own words she was a nurse, a soldier, a street hustler, a cabaret act, a male prostitute, and a businesswoman. She said she never judged anyone and hoped that in their kindness, people would have the good grace not to judge her either.
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