If you hung around Nashville gay bars in the ’90s and Aughts, then you were probably lucky enough to see Bianca Paige the Pantomime Rage perform live and in person. If you, like me, missed the boat — nay, yacht — on Bianca, a YouTube search will turn up a bevy of home movies of Her Eminence. When the wig came off, Bianca was Mark Middleton, a waiter who decided to take his HIV status onstage to educate his community about the virus and destigmatize it. Middleton raised $1 million for HIV/AIDS treatment and research before his death in 2010. In June, Nashville honored him by naming a street after his persona. Bianca Paige Way is located behind the gay bar Trax, so you can easily pour one out in Middleton’s honor. If you celebrate Bianca’s legacy next time you’re at Trax, make it a celebration worthy of a queen.
Best Tribute to a Queen
