The Cheesecakes rock the SF Pride Parade

Credit: C. Chamberlayne

Proudly International

The Cheesecakes are rocking the fabulous for this year’s Pride

Ricky Hard, Kitten Kaboodle, Cherry Poppins . . . the names may sound like a Pride Week lineup of drag queens, but they’re just some of the members of the oh-so-busy Cheesecake Burlesque Revue. And they’ve been even busier than usual this week, given their recent participation in San Francisco’s Pride Parade plus a quartet of performances in the Golden Gate city—despite the fact they’re busy getting ready for our own parade this Sunday, as well as a pair of weekend performances (Friday at Paparazzi and Sunday at the post-parade Pride Festival). Not that being too busy is a problem for the Cheesecakes. As an enthusiastic Ricky Hard said in a post-SF parade call to Monday HQ, “We totally rocked the parade! It was unbelievable that nine girls from Victoria could stand out in the San Francisco Pride Parade, but we were rockin’ the fabulous!”

Of course, you have to wonder why an all-girl burlesque troupe with only a handful of queer members are embracing Pride festivals both here and south of the border. “We’ve got a huge influence from the drag community—two of our choreographers are from [local drag troupe] Disco Bondage Prostitutes from Outer Space,” says Hard. “And we’ve just become more and more drag-y; we have a large gay following and we love the flamboyance and the costumes. We just want to be involved in that whole fabulousness and extravagance.”

Absolute fabulousness aside, it helps that Hard is one of the Cheesecake’s out-and-out queer members, and that she’s in a long-term relationship with fellow caker Kitten Kaboodle. (“And I’m not going to name names, but quite a few of the others are, uh, open-minded,” she coyly quips.) “The whole idea of the parade—especially in Canada—is about more than just gay rights or gay marriage or taking a stand,” says Hard. “You can be as big or small or glittery as you are; you can just be yourself, and people are attracted to anyone who is confidant. That’s why people like it so much.” (She recalls the first Pride parade her father ever saw her in: “He was just grinning from ear to ear.”)

But Hard poo-poos the idea that burlesque appeals more to the straight crowd. “When we were in Las Vegas last year, we saw a lot of girl-girl relationships,” she says. “Everything is so sensual in burlesque; women can be themselves, so it tends to attract more people who feel like outcasts or that they don’t fit in with mainstream culture . . . I don’t know how to say it, but for some reason it does attract a lot of lesbians or bi women. And that’s a plus.” (Insert wink here.)

With this, their second local Pride appearance, Hard says it’s clear the multiple M-Award winning Cheesecakes have popularity across the sexual divide. “A lot of it has to do with us not taking ourselves seriously,” she says. “Humour is the basis of what we do; a lot of our recent choreography has been a lot more outlandish—we still have the classic numbers, but we’re definitely embracing our camp side more. That’s where the Cheesecakes are heading.” And for that, Hard credits the influence of recent cake-mate Betsy Bottom-Dollar—better known locally as frequent Pride queen April O.

But partying and performing weren’t the only reasons for their recent excursion to America’s gay mecca. (No exaggeration: with 209 groups in the parade and an audience in excess of last year’s 1.2 million, San Francisco’s Pride Parade is the biggest in the U.S.) The Cheesecakes also went down to show their support for San Francisco’s queer population in light of the narrow passing of Proposition 8 in late 2008, the controversial California law which now makes it illegal for same-sex couples to marry.

“Yes, we’re going there as a troupe who have a huge queer following, as well as a couple and a group with queer members,” Hard explained prior to departing last week. “But we’re also going as Canadian supporters to show that things haven’t crumbled here because gay marriage is legal, and to show what could happen if it ever went through there—which is nothing. The whole idea behind marriage is that two people who love each other want to devote the rest of their lives to each other; how can you say no to something as innocent and genuine as that? So not only are we showing international support, but it’s also a reminder of how fortunate we are here, and how much of a struggle it can be for queer people down there.”

Finally, given their drag influence, there’s one question I can’t help but ask. Has anyone ever thought they weren’t women? “Only when we do the Village People,” Hard laughs. “Midori Colada makes a mean, mean cop—she looks like she’d bust your ass.”

Oooh, don’t be such a tease, Ricky. M