Angel or DaVil: We’re Not Going to Hell. We’re Going to the Capitol!

Besides their iconic mustache, Veronika DaVil has a bit of a signature drag performance arc — each performance starts emotional and dramatic, and then ends with an almost explosive level of joy. Their life story is the same. 

Angel (their out-of-drag name) was raised in Provo, Utah. They came out as gay a month before the Obergefell v. Hodges decision to legalize same-sex marriage. “I was 16. I was the only queer person I knew,” they recall. “I really thought I was the only person that was experiencing this.”

But then, something odd happened. The more friends Angel confided in — the more people found out they were queer —  causing others to come out to them in return. Angel realized they weren’t alone. In fact, it wasn’t long before they came out publicly on social media with a single photo of them next to a headstone that read, “GAY.”

“There were other people left and right coming out to me privately, talking about how they were also scared. I quickly realized, ‘Oh, I’m not the only person experiencing this,’” Angel says. “Looking back now, there are so many queer people who were in my high school and are out now, and they’re so loud about it.” (One of those fellow queer, ex-Mormon Provoans was none other than Ms. Meredith herself, another of Salt Lake’s most iconic drag artists and DaVil’s drag-daughter.)

Here’s where the joy comes in: Now, ten years after escaping Provo for the queer haven of Salt Lake City, DaVil just hit their five-year drag-versary, having started their journey during the COVID pandemic. “I cannot imagine my life without drag,” Angel says. “Drag has helped me understand my identity more. It’s helped the people around me understand their identity.” Now, Veronika and Meredith have teamed up with fellow queens Nancy Raygun, Mari Cona, Jenna Tea, Lady Facade and Barbin to create Haus of Gloss, a “collective of Queens who want to do fierce shit,” according to DaVil. 

But that’s not all DaVil is up to these days. If they’re not onstage or at Gracie’s Bar hosting their monthly Saturday brunch, you might find them at the Utah Capitol Building advocating for trans rights in the middle of the rotunda. “I saw a hole, and I decided to fill it,” Angel says. “Drag has given me the confidence — and the platform, in a lot of ways — to be able to do this.”

During Utah’s legislative sessions, DaVil has brought a much-needed color to an otherwise old, white building that has an awful tendency to pump out anti-trans policies and bills that threaten the rights of trans kids. And when I say color, I mean that literally. Their outfits have ranged from a sparkly purple boa number to a full rainbow jumpsuit with shoulder spikes and flared ankles.

“It is so easy to be angry right now, but something I focus on is joy. That’s why we’re fighting. That is why I go up to the Capitol when I do,” says Angel. “We’re up there to fight for the right to have joy. That’s something I try to focus on in every aspect of drag and in my life, the same way that I end my number — with joy.”

In the end, DaVil’s advice for those who either want to get into political advocacy or drag is the same: Do it. “You are never going to feel confident enough, you are never going to feel like you’re ready.  And it’s important that you take the first step—even if you’re not ready. Because that first step is going to cascade into being more confident about yourself.” Follow Veronika DaVil on Instagram @veronikadavil or on the Haus of Gloss page, @hausgloss.

Read about more drag queens making a difference in Utah:
Bold & Beautiful: Anya Bacon
Bold & Beautiful: Salina Marina

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