Bold & Beautiful: Aiko Thee Empress

SLUG Magazine has had the intrinsic joy of interviewing the SLC-based empress herself, Veronica Takenaka, encompassing her presidency at the Drag Club at the U of U and plans for communal enrichment along with some exciting current happenings. 

It was a slow, balmy evening, the night I received Takenaka’s call. Our interview started with only the purest of high energy from Takenaka, also known as Aiko Thee Empress. Vibrantly, she enthusiastically confirmed what I had already suspected. Takenaka’s palpable joie de vivre was as evident as her efforts to build something worthwhile in the heart of Salt Lake City. As the president of the University of Utah’s very own Drag Club, this young, driving force has been making strides toward simultaneously living her best life while ensuring she builds a welcoming ladder for all who seek to climb alongside her and/or her mission.  

Having been installed during her freshman year, Takenaka has served as founder of the Drag Club and has been actively ensuring that it remains open to all since 2024. This club is an official organization sponsored by the University of Utah. Its focus is on cultural- and identity-based community building, advocacy and the arts. As the president of the Drag Club at the U, Takenaka has been spearheading efforts toward carving out a dedicated safe space for student performers and alternative queer culture on campus, stating: “Ever since then, we’ve been around, parading around campus, spreading drag joy and the wonder that is drag to a college campus, which I feel like is very important, especially at a collegiate level. I feel like it is super important for people to experience and get familiar with this true expression of queerness and identity that is so inherently beautiful and has so many different facets to it.”  

To get to this point, a lot of hope and community had to take place, and Takenaka doesn’t plan on ever taking any of it for granted. Carving out these safe spaces, or third spaces, for this specific age group is important. Takenaka looks back at how she got started on her own drag path and, as the Drag Club’s founder, with deep fondness. As shared, she looks back at the start, when there were state-driven drawbacks to counter. Looking back helps the group keep what matters most at the forefront, encouraging it to open its doors to students and visitors alike.

At the start, though she found herself amid a wonderful, supportive group, there were many venues and challenges still for our budding trans-drag queen. Outside of newcomers’ initial doubts and concerns surrounding laws like House Bill 261 (encompassing Equal Opportunity Initiatives), Takenaka’s crew continues, stating, “[Our] main goal is to provide a safe space for queer students on campus and to allow for them to not only find community among other students but to become more familiar with themselves” 

Looking to encourage the inspired, Takenaka shares that “We have many freshman students that aren’t familiar with either, nor do they have the resources to comfortably do so. And this is where we step in to facilitate that as best we can.” 

When she is not busy with her club-building endeavors, Takenaka navigates the challenge of keeping her footing and showcasing her art by maintaining her relationships within our local drag scene, which she has been building and nurturing since her start in high school. Aiko Thee Empress was born out of a desire for self-expression, but she didn’t get her wings until she became part of a community that not only accepted her but encouraged her growth. Being a part of a younger generation of performers has ultimately allowed her to explore her styling and persona outside of what’s come to be anticipated from what we’ve come to see or experience in drag, and this is what she hopes the Drag Club can do for many more. With the group now having a solid core of regulars, we can see that their collective efforts are making great strides toward maintaining this dream and turning it into a functioning reality.

All are welcome to the Drag Club at the U of U and may check them and their scheduling out by following their Instagram, joining their Discord or joining their campus connect group page! If real-time integration is more your speed, please visit Aiko Thee Empress and her crew at any of their weekly meetings, usually held on campus in the Gardner Commons (GC 4200) on Fridays, between 12:30 and 1:30 p.m. Aiko will also be hosting their Spooky Ookie Drag Gala-Fananza performance on October 30, from 6:30to 8 p.m., at The Union. More details will be made available on their Instagram page.

Read more Bold & Beautiful:
Bold & Beautiful: Cupcake Addams
Bold & Beautiful: Baby Gorgeous

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