Issue 22 - Island Waves - Texas A&M University Corpus Christi

PAGE 4 FEATURE / SEPTEMBER 13, 2012
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ERIKA GALINDO - ISLAND WAVES
KATHLEEN RAMIREZ
features editor
Sophomore J.R. “Justin”
Sandoval is better known as
Karma Ozmond within the
drag queen community. Since
his first drag encounter, Karma
has performed not only at Texas
A&M University-Corpus
Christi, but also at Club Seven
and The Vault Night Club.
Sandoval had his first drag
experience last October on
Halloween, after he decided
to dress in drag as a French
maid. With a little help from
his friend Katrina, Sandoval
was transferred into his then
drag queen persona ‘Ferocia’.
“I told myself I would
never do drag but last Halloween
I wanted to dress up
in drag,” Sandoval said. “I
bought the costume, and my
friend did my hair and makeup.
Then I went out to the gay
club and dragged for the first
time. From there, I realized I
liked it.”
While the activity is kept
hidden from one side of his
family, Sandoval’s step-dad’s
family is very supportive of
him and his choice to do drag.
“My mom’s side of the
family does not know I do
drag. They do not even know
I am gay,” Sandoval said.
“My step-dad’s side knows,
and they support it. My stepgrandma
loves that I do drag.”
For Sandoval, getting into
drag can take anywhere from
one and a half to two hours.
A breakdown of the time includes
makeup, which can
take 30 to 45 minutes, and
hair, which varies depending
on the event.
“The process is really
long, and I just started learning
how to do my own makeup
which takes me longer because
I want to make sure I do
it right,” Sandoval said. “Hair
depends on what kind you
want. Usually our hair (is) not
just one piece; we use two or
three wigs in one to make our
hair look fuller.”
Preparing for a pageant
can take anywhere from three
to four months, and can include
two to four hours worth
of practicing choreography
per day. One way Sandoval,
or Karma, stays in shape is by
going to Zumba, sometimes
even twice a day.
Aside from dragging,
another huge part of each
queen’s life is their drag family,
specifically their drag
mother and drag sisters. Andrea
Ozmond is Karma’s drag
mother, and Molly, Marie,
Mackenzie, Desiree and Layla
are his drag sisters.
Aside from helping to
purchase wigs, makeup and
clothes, Ozmond also assists
Karma by doing his makeup
and helping him get ready for
shows and pageants. Ozmond
was also the one who helped
Sandoval come up with Karma,
his current drag name.
“I started out with no drag
mother; I just did things on
my own,“ Sandoval said. “My
drag mother is a big help. She
helps me with everything and
helps me get ready.”
Ozmond became Karma’s
drag mother after she
did his makeup for “So You
Think You Can Drag,” which
is also around the time when
Sandoval switched from drag
queen persona Ferocia into
Karma Ozmond, his current
drag name.
“After I competed, she
asked me to be her drag child,
and I said ‘yes’,” Sandoval
said. “My first drag name was
kind of funny. It was Ferocia.
After I competed, I realized
Ferocia was not a very cute
name, so I thought of something
else. . .that (sounded)
cuter; that is when I became
Karma Ozmond.”
In addition to “So You
Think You Can Drag,” Karma
has competed in other various
shows. Aside from benefit
shows and bookings at the
Vault Night Club and Club
Seven, Karma has also performed
at Drag Lab, of which
he won last month.
As of now, Karma is currently
getting ready to travel
to Houston this upcoming
weekend for “Miss Texas USofA
at Large,” a pageant that his
drag mother will be competing
in. Alongside his drag sisters,
Karma will be competing
with Ozmond for the talent
portion of the pageant.
Karma will also be competing
for “Miss Corpus
Christi Latina 2012,” in March
of next year. The event will be
Karma’s first pageant, and he
is hoping to win a title.
“Why do I like drag? It is
because you get to be somebody
else, you get to dress
up as something else and
be crazy, wild and do something
you would not do as a
boy. It is fun entertaining
people and dancing in front
of them,” Sandoval said.
“Drag is not something you
do, drag is an art.”
A double major, Sandoval
is studying psychology
and special education, and
hopes to one day work in a
children’s hospital with special
needs children. As of
now, Sandoval is also hoping
to get more involved with
the Gay-Straight Alliance of
A&M-Corpus Christi.