June is Pride Month, and few people know how to celebrate like drag queens and kings. Richard Arias, also known as RiRi Calienté, is one of those queens and is known around Salem as the Mother of Drag. Hosting a variety of drag events, including Makeup and Mimosas at the Infinity Room and Calienté at the Southside Speakeasy, Calienté creates vibrant spaces of art and inclusion. 

Arias’s road to Salem and to drag performances wasn’t an easy one, and as rhetoric against LGBTQ+ people becomes more volatile with every proposed drag ban, Arias says it’s more important than ever to understand what drag is and what benefits it brings to community spaces. Hear from him, and keep listening to Stories of Salem to learn more!