'I was introduced to my first pair of heels and I never looked back'

Michael Gates, like many other gays, spent his younger days enduring the taunts of his school peers. His current success as a drag performer compensates for the years spent trying to deny his desire to dress from his mother's wardrobe.

As Maude Boaté he has wowed Sydney audiences with exuberant shows which he also directs and produces. His character draws partly on the dry wit of his idol, the actress Bea Arthur, and auntie Mame with her cry of 'live, live, live'. It was being diagnosed as HIV positive that led him to 'get the finger out' and start doing what he wanted.

He describes himself as the 'mother' of a new generation of drag performers. Unlike the 'hormones and tits', grace and glamour of the old queens, he sees the new generation as 'just guys dressing up to have fun and a job'. The presentation, while still glamorous, has more in common with the makeup and humour of traditional clowning. The characters depicted by Gates are drawn from Hollywood movies both old and new, so leading ladies from the 1950s sometimes find themselves with a sci-fi twist.

Gates is also known for the 'big wigs' he creates for his shows and to wear at parties and Mardi Gras. He sat atop the 1994 ACON float, a commanding figure in a 'helmet' headdress he titled 'St George'. His 'Hare Hare' headdress was worn by Boy George when he was the surprise guest at Mardi Gras in 1995, although Gates didn't know this when he made it.

The wigs originally evolved out of necessity because commercial wigs were very expensive and budgets for the shows tight. Gates started out with a block of polystyrene and a bread knife and progressed to working with moulded latex and plastics. Their sculptural forms and zany colours gives the wigs a cartoon quality.

In recognition of his outstanding contribution to the art of drag, Gates won five prizes at the 1996 DIVA (Drag Industry Variety Awards), including best costume design and best show.

+ Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras Workshop
+ Costume design

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