Ivy Tran: "You're basically Beyonce"

by Sara Ritsch
Staff Writer

“The beginning is always important,” the stunning half Vietnamese, quarter Laotian, Thai and Cambodian performer says. “I was sitting in the living room watching Season 3 of RuPaul’s Drag Race – it was about 9 p.m. – when my now drag daughter turned to me and said, ‘Hey, you should do drag,’ and I said, ‘Yes.’”

Ivy Tran Davenport Kinney Monroe, born Anthony Khamphan, finds her expertise in stage makeup, jewelry and performing. Her lengthy name is passed down from lines of inspiration.

The name Ivy, inspired by Batman’s villain Poison Ivy, tints her world with the color green. “Green is my favorite color. I was born in May, I’m a Taurus and I’m an emerald…So I love St. Patrick’s Day. As a kid I used to pinch people who would not wear green.” She laughs. “I love the Irish, I honestly do.”

Tran is a name taken from her younger brother’s dad, not from the word “trans,” as some may think. Ivy is more than just a drag identity or a trans vision. She does not consider herself drag (except in performances), trans or a female impersonator. “I consider myself human,” she says. “Being labeled as trans, I get clocked as being a woman even though I’m not in drag or have makeup on. I literally shave my face and I still get clocked as a woman.

“People think drag is the art of female impersonation. But that’s not entirely true. Drag is subjective.” In that way, being asked if her name means “trans” really makes her think.

“Maybe in the future, if I decide to, I could transition to a woman or I could stay a man. The more we keep adding to gender labels, the more we keep isolating ourselves.”

The middle name Davenport comes from Londenn Davenport Raine, as she descends from her line, and Kinney and Monroe come from her drag father and mother, who are former Mr. Wreck Room and Jak’kay Monroe.

When Ivy first performed drag, she started out with one stick of eyeliner. Eventually, she came to terms with what makeup was, the importance of coloring and contouring, and realized that its application was a huge part of what she wanted to do.

“Makeup is basically putting a paintbrush onto a canvas. Inspiration doesn’t stop at one particular point,” she says. “You make it to where you’re the attention of the room. You’re basically Beyoncé.”

By showing her work on social media such as Facebook, she has gained some fans. Since it is so hard to find stage makeup in Amarillo, people come into the sushi restaurant where she serves asking to see her.

In that way, Ivy unites herself with the LGBT community in Amarillo. But there was a time when she didn’t feel so connected with anyone, LGBT or otherwise.

“I play the strings – violin mainly – and I studied Music Education at UCO. I got kicked out of rehearsal one day because I would have these moments of deep depression in rehearsals. I was in symphonic rehearsal when my professor came to me and said, ‘Don’t come to class anymore.’

“Once in a while I’ll break out the violin in performances. I’m going to come out of retirement for music. Going to perfect my craft to where I want it, just in case I have a pageant.”

Ivy’s first pageant was for Miss Wreck Room 2013, which she did not win, but she did win Miss Congeniality. Her second was the one wherein she is currently still reigning as Miss 212 of Amarillo 2015. Her third was Miss Lubbock Goddess. Her biggest was Miss Texas USofA, where she placed 20 out of 33.

But, she finds a problem with the LGBT scene itself.

“I’ve heard stories about how it was in the ‘80’s from Lawanda Jackson, who’s here in Amarillo,” she says. “There was a time when the LGBT community looked out for each other, took care of each other. Hearing that, I look around at ours…but we are all segregated. Everyone has their own clique or cliché,” she pauses. “But as a community, where do we stand? That’s how I see it.”

The Gayly - 3/20/2016 @ 1:40 p.m. CST