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A group of Gold Coast drag queens are fighting back against a company they claim owes thousands of dollars in unpaid invoices.

Fed up with invoices not being paid, the group are speaking out on behalf of all performers.

Gold Coast drag queens fight back

Cady Deville, Robyn Dix and Tara Zann are part of a group of hard working Drag Queens from the Gold Coast.

Each of the three have performed for Gold Coast business Paint Juicy, which features a night of painting lessons, a few drinks and some drag entertainment.

The three queens allege that they have all performed at these local events 鈥� but many of the payments they’re owed, they say, have never been made.

At $300 a gig, Cady Deville says that invoices are on 30-day terms, however she alleges that the owners of Paint Juicy have not been meeting these, totalling $3,000 for the performer.

Tara Zann was similarly owed $3,000 whilst Robyn Dix was still waiting on payment for her $300 invoice.

 

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The group are now speaking out both to demand payment for their services, but also to give other performers who often struggle to be paid on time a voice.

Speaking to the Star Observer, Cady Deville alleges this has been an ongoing issue for the business for some time.

“They鈥檝e burned through some really reputable queens, book them months in advance and by the time they have big owings we鈥檙e stuck because if we go public people say we鈥檙e unprofessional, and if we don鈥檛 show up to events they and the venues have promoted we get called unprofessional” she said.

Now Cady and the group have had enough.

She alleges the company “claimed they were going into liquidation, then back-tracked that story,” as the situation continued to escalate and money remained outstanding.

It’s an all too common struggle that many performers have faced, particularly on the Gold Coast for drag queens who have more limited opportunities.

“It鈥檚 not like drag venues are as common as a Woolies or Coles,” she says.

“We don鈥檛 have the privilege to go get another gig down the street if we鈥檙e being mistreated or not paid. We shouldn鈥檛 have to demand to be paid, or go to the media for our invoices to be fulfilled.”

 

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Going to the media was just what the group did, with Robyn Dix and Tara Zann approaching A Current Affair to share their story. After much discussions 鈥� and even a pop-up performance outside the office 鈥� it elicited a formal response from the organisation.

In a statement to ACA, the business stated:

“We take our obligations to contracted performers and artists seriously and have always worked to resolve outstanding payments in good faith. Some payments were unfortunately delayed due to external financial constraints, but structured payment plans were in place, and the majority of individuals have been cooperative in working with us.”

They noted that there were currently outstanding payments they were working towards paying and noted that Robyn Dix invoice has now been paid.

They also noted some of the reasons for the delay in payments were due to “external financial issues, including the forced liquidation of an unrelated business that affected cash flow.”

It is understood that some payments have been received for amounts owing to both Cady Deville and Tara Zann, however both have not been paid in full.

In a statement posted online, Cady thanked their supporters and maintained her determination to speak up for other performers.

“We shouldn’t be worried about losing gigs if we speak out against misconduct. Just because drag is uncomfortable, doesn’t mean our working conditions should be. Most importantly, we shouldn’t have to demand to get paid on time” she wrote.

“When times get tough, we get tougher. Drag has always been about resilience, and we’ll keep fighting-with colour and sparkle. Things may be hard, but we will not yield. We will fight, we will strut, and we will buck the house down. Yes gawd!”

 

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Star Observer has reached out to Paint Juicy for comment, but did not receive a response by time of publication.