When Candy Licious was riding her bicycle up one of Vienna’s many picturesque mountains recently, the iconic Austrian drag queen almost wanted to quit. But then she thought of RuPaul.
The Mother of drag would’ve pushed her to keep going. So she did.
Candy, who’s been performing drag around Vienna for the last decade, embodies perseverance. Growing up in the countryside, she wasn’t exposed to LGBTQ+ role models, or even tolerant attitudes. Her awakening happened when she would visit Vienna and hand out condoms at queer events. For the first time, she saw queer people living openly as themselves.
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Instantly, she knew what she wanted to do.
Throw on a pair of heels, and start embracing her suppressed femininity.
“I was allowed to do things that I was not allowed when I was a child… to create something to work on all the negativity I had,” she told Queerty.
While Candy Licious can lip-sync for her life–she says her favorite queen from Drag Race is Sasha Velour–she doesn’t view drag as a competition. She views the art form as political.
Over the last two years, Candy has traveled around Austria performing drag story hours, often to school children. She’s encountered hostile opposition, such as when a group of protesters laid down plastic bricks around a library where she was slated to perform.
While Vienna has a proud progressive tradition–earning the storied “Red Vienna” moniker–Austria remains a conservative country. The Catholic Church, and its regressive social doctrine, still governs life outside of the capital city.
When Candy Licious came out, her three sisters decided to break contact with her. “I can do it, because I have a chosen family. They help me,” she said.
With her past in mind, Candy invites skeptics to attend drag story hours. She believes dialogue is the most effective way to engineer change.
“I think it’s important to invite people who are afraid, and for example are like ‘Drag queen story hour, we don’t know,’ or “OK gender identity, we don’t know,'” she said. “I’m like, ‘Ask me!’ I have a barrier. I can wipe the makeup off, and with that, some negativity.”
As 4,000 gay athletes descended upon Vienna last week for the 2024 EuroGames, Queerty caught up with Candy Licious to chat about how drag, and cycling, set her free. Here’s what she had to say…
QUEERTY: What encouraged you to get into drag?
CANDY LICIOUS: For me, since I grew up on the countryside, and I grew up with conservative role models, drag helped me work on some issues that I had. I started doing it slowly, when I was handing out condoms at queer events. I was in Vienna and seeing other drag queens and being like, “Oh wow!” There are people who are allowed to do that. I was not allowed to do that when I was a young boy back home. I was always told “shoes are for women.” I never got it. For me, this is was never logical. Those people have to wear suits all the time—this was my conception—and other people were allowed to dress differently. So I started in Vienna when I was 25. Now, it’s been almost 10 years I’ve been doing drags.
My reason to start was not RuPaul. My reason was, I was allowed to do things that I was not allowed when I was a child… to create something to work on all the negativity I had.
What’s the most freeing part of drag?
For me, it was freeing, and still is. When I do a drag queen story hour, sitting there and reading books for children where the characters are thriving, and seeing the children’s eyes, now I’ve found myself. Now I’ve found the drag I really want to do. I wasn’t always the show girl who was doing lip-syncing on the stage. I also do that, but for me, it’s way more impressive to see people telling me, “Thank you for doing that to the children,” and letting them know it’s OK to do drag as an art form.
How did you come up with “Candy Licious?”
I think this is typical. I was sitting at the bar with friends, and we were like, “OK, which drag name would fit?” I’ve always liked pink and colorful stuff. Somehow, we got to the name “sweet, candy.” I went for “Candy Licious.” There are people who call me “rainbow queen” here in Vienna!
You’re a huge cyclist, and we’re here at the EuroGames. What do you most enjoy about it?
I think I can be really fast. I grew up in an area where we have mountains, and for me it’s both exhausting, but it can also be really nice if you let yourself go. Vienna is a beautiful city to cycle.
How long have you been a cyclist?
Since I can remember. My parents always dragged me to go cycling. As a child, I never liked it, but now I like it. Two years ago, a week before the drag queen story hour, I was away with my parents on a cycling holiday in north Italy. We did cycling. I think this really helped me, and I can remember this moment. It was a really, really big mountain, and we went up the hill. I almost had no energy, and then the funny thing was, I thought “RuPaul would tell me to keep going.” I didn’t start drag queen because of RuPaul, but I have this connection with drag to not give up. And my father was so surprised. He’s training, and he was like, “How do you do that?” You don’t train; and now, you’re still able to do it?” I said, “Because knowing to always keep pushing forward gave me the strength to do that.”
How do you view your work as a drag queen?
I think it’s a duty. What I do is a lot for the younger me who was suffering from depression because of society. I come from a small village where there were no queer idols. “F*ggot” is still a bad word here in Austria in schools. Back then it was still a negative word. I never wanted to be that word, until finally I can now say, “Thank you for saying f*ggot to me, because now I can be this person.” I do a lot for my younger self, and all the people in the countryside. I do workshops in schools, and sometimes young 12 year old students come to me and they’re like, “We don’t know what to do. I’m queer and my parents won’t accept me.” It’s still [heartbreaking] when you see the young people still suffering.
You mentioned RuPaul earlier. So I have to ask: Who’s your favorite queen from the show?
Sasha Velour! But I don’t watch the new shows. I don’t have time for it, to be honest. I think it’s great what it shows, but I always have to say it is a casting show. I don’t like that art is being used in casting shows. I think in that way, people are like “she’s better than me.” It always has this [negative] drift. I like what RuPaul has done, showing the world drag. But I’d rather have it in another form.
