Mizz Gavinia Edwards, aka Gavin Render, drag career began through a love of Rocky Horror. He is one of the original Vauxhall Dragettes – alongside John Traves, Mike Ardsley, Daisy, Steve Stratton, Gareth Taylor and John Garlic. After the Dragettes, from the mid 80s onwards Gavin, Twaddles and Gareth Taylor formed the The GiGi Girls. After which he and Gareth worked as the Les Cagelles.
Gavin’s drag career has seen him perform regularly with drag queen Rusty and with Adrian James performing under the stage name The Diamond Divas. Gavin more recently has worked with Crystal Cuts (Oliver Anthony) as The Disappointing Sisters and now as Las Vegas Playgirls.
I never came out, because I was never in. Everyone knew I was gay – hence the bullying. But it’s interesting who in showbusiness has never come out, because they thought it would limit their career. People were told not to come out… In Silhouettes, you didn’t get your average gay man in there, you got the alternative gays. We would go to venues like Oddballs, Queens, Romeo and Juliets, The Old White Hart, and Bali High. These would have gay nights for gay men. Often they were upstairs and never lasted long, they were always being asked to move on.”
Click on the red arrow to hear Gavin’s oral history.
