By Laura Latzko, May 2017 Issue. Meet the other 2017 titleholders here.

With three years of experience performing in drag, Isis D. Frost isn’t new to pageantry. Frost, a former theater and choir kid, previously held the title of first alternate to Miss Gay Arizona USofA; however, being crowned Arizona EOY F.I. 2017 marks her first ticket to the national stage.

Echo: What was it like competing against such fierce competition, including your drag mother Vivika D’Angelo Steele?

D’Frost: I also competed against Deora LeBlanc, who is a really good friend, and Patricia Mason as well. It was really difficult to compete against them, especially because we are friends, and I do consider a lot of them family. It was difficult, but we all knew and we all understand our challenges and what we should do … My drag mom … has been very supportive with me winning. 

Echo: Do you feel like audiences got a true taste of who you are as a performer at the Arizona EOY pageant?

D’Frost: I think that everybody got the real Isis. I feel like I laid everything on the table … EOY is very much about entertainment, so I wanted to show them that I am a great performer and entertainer.

Echo: At state, you brought a high-energy dance number for your talent. Is that the type of performer you’ve always been?

Frost: I love really high-energy stuff. I love doing it mainly because a lot of people when I first started, they were like, “You’ll have a harder time doing drag because you are not the average size.” I’ve always been bigger, taller, different than everybody else…Being high energy, lots of choreography, dancing, singing, I did that. So, I can be like, “Anything anybody smaller than me can do, I can do it too, if not better.”

Echo: I can imagine it’s a big decision to go to nationals, which you need to be prepared to commit the time and money to. Do you feel like this year is your year?

Frost: I feel like I’m in a more comfortable spot to do those things. I’ve been in my job for a year. I work in behavioral health, and I’m starting to work with LGBTQ children and their families. I just feel like

I’ve gotten the job that I always wanted…Now, I’m in a good place in my life. I’m able to do the things that I want to. I’m more focused. I feel like now is the time to step out.

Echo: Has it been a different experience for you to be this leader and mentor in the community?

D’Frost: I’m very much about creating a positive community and bringing everyone together. I have tons of ideas, and now that I do have this title, I feel that it amps up my voice to be a little bit louder.

I really want to work with the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation here and TIHAN, which helps and works for people with AIDS and HIV. I really want to do charity events with them, get their name out there and bring in not just the LGBT[Q] community, but everyone in Arizona.