These photos were taken in conjunction with a long-form piece written about Tiana Blue Rose Maxim and her family for Jake Halpern's narrative journalism course.

Robin Banks, the coordinator and emcee of York Street Café's drag shows.

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Tiana Blue Rose Maxim, 23, prepares for the night's performance. 

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Karelys Blue Rose, at the time the newest member of Tiana's drag family. 

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Sylvia Hart, the oldest and most experienced member of the family. 

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Tiana covers her roommate's face with the fabric ofher dress. Tiana and Evan met when he moved to Connecticut with the Coast Guard. During their first conversation on Grindr

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“Gay guys love drag queens. But the moment you’re out of drag, they will throw you that shoulder, they will close off that group of friends unless you knew them as a guy before you started doing drag,” Tiana says, marking the tension between gay and drag communities.

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Unlike other families who share a last name, “#Motherfuckin” is Tiana’s family’s middle name because “this body doesn’t give birth to daughters,” Sylvia “#Motherfuckin” Hart laughs.

 
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Tiana's biological family is supportive of her. She humorously recalls moments when she has been engaged in heated arguments with her father and he will be yelling at her while brushing her wig. “I’ll be in a full face and a basketball jersey and shorts and we’ll be arguing about which basketball team we like better,” Tiana laughs. 

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