November 16, 2024 | Diane Gregory

Goldie Adams: never take freedom for granted

After forty plus years of drag performances, Goldie shares her colorful story for the first time.

Goldie Adams

“They said I was too big, too tall, too old-fashioned,” said Wes. “But guess what? I’m still here.”

Wesley LeMieux, a/k/a performer Goldie Adams, was born in Milwaukee. He attended Pulaski High School and Bay View High School before becoming a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at sixteen years old. He’s still a CNA today, celebrating 35 years working at Maple Ridge Healthcare and Rehabilitation.

“I always knew something was different,” said Goldie, “and around age eleven or twelve, I had a sudden growth spurt. And suddenly I had a beard! I always looked older than I was.”

Growing up fast

Wes began to realize he was more attracted to boys.

One day, he was riding the bus with his mother on Milwaukee’s East Side, and she warned him never to go to Juneau Park. Naturally, he made a bee-line to the park as soon as he could. Once he saw what was going on in the bushes, he understood his mother’s warning. But he also made some friends, and finally felt more comfortable in his own skin.

At age 15, he came out to his mother. Her response? “Tell me something I don’t know.” She’d recognized who he was even before he did.

“It was hard coming out,” said Wes, “but I met a few kids in school, and eventually we were checking into homeroom and then checking out the door! We’d meet up with other kids from around the city at Juneau Park. Together, we terrorized downtown.”

“I was never a teenager,” he said. “I grew up fast.”

Wes is proud that he lived his life to the fullest, and never lied to anyone about who he is.

“Do you have a girlfriend, they’d ask, and I’d always say, no, but I’m looking for a boyfriend.”

Wes became the caretaker of his father, who was living with early Alzheimer’s disease. While school wasn’t a priority for him, he did complete his GED.

One night, a friend suggested they go to the bars. Wes was underage, and nervous, but they managed to get into the Factory (158 N. Broadway) and the Red Baron (625 E. St. Paul Ave.)

At the Red Baron, he was confused by the “women” performing on stage, until his friend clued him in.

“Look, dummy, they’re men.”

That was a turning point for Wes. He knew that’s what he wanted to do.

“The first queen I met was Little Donny, who introduced me to the stars of Milwaukee: Tiger Rose, Mama Rae and Tina Capri. They were my mentors, and to this day, I am forever grateful for their advice and friendship.”

Tiger Rose suggested he enter a lip-synch contest at the Ball Game. Although he didn’t win, he quickly became hooked. However, he realized that he didn’t know how to do make-up!

His mother befriended a next-door neighbor who used to babysit Wes. The neighbor’s brother wanted to transition, so his mom helped him find gender-affirming care in Colorado.

Years later, Wes was surprised when his mother reintroduced him to “Barbara,” who was now a make-up artist. He knew who she was immediately, and couldn’t believe his luck finding someone so amazing to do his make-up.

In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, he would take the 19 bus to 19^th and Cleveland to visit Barbara.

Afterwards, he’d get on the bus in full drag to meet the girls downtown: B.J. Daniels, Ginger Spice, Gloria Halloway.

“They’d always ask who did my make-up? And I’d always say, my friend Barbara."

Goldie Adams

Goldie's grand debut

Wes realized he was a show girl. He chose the name “Goldie” in honor of Goldie Hawn, and “Adams” from the name of a high school flame.

“I think he was my first love,” said Wes.

His first drag number was “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston, performed upstairs at the Phoenix (235 S. 2^nd St.) Soon, he was doing numbers with Mama Rae, Tina Capri and Tiger Rose at the Red Baron. When his mother found his wigs, she asked if he was doing Stag. He had to tell her, no Mom, I’m doing drag!

He learned from each of the queens of the day: what made them special (hair, make-up, wardrobe, etc.) and how the audience reacted. He perfected his own skills, keeping in mind all he witnessed, and continues to see today. Every show is an opportunity to grow and evolve. While his style is “old school drag,” he experiments with music, hair, and continuous self-education.

Goldie Adams

Wes attended beauty school, which gave him a chance to perfect his skills while doing other queens’ faces. When Erica Stevens asked him to do her face, he was honored.

His big break came doing shows around town with Miss M, Mandi McCall, Bouji, and Brittany Morgan. It was the beginning of the AIDS crisis, and drag queens were a critical part of the community response. They raised countless funds for local AIDS care, at a time when the government was doing nothing at all.

Goldie Adams became a regular at Club 219, doing spotlight, helping backstage, and working with the Lip-Synch Contest. He remembers doing God Bless America for a 4^th of July show.

“My best performance ever was the Lip-Synch finals at 219. I was up against Sage LaRue, and I did Whitney Houston’s ‘The Greatest Love of All.’ The crowd went ballistic! I received over 10 minutes of applause. With my mother and friends in the audience, I got very, very emotional.”

Goldie Adams

The experience of a lifetime

Holly Brown once told her, “you’re pretty, gurl, you’re big, so try some comedy.” Goldie chose “Talk Dirty to the Animals” by Gilda Radner with a little girl dress on. After testing it on Holly, she decided to do it that night.

Her comedy debut was a hit, which taught her an important life lesson: don’t take yourself too seriously.

Goldie Adams won several titles, including Miss Gay Chubby WI (before it became Miss WI Continental Plus,) Miss Walker’s Point and Miss 1100 Club.

She remembers being a contestant for Miss Gay Wisconsin, where she came out of a cocoon to the song “I’m Changing.” The audience went wild!

When Holly Brown was putting together a show, she invited Goldie to join the cast of the cabaret. This was the biggest show Goldie had ever seen, with outstanding costumes, hair and jewelry. Holly even taught the cast how to make headdresses.

“Holly’s philosophy was always, leave your ego at the door,” said Wes. “I was thrilled to be part of a show where we all worked together.”

From student to teacher

After losing his father, Wes remained close with his mother. As a very giving woman, she adopted anyone who were disowned by their own parents – and she was treated like Elizabeth Taylor at the gay bars. After his father passed, he was grateful to help her with groceries, house payments, and other bills.

“I grew up in a home of love,” said Wes, “and I wanted to carry that forward. After my father passed, I thought, if I can take care of him, I can take care of other people. If someone is near the end and alone, I want to be at their side.”

Wes is proud of those he taught “the craft,” including Rudi D’Angelo, Jackie Roberts, Sasha Mitchell and Shannon Dupree. “I taught Shannon how to do make-up, and she just ran away with it!” he said.

Despite the naysayers he’s faced over the years, Wes is still pursuing his passion for performing.

“They said I was too big, too tall, too old-fashioned…” said Wes. “But guess what? I’m still here.”

His best advice to up and coming performers? "Love who you are."

"When you love who you are, people see it," said Wes. "When you don't, they'll see that too. You have to learn to accept and embrace yourself first. Big, small, in-between, there's no 'right size' in drag. We all learn as we go."

He’s proud of his lifelong committee to the community, but reflects on how the community sometimes seems to be fading away.

“We really cared and watched out for each other back then,” said Wes. “Being gay was dangerous. Seriously dangerous.”

“My community is my organization,” said Wes. “I did and continue to do whatever is asked of me to benefit the community. We used to be so close, while we were fighting for what the next generation takes for granted."

"My greatest achievement in life was helping my people when they needed help most.”

“We should never take freedom for granted. Our rights can change, very very quickly, when we’re not paying attention.”