Feb 14,2020
By Dray Barnes
The Internet is a wild place. Sometimes you come across videos of people being treated horribly by other people, other times you find videos of people being gracious and generous to strangers who they never met.
Anything is viewable and alterable meaning that rarely do I see true authenticity from anyone. From all the videos and imagery I’ve seen of Lady Red Couture, one thing was clear, she is an undiscovered diamond.
After her passing, Drag star and queer entertainers such as Shangela, Jackie Beat, Isis King, Jackie Harry and so many more immediately flooded the web with sincere tributes to the fallen legend. This was clearly a person that positively impacted so many through performing.
Born May 30th, 1977 in Park City, Utah to a loving but religious woman that didn’t quite understand how special her daughter was or that transitioning wasn’t influenced by a nefarious force. These misunderstandings led to conflict, with Lady Red Couture, born Kareemia Baines, being thrown out of the house at an early age.
She moved to Los Angeles in 1995 where she began working the drag scene, becoming a bouncer/performer at popular West Hollywood bars… Her following grew until eventually she was noticed by Johnny McGovern. He offered her the opportunity to be apart of a new Youtube show called, “Hey Qween!”. This show started in 2014 and became an instant success. This was one of the first shows of its kind, an online platform for Queer, non binary stars to feel comfortable expressing themselves, especially when for many people, these guests were still looked at as taboo.
The growth of that show led to the growth of many opportunities for Lady Red Couture. She was a part of both T.V and film productions, accumulating an enviable IMDB profile. All of that was cut short by her untimely death on July 25, 2020.
Lady Red Couture’s legacy and impact can not be understated. She took what little she had been given and multiplied it into so much more, spreading an infinite amount of wisdom and love over the younger performers that followed in her presence. Her life and beauty is remarkable and should be appreciated and praised.
Click here to listen to my first podcast dedicated to Lady Red Couture on Spotify.