Toni Laflame

Tony or Toni LaFlame was one of Kentucky’s most avant garde performers. While often called a “drag queen,” LaFlame’s performances were gender bending spectaculars that went far beyond the typical lip syncs of the period. Her namesake performance was her famous firedance, dazzling crowds with the rhythmic use of torches that she held (and extinguished!) in several interesting orifices.

The three photographs of Toni with the orange dress show the start of a LaFlame performance at a private party in the early 1980s.