Drag, queer artists faced arrests in Macon. Meet the queen who persevered
Since the 70s, Macon’s “oldest” drag queen, Tangerine Summers, performed on stages knowing that she could leave in handcuffs.
After dodging arrests under anti-masking laws, Summers is now remembered as a pioneer of queer life in Middle Georgia.
Ray Robert Grissett performed as Tangerine Summers around Georgia until his death on Aug. 31, 2023. He was 63. He started doing drag in the 70s in high school, and as his drag career progressed, Macon’s code enforcement officers noticed and sought to arrest him.
On stage, Summers regularly impersonated Tina Turner and Diana Ross. But in the dressing rooms, she gave younger queens, kings and other drag performers advice, mentorship and support.
Summers found it important to tell the younger drag performers about the struggles when she first started in drag, and how different performing in drag was now.
Masking laws targeted drag queens
Decades ago, drag queens — then referred to as “female impersonators” — were arrested by code enforcement officers who argued that the performances violated anti-masking laws.
The law, called the Anti-Mask Act, was enacted in 1951. It prohibited individuals from wearing a “mask, hood or device” that would conceal the wearer’s identity in public, according to records from the Georgia General Assembly.
It was enacted to prosecute members of the Ku Klux Klan, the white supremacist group that wore white, triangular hoods with only their eyes visible, in a public group setting, according to multiple media reports.
Code enforcement officers said drag artists were concealing their original identity by using names other than their own and wearing women’s clothes, according to Demarcus Beckham, co-founder of Macon Pride.
The law, however, allowed for masks to be worn in specific situations. It allowed for traditional holiday costumes, used to protect the wearer’s safety at work, theatrical productions like Mardi Gras and masquerade balls, and during defense drills, exercises or emergencies, according to the law.
Beckham said Macon police officers frequently arrested Summers and other drag queens under that law. But that didn’t stop her from doing drag.
“Tangerine protested with many other members of the LGBT community for the town to get rid of those masking laws,” Beckham said.
Summers’ drag career
When Grissett’s drag hobby turned into a career, he developed his Tangerine Summers persona.
She took inspiration from Donna Summer, the disco icon, for her last name. “Tangerine” was suggested by other drag artists, as Grissett always brought a bag of the citrus fruit to gigs.
She and other Georgia queens performed in gay clubs across Macon in the 70s and 80s. They were Pegasus Lounge, Ann’s Tic Toc Room and the Topaz. Cherry Street Pub — sitting where JBA stands today — also was used for drag performances. As of 2026, those gay bars were closed.
Summers regularly performed Turner and Ross impersonations, and would often remove her wigs where a song had the most tension or impact. She often called herself the city’s “oldest” drag queen, performing into her 60s while other drag queens from her time retired, Beckham said.
Due to being a Turner and Ross impersonator, she regularly performed their songs. Her signature move was removing her wigs where the song had the most tension or impact, Beckham said.
Summers defied odds in 1984 by becoming a contestant for the Cherry Blossom pageant. She was convinced by her drag mentor, Billy Boots, to impersonate Mae West.
“A news meteorologist at the time, who was the host of the pageant, did not recognize that Tangerine was a male,” said Beckham. “As witty as Tangerine was, she (made) a few jokes, inspired a few laughs, walked off the stage and didn’t recognize that they … won a check during the pageant.”
It was a $250 prize. She went to retrieve it days after. But, to get the check, she was asked to not publicly share that Summers was a man in women’s clothing.
Despite winning, she was fined for violating anti-mask laws. She paid a $75 fine and $13 in court costs, rather than going to jail.
By the early 90s, being queer in Macon was a concept many of residents were still getting used to. Previous Telegraph reporting claimed that Time Magazine’s 1978 coverage of Anita Bryant, an anti-gay activist and singer, reflected “the way most Macon residents still view homosexuals.”
“They may know one or two gay people, but they think that’s it in the Flag City,” Eric Velasco, a former Telegraph journalist, reported in late 1993.
Summers participated in fundraisers and advocated for victims of HIV/AIDS . She had been crowned Miss Middle Georgia, with Beckham being crowned Mr. Middle Georgia, for their advocacy work.
Who was Grissett?
Though Summers was outspoken, Beckham said Grissett was a man who made his life and struggles private.
He worked hard for his performances — creating his looks for Summers, from the dresses to the wigs, according to Beckham.
Scott Mitchell, co-founder of Macon Pride and owner of The Bohemian Den and Sweet Eleanor’s, was a close friend of Grissett. He met the drag queen in high school. However, Mitchell hopped from state to state before returning to Macon in 2012.
Then Mitchell and Grissett quickly reconnected.
“I mean, she was just one of the most precious people to me,” Mitchell said. “Always giving, always kind, always wanting the younger generation to remember where we came from, which I think is super important.”
Mitchell, as one of the leaders of Macon Pride, personally knows many of the drag artists in Macon . And those artists openly speak on how much Summers meant to them.
“The one thing I hear from the younger drag queens all the time is just how much they miss her mentorship and how much they miss her presence … in the dressing room and … the advice she would give them and how they could always talk to her about anything,” Mitchell said.
When Grissett died, so did Summers.
Summers’ legacy continues
“In my time, I understood how well loved she was,” Beckham said. “She leaves behind a lot of great drag nieces, nephews, daughters, grandchildren, and they’re all very passionate about the work (Summers) created. They want to carry it on.”
There is no dedicated physical space for the queer community in Macon anymore. However, despite that, the drag scene is alive and vibrant, with performances at Reboot Barcade and JBA in Macon, and Friends on the Hill in Warner Robins.
While drag queens faced anti-masking violations back then, it’s now considered a respected art under the First Amendment.
“Now, I think there is a strong deal of support for drag,” Beckham said. “We’re seeing representation in television, in film and podcasts, in our everyday (lives). Drag is a form of expression, something that should be recognized.”
