A staple in the New York City drag scene, Marti Gould Cummings has made a name for themselves as a drag queen and beyond. On top of numerous ad campaigns and being featured on the pages of Vogue and being featured on the Out100 list, Cummings hosted their own Logo talk show The Marti Report.
Now, Cummings hosts a weekly live theater talk show called Stage Fright held at the Red Eye as well as a monthly drag brunch at 54 Below.
Known for being outspoken about the current administration, Cummings’s fight for LGBTQ rights and their civic-mindedness prompted them to run for office. They made history as the first openly non-binary candidate to run for office in New York City when they ran for City Council in 2021. Their campaign is featured in the documentary Queen of New York.
The newly engaged Cummings talked to GLAAD about how they continues to use their platform to amplify queer voices and walk through this world as their authentic self.
Where did the need to perform come from?
Performing has been a part of me since I could walk and talk. As a kid it was a way for me to escape and use imagination and storytelling to feel seen, heard and accepted. As a queer kid there weren’t a ton of ways for me to be able to leave behind the bullying, but being on stage was a way for me to feel safe. I have carried that into adulthood and now the need to perform is a way to express myself, challenge myself and try to bring joy to those who may need an escape from the world.
With the new administration and the current divisive socio-political climate, how do you approach your work, specifically with your drag brunch and weekly show, Stage Fright?
Stage Fright — now at Red Eye in New York — is a show I have been doing for over a decade and getting to bring the worlds of Broadway and drag together is such an incredible joy for me. I hope this show is a way for people to come together to see these art forms blended and with the Big Broadway Drag Brunch at 54 Below, we are bringing drag artists from so many genres of drag onto one stage. The world is an incredibly divisive and scary place right now, and I hope my shows are a way for people to feel joy and to also get a message of hope. I also make it no secret how I feel about today’s political climate and try to use the platform I have with these shows to get information to people on how they can get involved and give back to help others in this tumultuous time.
Was there a moment in your career when you realized the work you do as a queer performer had an impact?
I’ve always to some extent used my drag career to bring awareness to issues impacting our community. I have worked with Ali Forney Center for Homeless LGBTQ Youth for over 15 years and with Hetrick Martin Institute for about a decade. But when [Trump] first launched their presidential campaign something went off in me where I realized I have a platform and a microphone, and I very much felt it an obligation to use it. I began to educate myself on local politics and how to get more involved.
You recently got engaged. No doubt, your engagement is very much about the love for your partner, but beyond that, what does this partnership mean to you in a time like this?
My fiancée, John, is one of the most amazing humans I have ever met. He makes me laugh, and we have such an incredible bond through both the good and bad within our everyday lives. It was a no-brainer that this is who I would spend my life with. We understand that being married is what we want for our personal togetherness but we also know that in these political times there is a larger meaning. We are seeing the rights of marginalized communities being rolled back daily under this administration, and it was important for us to be able to attain the legal protections that anyone else would have in a marriage.
How do you protect your peace in 2025?
Protecting peace means many things for each individual. For me it’s about coming together in protest and fellowship with organizers and people doing the work to fight against what is happening. It’s also important to take time to be with loved ones, put on trashy tv and eat a pizza. Go for a walk and dance naked in the living room.
What advice do you have for those in the LGBTQ community that feel helpless and hopeless right now?
It’s very real to feel helpless and hopeless. There is a never-ending onslaught of news coming in that is hard to keep up with and to digest. Take those moments of self care that you need to protect your peace, whatever that looks like for you. But as we have been seeing, there are millions here and across the world gathering to fight back. The change is not going to happen overnight, but it will happen. The revolution is here and we will fight and win.
For more information on Marti Gould Cummings, visit marticummings.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.