The Trans Narrative Podcast · Trans Narrative Pod

Elena J. Nova: Not an Apology | Drag, Disability, and Queer Defiance, Tracing Repentance

·46 min·3 clips

Elena J. Nova says she was told she was “not trans enough” and “not drag king enough.”

1. The Trans Narrative Podcast episode centers on Elena J. Nova, also known as Arrested Electra and Rusted Electra, and her path through drag, poetry, disability, and queer identity. 2. Caroline hosts the conversation with Jordan Braxton and Jenna Lee Dunn, while Elena explains why her work matters to Memphis and Arkansas queer scenes. 3. The episode asks how someone raised Pentecostal and isolated in Arkansas turns performance into self-definition and community care. 4. Elena says she grew up “super conservative,” was Pentecostal Christian, and was taken out of school in sixth grade. 5. She describes a life limited to “church and my bedroom” until she was 20, with little exposure to the outside world. 6. Ballet becomes the first space where she meets queer people, including a trans woman coworker who later takes her to a drag show at God Sees in Jonesboro, Arkansas. 7. Elena says she was kicked out of ballet after her dance studio learned she was a lesbian. 8. She remembers seeing Rebecca Random and other drag artists in person for the first time and deciding that drag was where she wanted to stay. 9. In 2022, Elena was a competitive dancer in Paragould, Arkansas, on scholarship, practicing five days a week and helping at the studio. 10. A kiss on the cheek with her girlfriend in the lobby leads to a complaint from a parent and her removal from the studio as a company dancer. 11. Elena says that was the first time she experienced discrimination and homophobia in that setting. 12. Her trans coworker then takes her to a drag show, where she meets Rebecca Random, Live, Laugh, Love Pepper, Sue Sage, Oscar Sage, Stevie Quinn, and Lorraine. 13. Rebecca Random tells her she can perform, and Elena debuts as “Repentance” at a November show with choreography she created herself. 14. Elena later moves into Memphis, works with Venus Noir, meets India Taco, and enters shows at Canvas, Drew’s open stage, High Tone, and the Moth Moth Moth scene. 15. She says one drag king show rejected her as “not trans enough,” “not drag king enough,” and “not enough,” which pushed her to reject rigid gender roles in drag. 16. Elena explains that she wants to create spaces where people can be femme, masculine, or androgynous without being excluded from drag categories. 17. She says her poetry books function like a diary and let her write down what she could never say out loud. 18. Elena describes Rusted Electra as the stage version of herself, while Elena is the person who deals with anxiety and crowds. 19. The episode has an intimate interview style, with Caroline, Jordan, and Jenna responding personally while Elena moves between reflection, laughter, and specific stories about Memphis and Arkansas. 20. People interested in Memphis drag, trans inclusion, poetry, and queer survival through performance will likely connect with it, while listeners wanting a fast celebrity profile or light entertainment may not.

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