Winner: Kristi Waters
instagram.com/thekristiwaters
Since arriving in San Antonio a decade ago, former Corpus Christi schoolteacher Kristi Waters has earned accolades and titles spanning from Grand Marshal of the inaugural Pride River Parade to Countess of the River Walk. She’s also won Best Drag Performer in the Current’s annual poll for six years and counting. One of the hardest-working queens on the San Antonio scene, Waters has created one-woman comedy shows and acted in campy Golden Girls spoofs while multitasking as an unsinkable performer, entertainment director and DJ. When Waters announced she’d be dipping out of the spotlight to undergo cancer treatment this summer, the outpouring of love and support was nothing short of inspiring. Evidenced by her devoted fanbase, Waters isn’t just a key member of our LGBTQ+ scene, she’s the hot-pink glitter glue holding it together. Now that the wigs have come off as she tackles chemotherapy and radiation, Waters has been documenting her cancer journey in soul-bearing Instagram posts punctuated with the hashtags #KristiWatersStrong and #CancerCanSuckIt. Among the hundreds of supportive comments have been shoutouts from RuPaul’s Drag Race stars including Kimora Blac, Kornbread “The Snack” Jeté and Brooke Lynn Hytes — the latter of whom shared our very sentiments: “You got this!!!”
2. Valenteno Capri
instagram.com/kingvalentenocapri
3. Maria G
instagram.com/respar5
This article appears in Jul 23 – Aug 6, 2025.