Unbothered, Unboxed, and Unapologetic: Karma Eclectic Is Tulsa’s Drag Future

Unbothered, Unboxed, and Unapologetic: Karma Eclectic Is Tulsa’s Drag Future
written by Ferrell Dixon Jr. / photographed by Makeddi Pugh

By the time you clock her name, she’s already taken the stage. Karma Eclectic—yes, a nod to Carmen Electra, if you’re cultured—is one of the youngest drag hosts in Tulsa history, but don’t let her age fool you. She’s not waiting for permission. She’s redefining the space.

Raised in a red state where straight boys “couldn’t act feminine,” Karma first met drag as a 13-year-old watching her sister get ready. “I was horrible at makeup,” she tells ASLUT, “but I never felt more beautiful.” From there, she staged one-queen shows in her game room with a single LED spotlight ordered off Amazon. It was giving theatre kid meets defiant icon. And it worked.

“My drag is bigger than life,” she says. “It’s unpredictable. It’s something this world hasn’t seen yet.” That’s not just performance energy—it’s a mission statement.

And it’s one made even bolder by the fact that Karma, for much of her journey, identified as straight—something that made even the drag world feel isolating at times. “People treated me different for that,” she says, recalling early days in the scene. “I felt alone. And personally, I don’t think anybody should be judged from a cover.” In a moment where drag has been weaponized in national politics—especially in states like Oklahoma—Karma’s work reminds us that drag isn’t about division. It’s about joy. Community. Expression. “We are all human and we are all equals,” she says. “No one being underneath, no one acting like they’re above anybody else.”

Today, she identifies more fluidly—as queer, as bold, as someone who believes drag belongs to everyone. “True allies don’t separate themselves from the queer community,” she says. “They’re a part of it.”

And she means that. There’s no gimmick here. Karma Eclectic shows up, in and out of drag, with the same electric spirit. “I might wear normal clothes, but I’m still the same person. Always will be.”

If you’ve seen her live, you know: it’s not just a performance—it’s a phenomenon. She recounts one turning point like a movie climax: performing on the RuPaul’s Drag Race: Werq the World tour in a lip sync battle against Laganja Estranja. Five thousand people. A standing ovation. “I was terrified,” she says, “but I needed to show Oklahoma I wasn’t going down without a fight. And I won.”

When she’s not leveling up arenas, Karma runs shows like Elote Drag Bingo, where she produces, promotes, designs the visuals, and makes the costumes. It’s drag as creative direction and cultural leadership. But don’t get it twisted—she’s still having fun. “If you take drag too seriously, it stops being fun for you and the audience,” she says. “But yes, there’s responsibility. You stay strong. You stay professional. And you remember to have fun.”

That mix—that collision of discipline and joy, professionalism and play—is the Karma Eclectic brand. Her goal? “Just pure joy,” she says. “Surprise, too. Who doesn’t like a little surprise? It’s the eclectic experience of it all.”

And what’s next? “I want to represent Oklahoma, the deaf community, and everyone who feels unseen. Maybe it’s Drag Race, maybe something else,” she shrugs. “But whatever it is, it’s big. It’s coming. And it’s me.”