Sharon Needles

Prior to entering the music industry, the campy drag performer Sharon Needles first gained notice as a contestant on the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race. Aaron Coady, born in Newton, Iowa, endured anti-gay harassment locally until relocating to Pittsburgh in 2004, at which point he embodied the It Gets Better project through his living, breathing, vogueing presence. With a deep affinity for gothic and ghoulish aesthetics, he founded the Haus of Haunt, whose punky, campy, and scary revue soon enlivened Pittsburgh nightclubs. Selected for the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race in 2011, he captured the crown of "America's Next Drag Superstar," prompting widespread social-media acclaim that included endorsements from figures such as Lady Gaga. The year 2013 saw the arrival of his debut album PG-13, whose danceable yet dark sound added a striking new dimension to popular music.