Kareema Baines, known widely as the drag artist and performer Lady Red Couture, died on July 25 at age 43. She is remembered by fellow drag artists, admirers, and friends as a pioneer, but also as being an exceptionally kind person. She starred in the popular YouTube series Hey Qween! and inspired viewers to express their true selves.
Billboard shared a compilation of love and memories from fellow drag stars on social media:
Lady Red’s death was unexpected, caused by complications from cyclic vomiting syndrome, a condition she had suffered from for years, a condition that has no known cause.
In remembering Lady Red, let’s turn our thoughts to the many trans people of color whose health is impacted by access to housing, work, and medical care. When Hey Qween! began, its star was living out of motels. It is (past) time for our institutions to address these disparities. Racial bias in medicine is beginning to be addressed, but more work needs to be done to ensure that trans and non-binary folks receive equitable care from doctors, and that medical research include more racial and gender diversity.
Lady Red Couture, you will be missed ❤
