Burnley's iconic drag queen Diana DoGood thanks her hometown for support in Pride Month of June

Ladies and gentlemen, if you haven’t already seen her, this is Diana DoGood, the Burnley drag queen who was ‘born’ in 2022 to bring something a little bit different and boost ticket sales for a ladies’ brunch event.

Diana was an instant hit with the partygoers at Penny Black venue in Burnley, holding the audience in the palm of her hand with a show stopping performance of music, song and dance. A second brunch was organised on the back of the success of the first one and since then Diana has never looked back.

She is booked to perform regularly at venues, bars and pubs across Burnley and the surrounding area. Since 2022 the act has blossomed and Diana’s set includes no less than five costume changes accompanied by four different wigs. It’s not something Diana, aka Ollie Daley, could have imagined in their wildest dreams. But, as June, hailed as Pride Month worldwide, draws to a close Ollie (27) is proud and delighted that Burnley has embraced Diana and taken her to their hearts.

Ollie, who works for the Lancashire Child and Youth Justice Service, said: “My aim was to increase LGBTQ+ visibility in Burnley and my goal was to create one and spread a message to others that even in this small town you can be who you want to be, your true authentic self.

“The positive reaction to Diana wherever I perform is just amazing and the support I have received has blown me away.

“To see people arrive in a pub with a snarl on their face when they see Diana but leave smiling and congratulating her means the world to me, I feel like I have succeeded in what I set out to do.

"I have performed at weddings, a father’s day event and other celebrations...who would have thought it?”

And Ollie says he has been approached by younger drag queens who he has inspired to have the confidence to express themselves freely.

He added: “If I had seen visibility like this when I was growing up in Burnley my life would have been so different and much easier.

"Drag is so unapologetically activism and always has been. We’ve made progress for LGBTQ+ rights thanks to drag queens and trans women who organised a series of riots in 1969 known as Stonewall riots. But, we still have such a long way to go, even now.”

Ollie is very much inspired by another Burnley drag queen, Elektra Fence, aka Julian Riley, who has appeared on the popular TV show RuPaul's Drag Race that showcases the immense talents of the UK’s drag queens. Elektra appeared on the third series of the show in 2021. Ollie said: “It is immense for drag queens to have visibilty on prime time TV, it can only be a positive thing.”

People often ask Ollie why he hasn’t taken Diana to cities like Manchester and London and the answer is simple.

He said: “Diana is creating awareness of drag in a town like Burnley where there is little visibility. It’s my goal to create a consistent LGBTQ+ scene where people feel safe, represented and loved. I want to spread a message to others that even in this small town you can be who you want to be, your true authentic self.”